The year Lower Piseco-Powley Road washed away

It’s a bit remarkable to think it’s been three years since the pandemic summer when Piseco-Powley Road was closed all summer until October. It was a mixture of supply chain issues and the shut down as COVID spread across the state but it was still horrific to see the destruction brought upon it from the Halloween 2019 storm.

Three years have passed and much of the evidence of repairs has been hidden as the brush regrows and the natural wear and tear and erosion make it look like it did before the storm – generally maintained to a high standard for a dirt road but still subject to the same wear and tear of all dirt roads.

The truth is the closure probably kept a lot of yahoo’s and families away seeking wilderness solitude and a place to party while most other places were closed during the pandemic. Still walking the road prior to the rebuild was jarring with all the damage visible.

The road was fully reopened during October 2020, I camped at the House Pond Campsite for two nights after Thanksgiving to celebrate and witness it’s reopening. It was cold and gray at times but it was wonderful to see it back open again.