The View Connecticut Had to Keep

Rain is in the forecast this week, so we’re starting with one of those small mysteries everyone knows but rarely thinks about: why rain smells so good.

Then we’re heading up Mount Tom, where one of Connecticut’s first state parks came with an unusual condition. The state could have the land, but it had to preserve the view.

Basically, this week is about weather, memory, and the local places that become more interesting once you know the story behind them.

Glad you’re back.

Patrick
The Litchfield Ledger

Tue — 91° / 70° · 🌤️ Partly cloudy
Wed — 83° / 49° · ⛈️ PM thunderstorms
Thu — 64° / 44° · 🌤️ Partly cloudy
Fri — 66° / 47° · ☁️ Mostly cloudy
Sat — 59° / 47° · 🌧️ Showers
Sun — 59° / 51° · 🌧️ Showers
Mon — 66° / 56° · 🌧️ Showers

We’ve decided to do something fun and a little different.

Our first two Litchfield Dinner Club nights were held at several restaurants around town, with smaller tables based on each guest’s preferences. They sold out, and they were a huge success.

But afterward, a lot of people asked the same thing: could we do one big dinner party next time?

So we reached out to our friends at Lost Fox Inn, and they created a custom prix fixe menu just for Litchfield Ledger Dinner Club guests. We’ve also booked the entire top floor for the night, inside their beautifully restored 1700s-era inn.

This will be a relaxed summer social with great food, music, conversation, and a room full of people who want to meet more of their neighbors.

We’re capping the night at 40 seats to keep it intimate. Come solo, come as a couple, or come with friends. All are welcome.

LEARN MORE HERE

Most people think the smell after rain comes from the rain itself. But rain does not really have a smell.

What we are smelling is the ground waking up.

When soil has been dry for a while, tiny bacteria release a compound called geosmin. It has an earthy smell that humans can detect in incredibly small amounts. When raindrops hit the ground, they trap little air bubbles. Those bubbles pop and send tiny particles of scent into the air.

In other words, the smell of rain is really the smell of soil being lifted into the sky.

Scientists call this smell petrichor. The word was created in the 1960s by researchers studying why dry earth gives off such a strong scent after the first rain. They found that oils from plants, minerals in soil, and compounds made by microbes all mix together to create that familiar after-rain smell.

This is why a summer storm can smell different depending on where you are. Rain on pavement smells sharp and warm. Rain in the Litchfield woods smells mossy and alive. Rain on a garden smells rich, green, and almost sweet.

It also explains why that smell can feel so emotional. Our sense of smell is closely tied to memory, so one damp driveway or rainy trail can suddenly bring back childhood, camp, gardens, lake houses, or the feeling of being safely indoors while the weather moves through.

Once you know this, it changes how you experience the next storm. The smell rising from the road, the garden, the woods, and the lake path is not just “rain.” It is soil, plants, bacteria, memory, and weather all arriving at once. Now that’s fresh.

Most people think Mount Tom is just a pretty hike with a tower at the top. But the tower was not an afterthought.

It was part of the deal.

In 1911, Charles H. Senff offered land on Mount Tom to the state for a public park. At the time, Connecticut did not really have a recreational state park system yet. This was one of the very first pieces of land offered for that purpose, and Mount Tom later became the first state park to open.

But there was one condition: the state had to keep an observation tower on the summit.

Basically, Connecticut got one of its first state parks, but only on the condition that it preserve the view.

There had already been a wooden tower on Mount Tom since the late 1800s. In 1921, that was replaced with the stone tower people climb today. It is 34 feet tall, built from dark local stone, and still gives one of the best views in the area.

From the top, you can see the Litchfield hills, Mount Tom Pond, and on a clear day, much farther. The view can reach into Massachusetts, New York, and even toward Long Island Sound.

Now the funny part is that the tower almost feels like a bonus. You hike up through the woods, climb the stairs, and suddenly the whole landscape opens around you. But really, the view was the point all along.

You can find the tower at the summit of Mount Tom State Park, along the short tower trail.

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Gunn Memorial Library, Washington – Explore vintage toys from the museum collection and get creative at Crafting History: Vintage Toys. Participants will customize a 3D-printed spinning top, experiment with spin art, and enjoy a hands-on blend of history and makerspace fun. 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM MAKE MAGIC

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