Alluring golden light glints through the forest ahead, inviting us up on the open ridge alongside the improbable, imposing glacial erratic. Long before Joshua’s Trust made Wolf Rock our first conservation area purchase in 1971, Mansfield residents would picnic on this overlook next to the locally famous boulder. The easy trail, though it has probably been there for 300 years, averaged about one person wide. It still felt secret in the late ‘60s when I wandered along it, misusing UConn study time. A certain hidden haunt nearby sometimes felt like a vortex of Druidic earth energy. Ooo. Well, that might have been the result of Len Krimerman’s Eastern Philosophy class. Or something else from the times.
The preserve attracts rock climbers to its 40 foot cliff, Nipmuck Trail thru-hikers, turbulent teens, and a steady parade of average nature lovers who just need a walk in the woods, a view, or some silence and space. Though in places it’s 10-12 feet across, victimized by bicyclists (and 4-wheelers once or twice), the quarter mile path is remarkably mostly okay. That’s not an accident. Dedicated volunteers have maintained the path, the ecosystem, and the view. The boulder has been chemically cleaned, wire-brushed, ground down, and painted over many times. This landmark is still a valuable drawing card for the outdoors. But it’s an example of both the past and the future of Connecticut land conservation. Like many of the planet’s most scenic places, it faces a future of even faster change.
Used with Permission from the Connecticut State Library 
Buddha told us distress in life comes from our desire to cling to what is impermanent. News flash–everything is impermanent. How do we resolve this immutable truth with the 21st century disintegration of the web of life around us, and our desperate resolve to retain it? October is a good month to think about change. Its drama unfolds all around us every day. Change is the essence of the universe, including mysterious personal evolution. Equally invisible today, this many-centuries old lichen on Wolf Rock, partly suffocated by ego-driven graffiti, is growing back. Impermanence (and only impermanence) fuels rebirth.
Savor the vista. Then let’s take a long sweet breath and keep on going. Wander with me all over the 100+ acres of Wolf Rock, Mansfield’s Sawmill Brook Preserve, and the remains of Blacksmith Shop Road. Better yet, there are ragged indistinct old paths that once went somewhere. Right now, concealed by amber and umber fallen leaves, they will challenge your tracking skills. Try one out alone and find your way to secluded vernal pools, hemlock-shaded deer yards, maybe the long-lost 17th century wolf den. Maybe you’ll get lost. Maybe you’ll recall what these woods looked like 50 years ago (as I do), or even achieve spiritual enlightenment. Let me know, will ya?
Until then, carry on,
~George Jacobi
Delightful and informative read! Thank you
Best view i have ever seen !