Dan Antion

Return to Powder Hollow

Off the blazed trail, but enjoying the hike.

A few weeks ago, I shared some doors from an industrial area in nearby Enfield, Connecticut. The area is known as Hazardville, named after Augustus Hazard who operated a gunpowder manufacturing company in the 1800s. The mill was powered by water from the Scantic River, and the little valley in which that river runs is known as Powder Hollow. While few remnants of the gunpowder operation remain, Connecticut has established a small State Park where the factory buildings were, and they have blazed a hiking trail along Scantic River.

On Father’s Day, our daughter, Faith, was finishing a Wilderness Leadership course in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, so we weren’t able to get together. When she returned, she asked if we could have a “proper Father’s Day” the following weekend. I suggested that we could hike along that trail and visit Powder Hollow Brewery after our hike. After three days of wilderness hiking, Faith said: “as long as I don’t have to pack a keg into the woods, I’m good with that.”

Powder Hollow Brewery serves pints, flights and growlers, but no food, so we started our morning with a hearty breakfast (no pictures) and then headed for the park. The trail is only 2 miles (3.22 km) long, but we took advantage of a couple of side trails, one to get closer to the water and one because we always tend to ask, “I wonder where that goes?”

Even though it wasn’t a long hike, it was a warm-ish day and a flight of cold beers at the brewery’s rustic bar was a great way to cool down. They are renovating the brewery, so tours were not available – we might have to go back.

The rest of the story is told in the captions. If you’re interested, you can click on any photo to start a slide show, or just enjoy the collage.

From our first steps on the trail, we knew we were heading to the river.
There was quite a bit of damage along the trail from spring storms.
Scantic River is a quiet, meandering stream these days.
Off the blazed trail, but well worth the effort.
Scantic River once powered several textile mills and the gunpowder operations in Hazardville.
Faith is always up for a hike, even a short one.
We thought about walking across that, but we decided against it.
“I wonder where that goes?”
Faith taking the lead up that path.
At the top of that trail was another entrance to the park.
Dams and canals that used to power the mills have been reduced to rapids and small waterfalls.
Powder Hollow Brewery
Tap room at Powder Hollow Brewery.
Some photos of the former gunpowder operations from over 100 years ago.
The taproom was fairly large and well appointed with brewery styled items.
Well over a dozen beers were on tap to greet us after our hike.
The open ceiling of the brewery is dotted with antique powder kegs and other memorabilia.
Taking flight. These look larger than they were. They are 6 or7oz glasses.
Faith had the beers with green arrows. I had the ones with blue arrows.
“How about a kiss, sweetie?” Maddie always loves to see faith.

89 comments

  2. What a great hike! Any event that ends in a brewery is a great one. 😉 Those are some respectable flight glasses. I love all your choices. I would also have tried that oatmeal stout. I love hikes by the water. Usually cooler. Have a wonderful week.

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    • Thanks. I liked that they write the number on the board, so you know what you’re drinking. After the first round, we split a flight of our favorites. The hike was pretty cool, but it was humid, so a stop at the brewery was a very nice way to wrap it up.

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  5. That’s a gorgeous trail and area, Dan, and a good choice for a Father’s Day stroll and a beer. I love the inside of the tap room…very cozy and they are at no loss of an interesting choice of beers. Have a wonderful Monday and a good holiday week.

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  7. I’m not a beer drinker, but that tap room is beautiful. I am so glad you both did not try to cross on that tree trunk. I think it would have been too much of an adventure–in a not good way!

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    • Thanks Lois. I think you’re right. We passed it twice, and the temptation was strong. The tap room was a very nice place to relax – good that we weren’t soaked.

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  8. Oh, my goodness, those beers look good! –Er, I mean, that hike looks beautiful. I would have been happy to hold places for you at the bar while you and Faith hiked. I’m generous and selfless that way.

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  9. Your off-trail photos are gorgeous. Must have been a perfect hike. Faith knows you all too well! 🙂 No keg, but a good ending to the hike. Stay cool in the heat this week, Dan.

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  10. What a beautiful trail! Your photos are amazing, Dan. And, your daughter is gorgeous. Nothing warms the heart more than dad and daughter time. :)

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  13. Hi Dan – looks a lovely hike and what a great way to celebrate a belated Father’s Day … excellent Faith is taking after you with her love of the Wilderness – especially doing her course. Sounds an ideal place especially with the pub around for some revitalising amber liquid. That return visit will obviously be on the cards for the tour … cheers Hilary

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    • Thanks Hilary. Faith has exceeded my wilderness experience by a lot, but I did enjoy hiking when I was her age. I would like to go back for a tour (and another flight) but that can wait…maybe until autumn.

      The course she took sounded grueling but certainly rewarding.

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  14. What a wonderful Father’s Day celebration with Faith. Always love seeing photos of the two of you enjoying each other’s company. And a pic of Faith and Maddie is just a bonus.

    Great photos of a beautiful hiking trail. Nice tap room to cool off in. It seems there are more kinds of beer choices now than ice cream flavors!!

    Glad you passed up crossing the river via the log. I mean, probably nothing sharp there, but you do seem to be accident prone! Just sayin’…….😜
    🔹 Ginger 🔹

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    • Ha ha – I was wondering who would be the one to point out my history, with respect to considering crossing via that tree :-)

      I did make sure to include the picture of Maddie saying goodbye, because she has her fans, and I understand.

      I was glad to see so many beers. I like beers in a narrow range, and it was nice to be able to find four choices that I enjoyed. Good breakfast, nice hike, fine beers, great company – it doesn’t get better than that. Thanks Ginger.

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  18. The area is gorgeous area, and a wonderful way to spend Father’s Day with Faith.

    After birding in 100°F + temps on Saturday we stopped at a pizzeria and I ordered an ice cold pale ale. It was really good. I wish I had written down the name of it.

    If I were to try a flight from there I’d be a mix of you two. I’d try the 1,2, 7, and 13. A mix of pale ale’s and stout.

    Of course I’d have to Uber, or cab it home from that flight! 😜🍺🍻

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  20. So glad you were able to spend special Father Time with your daughter, Dan. LOVED the gallery making me wish to be in a forest right now. Temps need to come down a bit first … NO air outside in an oven. Thank you for the refreshing GREEN images. 💚💚💚

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  26. how fun to have a father’s day like this – and I wonder why they do not serve food – maybe too much extra work or permit stuff? Do you know? and short hikes are right up my alley

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    • It’s a case of No Facilities :-)

      Seriously, they don’t have room for any kitchen facilities. But they have a room you can hold an event in where you can bring your own food,

      Short hikes are always interesting for me. If I walk enough and exercise enough, I can handle a longer one, but not usually as early as June.

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      • hahah – love that connection to your name – and was actually thinking about that last month (I almost made a fiction post for what pegman saw that had me visiting the Thursday doors folks – with Joey in her new car – – but things got too busy – and your blog name was on my mind)
        and you brought up another good point-t he time of year is a factor too –
        and I am not a big hiker – but I heard a rookie mistake is to start off with too long of a hike or to go at wrong time for starting

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  29. What a lovely, “proper” Father’s Day, Dan!
    The shimmering Scantic River in the top row took me away to a beautiful setting!
    Your photo with Faith is worth framing! There is love personified in this picture! 💕
    Maddie photo and Powder Hollow Brewery are extra special additions. Cheers! 🍻

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  30. I love those little hikes where you can adventure off the blazed trail without getting in too much trouble – as long as you’re with a group and have a cell phone that works. Beautiful photos! I especially like the river.

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  31. Thoroughly enjoyed the virtual tour in pictures and captions. I and Sarah enjoy such trails and we sometimes do that in our own locality. There’s a lot of undeveloped space behind my township and I assume it would take another decade to turn that green space into another township. So until then, I and Sarah explore the wilderness around. You’ve seen those spaces in the migratory birds’ posts I did last year. A lot of people come here to learn driving and riding bikes, teens come in to take selfies, ladies come to gossip but I and Sarah are busy exploring the birds and nature. I often see people staring at us wondering what we two do on off-road trails with our camera. Now that the monsoon is finally here I and Sarah are looking forward to doing more hiking trips, if possible.

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          • Yes. Rain is good for us. As a local I am quite used to doing things in the rain. I used to go to school in heavy rain and even in almost-flood situations. There are power outages so we know how to live without power. The next blog coming up is about the insect world that come up during this season. Last year you suggested I write on insects so Sarah took note of that and told me to do it this year.

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