Orenaug Park in Connecticut is a short and steep trail with three trail entrances that lead to a firetower. This firetower offers a full view of the town of Woodbury. One trail entrance is by a pond, another is by the senior center, and the third enters on a road. I will attach an image to clarify.
Orenaug is surrounded by pines, oaks, and maples. There were many leaves on the ground and fallen branches, off of the path but around it nonetheless. In Centennial there are mainly white pines, sugar maples, and paper birches. The path at Centennial is muddy compared to Orenaug and seems to be less obstructed by fallen branches.
Overall, being at this site feels a bit different from my site in Burlington. Orenaug is more a part of the town, and not as isolated as Centennial Woods. I feel familiar in both spots, perhaps more so in Burlington because I’ve visited my spot there to a greater extent. Although both are away from the local town enough, Orenaug feels more a part of the community and I experienced more people on my travels there.
Orenaug is the “Native American name for the trap rock cliffs” (Town of Woodbury, Orenaug Park section) which suggests part of the history of the natural area. Many surrounding areas and landmarks are named after the Native Americans who lived there before, such as the Nonnewaug River.
The fire tower itself was built in 1911 to lookout for fires within the Pomperaug River Valley.
The geography of Orenaug is more rocky than Centennial. There are rock cliffs and caves, whereas Burlington is mainly ups and downs as well as mud and pines. I mentioned vegetative species in one of the above paragraphs. I notice that this fauna is kind of similar, but more tuned to the natural environment of both places. For example, the type of soil and weather differs. Orenaug is rocky and dry while Centennial is typically muddy and supports a variety of species. Both places are significantly filled with hills; however, I believe Centennial offers more variety.
I have been to Orenaug before but this time I explored a new trail of it. This definitely made me feel more of a sense of place in Burlington because the trail I went on in Woodbury felt dark and lonely almost. I also came across evidence of people’s history there as I have in Centennial. In Burlington, I know my area well, I am familiar with the landmarks of the area like the large pine and wooden planks. For Orenaug I had to discover these things for the first time.