I have learned (or re-learned) my lesson and will not publish any detailed routes for my road walking bypasses.
But for those with whom I’ve shared the route to avoid road walking in Connecticut (Middletown area) on the Mattabesett Trail from Route 147 to Brainard Hill Rd I need to add some information as a result of recent feedback.
The 0.25 mile walk SE-NW along a power line near Rt 154 has been complicated by current construction activity on that power line. My route is still fine but when they’re working there’s lots of heavy equipment you don’t want to get involved with. You can either do that 0.25 portion on Route 154 (yuck!!), or bushwhack pretty easily through the open woods parallel to and BETWEEN the power line and Rt 154. Once the construction activity is completed, I’m sure that portion of my route will still be there.
About 0.5 miles South of Route 9, there is a cabin deep in the woods which my route gives a wide margin, traversing near the top of a ridge about 0.2 miles up to the West. The owner of the cabin has verbally claimed ownership all the way up to the ridge top. No posting was observed (there is some BHA posting for a development much further S along that same woods road but my route doesn't come anywhere near that). Frankly I don’t believe it because that ownership would straddle a town line and that’s unusual for a land parcel. The extent of any posting we have seen on the ridge is a sign advising hikers to carry bear spray as bear have been sighted in the area! And another posting sign further S on the ridge that prohibits hunting and ATVs.
Nevertheless, I’d suggest looping briefly further West just on the other side of the ridge for a few hundred yards. It’s not the nice path across, definitely bushwhacking, but it’s open woods and easy walking.
I will post any other feedback I get here in this thread, but no detailed routes.