Wright's Tower to Gerry Hill Loop (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Wright's Tower to Gerry Hill Loop (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Hike Type: Criss-crossing Lollipop Loop

Distance: 4.04 miles

Elevation: 531 feet

Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025; Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike

It was conference night at school, which meant I had to work until 3 like normal and then come back from 6pm-8pm - gross. I filled that open time with a cold trip to the fells (and then some Sweetgreen afterwards). It was 27 degrees out but VERY windy, which made this a cold one! I drove over to Bellevue Pond, changed in the car, and got moving as quickly as possible to warm up!

Bellevue Pond was completely frozen over and I noticed a new trail leading up to the tower - the yellow-blazed Wright's Tower Trail. I followed that up, which had a winding path that was never too steep and pretty open. I came up to a tree that had a downy woodpecker just hanging out. It didn't move until I got within ~5 feet, and then it started chirping up a storm and scooting around.

Soon after the short trail came to a ledge with a lovely view toward Boston the Great Blue Hill, only partially obstructed by treetops. Up at the tower I was delighted to see no other souls, which made sense because the wind was blustery and it was frigid. That being said, the view was beautiful! I especially loved seeing the lit-up slopes of Blue Hills Ski Area, where I'm hoping to visit for the first time Monday night (they dropped a new $20 Monday night deal recently). 

Now, my plan was to hike on the Skyline Trail until my designated turn-around time of 3:45pm. My puffy came off becausse I was sweating (no surprise there), and I was off! A bit further down the trail, before the first descent, I located two USGS discs, but only one was one that I had seen before - could there really be three on this little hill (spoiler alert - yes!). 

I started the gentle rollercoaster of the Skyline Trail, delighted to see a drastic lacking of ice. That being said, any and every dirty patch was covered in needle ice, which created some fun and exciting "trap doors" and ankle-rolling moments throughout the hike. It was windy on the hills but much more tolerable in the woods. I passed someone's unique... cairn? Not sure what to call it, but they used nearby rocks on a boulder to create a monster's face (I kind of love it).

My alarm went off right at intersection C4-2 just past Gerry Hill, and now it was time for the great return! I worked my way to the Mountain Bike Loop and followed that for a while, past a super old sign detailing something about picnic areas.

I continued onto Silvermine Road once the Mountain Bike Loop turned away, worked my way across a big ice patch, and rolled my ankles a few more times due to the needle ice/frost heaves. Over half of Mud Road was covered in ice, so I stuck to the woods on the side, and made my way back to Quarry Road with enough sunlight for one more visit to Wright's Tower! I scooted up the Skyline Trail, saw my second person of the day (who was running down), and made it just in time to notice that there might be a nice sunset - there was a small gap in the clouds right on the horizon.

I set up camp right next to Wright's Tower and watched the beautiful show - the shadows on the clouds above were especially dramatic. I took a quick intermission to take a photo of the tower and find the third USGS disc that I knew existed, and then the sun began to poke through and I took at least 1,000 photos. It was cold and beautiful! 

I descended via the Wright's Tower Trail and the runner from before ran down past me again, and then turned around at the bottom and ran back up again! Back at the car, I changed back into dry, warm clothes, and made my way back to school for a long night of not doing much. Overall, it was a great way to spend the afternoon!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Bellevue Pond.

- Start hike on Quarry Road (Gate 5).

- After D6-5, turn right onto Wright's Tower Trail.

- At Wright's Tower, continue onto Skyline Trail. 

- At C4-2, turn right onto Gerry Hill Path.

- At D4-3, turn right onto Mountain Bike Trail.

- Continue to follow Mountain Bike Trail.

- At D5-2, continue on Silver Mine Path.

- At C5-20, turn left onto Red Cross Path.

- At C6-4, turn left onto Mud Road.

- At D6-2, continue onto Skyline Trail.

- At Wright's Tower, continue onto Wright's Tower Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Quarry Road and return to car.

Map of Middlesex Fells Reservation

Photo Album

Sassaman Notch, Streamside Edge, Slide Notch Loop (Blue Hills Reservation)

Sassaman Notch, Streamside Edge, Slide Notch Loop (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Loop w/ Spurs

Distance: 4.93 miles

Elevation: 709 feet

Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025; Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x)

The Hike

Hike #3 and day #3 in a row of hiking, and of being sick! I think I'm starting to feel better, but oof. Whatever virus got me, got me good. I had grand plans of a sunrise hike somewhere in New Hampshire and then skiing, but I came to my senses when the little angel my shoulder said "do you ever want to feel better??" - so here we are! It was 31 degrees, cloudy, and breezy, and I found myself back at the Chickatawbut Overlook.

I hiked up to the tower and turn worked toward Sassaman Notch Path, which I hiked out-and-back to the road and then continued on towards the interior. I love how quiet this side of the park is, even on a weekend. I crossed paths with a trail runner, and then continued in toward the Laurel Path and Great Cedar Swamp. I love this area - it was very mossy and covered in mountain laurel further in.

I dipped into "the grove" as I decided to call it - the leftover spur of the Hemlock Bound Trail - which is just a delightful small bit of trail. Dark, moody, and donning a few old blazes. 

From there, I made my way up Barberry Bush Spring Trail and then wiggled my way toward the Streamside Edge Path mini-loop. Another thing I appreciate about the Chickatawbut side of the park is how you can really feel the character of the old roads. The trail network is less dense than other areas of the park, which give it a feeling of solitude. 

From the old road gate when they put Route 128 through the Blue Hills, I started my return trip back toward Braintree Pass Path, Lee Path (a short, lovely trail), and then Slide Notch Path. There was an eerie burned clearing on Slide Notch - I wasn't sure if its been there or if its from this past fall's fires. I slowly ascended, being mindful of my heart rate, and then made my way back to my car! For the past three hikes I've been wearing my Outdoor Research Trail Mix fleece (the one that's from the 2023 season, not last year's), and I can't figure out if it's not wicking moisture the way I want becuase I'm not wearing a wool long sleeve underneath (I'd been wearing a polyester T-shirt) or if it's just poorly made. I'll have to experiment in the coming weeks.

Step-By-Step

- Park at Chickatawbut Overlook.

- Hike up to tower, turn right onto Tower Path.

- At 3075, turn right onto Sassaman Notch Path.

- At Chickatawbut Road, turn around and hike Sassaman Notch Path.

- At 3135, turn right onto Curve Path.

- At 3130, turn right onto Laurel Path.

- Before 3121, turn left onto Hemlock Bound Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Laurel Path.

- At 3121, turn left onto Barberry Bush Spring Trail.

- At 3090, turn right onto Braintree Pass Path.

- At 3073, turn left onto Streamside Edge Path.

- At I-93, turn left to continue on Streamside Edge Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Branch Path.

- At 3066, turn right onto Streamside Edge Path.

- At 3072, continue onto Braintree Pass Path.

- At 3155, turn right onto Lee Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Bouncing Brook Path.

- At 3073, turn left onto Slide Notch Path.

- At jct., turn left onto Tower Path.

- Retrace steps to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Squamaug Notch, Great Cedar Swamp, Braintree Pass, & Cedar Rock Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Squamaug Notch, Great Cedar Swamp, Braintree Pass, & Cedar Rock Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Loop

Distance: 5.30 miles

Elevation: 443 feet

Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025; Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x)

The Hike

Hike #2! I was feeling marginally better from the mystery illness so I wanted to go for a longer hike, on a colder, winder day, apparently. The plan was to wander the Chickatawbut area without climbing any of the hills. I was congested, snotty, and frigid, and I was off!

There was some avoidable ice, of the boilerplate and needle variety, on the pathway to the tower. At the tower, somebody was blowing some form of what appeared to be an indigenous horn and praying in between, so I let them have their privacy and continued along toward the Squamaug Notch Path, which I forgot is one of my favorite trails - it's just surprisingly scenic for a wooded trail. There were seasonal tree-views of Boston and the reservoir through the trees, though.

My puffy came off right at the height-of-land, and then I continued my way down to the end of the trail, making my way towards the Great Cedar Swamp via the Hemlock Path. I eventually caught up to a guy walking his dogs, but he would pick up his pace everytime I came within 20 feet, which was... fine. To stall time, I investigated the Hemlock Bound rock, which had a herd path near it leading to a nearby business. 

I scooted around I-93 through the broken fence, and then turned uphill to the Braintree Pass Path to break up with the man I had been inadvertently stalking. My heart rate got higher than I had wanted it to, being sick and all, but it was fine. The Braintree Pass Path was beautiful as always, and one of the longer continual paths in the reservation. 

Near Chickatawbut Road, I turned onto Headquarters Path, carefully crossed, and continued along the Headquarters Path/Pipe Line. The trail quality alternated between dry, wet, and icy, but all avoidable. My last stop was the Cedar Rock Path back to the car, where I officially crossed paths with the first person of the day!

Step-By-Step

- Park at Chickatawbut Overlook.

- Hike up to tower, turn left onto Tower Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Slide Notch Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Squamaug Notch Path.

- At 3163, turn right onto Bouncing Brook Path.

- At 3151, turn left onto Hemlock Path. 

- At terminus, continue right onto Laurel Path.

- Soon after, turn left onto Braintree Pass Path.

- At 3024, turn right onto Headquarters Path.

- Cross Chickatawbut Road, continue on Headquarters Path.

- At 4012, turn right onto Cedar Rock Path.

- Return to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Houghton's Pond & Breeze Hill Loop (Blue Hills Reservation)

Houghton's Pond & Breeze Hill Loop (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Figure-8 Loop

Distance: 2.82 miles

Elevation: 138 feet

Time: 52 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025; Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x)

The Hike

First hike of 2025! I woke up feeling... not great on New Year's Day, which made sense, but it turned out I was actually medium sick. My only goal for the day was to get outside and move my body, so I set my sights on Houghton's Pond. It was 34 degrees, partly cloudy, and slightly breezy. The first thing I noticed was the fire damage on the Great Blue Hill side of Hillside Street - I completely forgot about the fire! Many trees have since been cut down, I assume to prevent blowdowns in the road. 

I started the hike by following the footpath/sidewalk alongside Hillside Street, eventually turning onto Nursery Trail. Once on the loop around Houghton's Pond, I noticed some new yellow triangle blazes stapled to trees along this route. Maybe they're redoing the yellow circles? Maybe a new map will be coming out soon?

I hiked the spur paths to Old 128, admiring the very trace amounts of snow that were left. There were occasional moments of sunshine, but the clouds dominated the sky. I continued to follow the yellow blazes and then started a secondary loop around breeze hill - first along the gravel road and then on the paved path. At the height of land, where the green circles usually pick up, stapled green triangles now appeared! Exciting!

I wasn't feeling great, but the cool, fresh air did feel good. I saw some new red triangles, too, and continued back to Houghton's Pond. I passed a man with his dog and got a boisterous "HAPPY NEW YEAR!," which was kind. 

I wrapped up my hike by following a path to the shoreline and then walking the boardwalk along Marigold Marsh back to the parking lot - it was nice to see water back in the marsh! It was also fun to learn that its called Marigold Marsh (via signage). A nice, easy first hike of the year!

Step-By-Step

- Park at Houghton's Pond Lot A.

- Start hike on path along Hillside Street.

- At corner of Blue Hill River Rd. & Hillside Street, turn left. 

- Turn left again onto Nursery Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Prescott Foot Path (yellow blazes).

- Turn left to hike spur to Old Route 128.

- At terminus, turn left onto Old Route 128.

- At next jct., turn left onto spur path back to Prescott Foot Path (yellow blazes).

- At terminus, turn right onto Prescott Foot Path (yellow blazes).

- Follow yellow blazes until jct. before bathhouse, veer right.

- Hike around Breeze Hill clockwise, eventually following green blazes.

- Follow green blazes to boardwalk behind visitor center.

- Follow boardwalk back to parking lot.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025!

And just like that, we're in the New Year! I've had some time to organize thoughts and reflect since I started the year with some kind of non-COVID virus, which is a solid bummer, but here we are!

I completed 2024 with the following stats:

Hikes: 105 (113 in 2023; 103 in 2022)

Distance: 641.36 mi (667.06 mi in 2023; 531.81 mi in 2022)

Elevation: 147,720 ft (127,353 ft in 2023; 108.904 ft in 2022)

Both number of hikes and distance were down since 2023, but elevation was much higher. All three stats reached my goal of >100 hikes, >500 miles, and >100,000 feet - so I am happy and proud of that! Winter saw a gain in elevation, summer exploded in all three stats, and both spring and fall had lower stats, which I was surprised by! I thought skiing would have contributed to lower stats, but winter wasn't too far behind 2023. All that being said, I'm the healthiest I've been since college, and very pleased with myself!

Looking at other goals I set for last year:

- 100/500/100,000 [COMPLETE]

- Progress on the 48/52 [PROGRESS MADE]

- Complete the VT 5 [Pushed to 2025]

- 52 Hike Challenge [COMPLETE]

- Sunrise Six [COMPLETE]

- Hike Monadnock at least once [DID IT]

- Some summer challenge while in NJ [STARTED HARRIMAN]

- CiTC [COMPLETE]

My completed patch challenges:

- Blue Hills 500 Miles (no patch)

- Blue Hills 125 Mile Club (2nd time)

- Blue Hills Winter Trace

- Sunrise Six

- CiTC Hiker Achievement 

- Wapack Trail 

- Mt. Washington to the Top Award

- Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge (Silver) (no patch)

- Ossipee 10

- 52 Hike Challenge

AND NOW... Goals for 2025!

1. 100 hikes, 500 miles, 100,000 feet

2. 52 Hike Challenge

3. Complete the 52 With a View (1 more hike)

4. Complete the NH 48 (4 more hikes)

5. Complete the VT 5 (2 more hikes)

6. Complete the Friends of the Wapack Hikes (3 small hikes)

7. Complete the Harriman Shelter Challenge (3 more shelters)

8. Hike at least one winter 4000-Footer

9. Hike Mt. Monadnock at least once

10. Hike at least one winter 4000-Footer

Looking forward to another great year in the mountains!

Jug End via Appalachian Trail (Jug End State Reservation)

Jug End via Appalachian Trail (Jug End State Reservation)

Distance: 1.64 miles
Elevation: 633 feet

Time: 0 hours, 54 minutes 
Hike Type: Out-and-Back
Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike

So, skiing was a bummer, but surely the weather will lighten up for a short hike! I found a hike ~10 minutes from Catamount along the Appalachian Trail to "Jug End" that was just over a mile and a half long - a perfect, easy ramble! I got to the trailhead (pull-off on Jug End Road) and saw there's only about 10 more minutes of rain left, so I broke out my pack cover for the first time ever and dug out my Frogg Toggs that I bought for my Mt. Cabot hike. I haven't used the jacket since that hike in late June, and it smelled BAD. But I still threw it on because going rain jacket-less in 40 degrees seemed like a very poor idea. My camera came in my pack for a ride, and I was off!

The woods were peaceful with the pitter-patter of the rain and there was no snow down low, which was welcomed. I passed a tree with very wet, very red bark, and heard gunshots in the distance. Curious if it was a range, a private home, or a hunter? Thankfully I was very visible, so I did not get hunted!

There was some ice at a switchback and then the trail began to climb more moderately with some sketchy footing. I was SWEATING under the jacket, but my own moisture was better than cold rain. The trail continued to zigzag and easy to moderate grades and came to one switchback with some intense ice. I was able to avoid it by going off-trail, but I would not have been able to get across it without spikes.

Higher up, there was another tricky spot that I was able to slowly avoid. The rain slightly lit up for a bit and I took the jacket off to cool down. Soon enough, I came to an open ledge that had what I'm sure is a beautiful view, but I just had the pleasure of looking into a cloud! The true summit of the knob was just off-trail but easy to find. I could have continued down the AT for another mile or so to another peak, but it was back to raining so I figured I wouldn't push it. I could just barely make out a nearby ridge on my way down, and the jacket was soon on again as I got chilly quickly (I was fine once it was back on, thankfully). 

The return trip was slow, steady, and easy. I was glad I didn't wait in my car any longer but this rain was not giving up, which was a bummer, but did validate my choice to stop skiing for the day. Before I knew it was descending down to Jug End Road and it was time to change into dry clothes and wait a comically long time for some breakfast at the Great Barrington Dunkin! And just like that, this concludes the 2024 year of hiking!

Step-By-Step

- Park at Appalachian Trail crossing on Jug End road.

- Hike out-and-back on AT soutbound.

Map of Jug End State Reservation

Photo Album

Skiing Catamount Mountain

Skiing Catamount Mountain

December 29th, 2024

Runs: 5

Distance: 5.04 miles

Elevation: 3,576 feet

Max Speed: 26.6 mph

Avg. Speed: 11.8 mph

Moving Time: 25 minutes, 5 seconds

Total Time: 1 hour, 8 minutes, 24 seconds

Time for my great pilgrimage back to New England! The weather forecast was looking warm with an unclear amount of rain, but I decided to bite the bullet and make a reservation at Catamount - somewhere I had already been. I had a nice drive up and was one of the first 20-ish cars in the parking lot, ready for the 8:30am lift start time.

Mountain Report: Sunday, December 29th. You may have looked at the weather and seen the little rainy cloud image shown for today's weather. We did too, but we're here to tell you, things are actually looking good for today! Despite that daunting rain clouds, the forecast is only showing a short peroid of rain in the morning and then just cloudy skies and warm temps for the rest of the day, all the way through night skiing. With temps staying above freezing last night, there's a good chance of soft snow and great conditions today.

Runs 1-2:

Run 1: Catamount Quad - Cat's Meow - Colonel's Caper - Holiday

[0.65 mi; 3:22; 374 ft; 21.9 mph max; 11.6 mph avg]

Run 2: Catamount Quad - On Stage

[0.45 mi; 3:25; 404 ft; 25.9 mph max; 7.8 mph avg]

I realize that I've been spoiled by Jay Peak, which runs like a well-oiled machine (and is super communicative with condition updates). The Catamount website said five lifts would be spinning at 8:30am, but only the Catamount Quad started right away. There was also race training, so I got started a few minutes after 8:30am once all the racers made their way up the practice slope. My first run was a route I hadn't done before, Cat's Meow - Colonel's Caper - Holiday, which was fine. Cat's Meow was a cat track and the rest of the run was more like spring skiing, which was fun to remember how to ski! I tried to get to the Meadow's Triple, which was supposed to be open, but it was closed to everyone except ski school.

I scooted my way back to the Catamount Quad for a quick run down On Stage. At this point, the high speed quad was not spinning, but the Glades Triple was, so I took that up to near the top.

Runs 3-5:

Run 3: Glade Triple - Ridge Run Ext - Ridge Run - Upper Promenade - Lower Promenade - Homeward Bound

[1.48 mi; 7:03; 945 ft; 24.1 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Run 4: Glade Triple - Upper Sidewinder - Lower Sidewinder

[1.01 mi; 4:07; 922 ft; 26.6 mph max; 14.8 mph avg]

Run 5: Glade Triple - Ridge Run Ext - Ridge Run - Upper Promenade - Lower Promenade - Homeward Bound

[1.46 mi; 7:07; 932 ft; 25.0 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

It was now raining, which wasn't too bad. My first run was the long route, following the Ridge Run Ext to Ridge Run, the Promenades, and finally Homeward Bound. It was a nice gentle run, but the snow felt so different than the hard pack/ice I've skied on so far this season! The big thing I noticed were my edges catching complete randomly. I also noticed that when that would happen, I was sitting back in my boots... classic!

Second run was down Sidewinder, which is a super fun run. I attacked it with more confidence, and then fell right at the end. I think again, a combo of sitting back slightly and slushy snow had my brain confused. I'll blame the rain for some, too!

My fifth and final run was another long lap from Ridge Run to Promenade. I emotionally wanted to get some more, but the mountain was only getting busier and the rain was only getting harder. I headed back to the car, checked the weather again, and saw the rain should be ending in a half hour. I made the wild decision to change and drive to a trailhead and get a hike in - more on that soon!

Map of Catamount Mountain (2024-2025)