Hike Mashamoquet Brook State Park

Event Rating: Level 3
Distance: ~8 miles
Elevation Gain: ~1450 feet
Time Duration: ~4.0 hours
Blaze Orange: Not Required

This hike has more elevation gain than typical local hikes. This hike will be about eight miles at a brisk pace. This is not a beginner hike.

Hikers are required to have attended a level two hike, or similar 6+ mile hike, within the past two months to sign up for this hike.

From Wikipedia:

Israel Putnam Wolf Den is a historic site off Wolf Den Road in Pomfret, Connecticut. At this location in 1742, Israel Putnam shot and killed Connecticut's last known wolf. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

A version of the legend, documented in a 1788 biography by David Humphrey, holds that Putnam and others tracked a wolf to the cave after it had killed seventy sheep on Putnam's farm. Putnam entered the cave by torch light, shot the wolf, and was pulled from the cave by a rope tied to his ankles, dragging the wolf behind him. The story has possibly been embellished over the years, but the main themes of the story, the cave and wolf, are believed to be factual by some historical and modern scholars. The exploit was part of the early career of Putnam, who went on to become an officer in the French and Indian War, a leading Connecticut figure in the American Revolutionary War and a folk hero for many generations.

The cave, a natural fissure in an outcropping of grey gneiss ledge, runs for about 20 feet back into the rock. At one time it may have opened into a small chamber, but leaves, debris, and fill have erased any evidence of this. The cave looks much as it did in the late 18th century when the tale of Putnam and the wolf was codified.

Today, the Wolf Den is accessible from a hiking trail off of Wolf Den drive in Mashamoquet Brook State Park, a 900-acre (360 ha) Connecticut state park, with two campgrounds, hiking, fishing, swimming, and picnicking.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wear a good pair of hiking boots.
Bring two liters of water minimum as well as snack food.
Drink plenty of water before the hike to pre-hydrate.

You can find a trail map at this link:
Mashamoquet Brook State Park Trail Map

Directions
From the east/(Providence, RI): Take Route 6 west onto Route 101 west. Continue west on Route 101, going ~1/4 mile past the junction with Route 169. Watch for a sign on your left for the Wolf Den Campground. Take the left onto Wolf Den Drive, and follow it until you come to the campground entrance on your left.

===============================

Before signing up for this event, please read and understand the entire Write-Up and the Liability Waiver. By signing up for this event you and any guests that accompany you agree to the terms of the Liability Waiver.

Liability Waiver: As a condition of your voluntary participation in this activity, you acknowledge and agree to the following: this activity involves inherent risks that can cause property damage, injury, illness, disability, and/or death to participants and/or others; you assume all risk associated with this activity; you are responsible for having the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, clothing, and equipment to safely participate in this activity; you know and will follow the Hiker Responsibility Code described at www.hikesafe.com; the leader(s) of this activity are volunteers; and you for yourself, your heirs, executors, and administrators release, hold harmless, and indemnify the leader(s) and all members of this group from any and all claims for property damage, injury, illness, disability, and/or death - including those caused by negligence and/or other reasons.