Blue Griffin

The griffin is a mythological beast, having the head, forelegs and wings of an eagle, and the hindquarters, tail ... and ears (go figure!) ... of a lion.  Having the lion's body and the eagle's head, the griffin thereby symbolizes dominance over both the land and the air.

Location:   Hurd State Park, East Hampton, CT.
Terrain:   Moderate.
Clues:   Easy.
Time:   If walking in, about 1 hour and 40 minutes;  if driving in, about 1 hour.

DIRECTIONS:   From Route 9, take Exit 16 (warning: if coming from the south, it's a left exit) and at the end of the exit ramp, turn right onto Route 66 East.  Continue across the bridge and into Portland, then turn right to stay on Route 66 East for 5 miles to Cobalt.  Turn right onto Route 151 South.  After about 2.5 miles, branch right following the brown "Hurd State Park" signs (passing by a small parking area and trailhead here).  You are now on Route 439, Hurd Park Road.  Proceed for an additional 0.6 mile to the main entrance of Hurd State Park on your right.

CLUES:   If the park road is open, you can drive in.  If the park road is closed, park at the entrance and walk in on the blacktop park road, following signs that read "Picnic Areas - River - Carlson Pond."  This can be a bit of a hike in itself.  When finally nearing the end of the park road, you will pass a blue trailhead on your right, then a red trailhead on your left, then several pull-outs on your right along Carlson Pond.  Make a note of the trailhead for the red trail, since this is where you will come out at the end of this hike (or you could go in here and do the route in reverse).

After Carlson Pond, the park road forms a loop at the end.  About halfway around the loop, you will find several trailheads.  Take the one marked "River Trail."  This downhill trail is blazed with red, but be on the lookout for where the red blazes branch off to the right.  Follow the red-blazed trail.  At a point where it curves left and begins to descend and the view of the river is in front of you, notice a low stone wall on your right.  This stone wall joins with a second stone wall at a right angle.  At the inside of the corner where the two walls join, reach under and in ... into the lair of the Blue Griffin.
(Note:  it is always safest to probe with a stick first, before reaching into crevices.)

The RETURN:  After stamping in, continue following the red trail which brings you to the picnic areas by the river.  Proceed south through the picnic area, passing by one uphill trail on your left, then take the second uphill trail on your left to find a stone footbridge crossing the brook.  (I hope you have brought with you the clues for the Purple Serpentine Dragon since he lives very near here.)  After crossing the footbridge, you will see blazes for the red trail again.  Follow it uphill to the trailhead that you passed on your way in.