CIVILIZED HIKING: Park HQ to Big Blue via Accord Path (Blue Hills Reservation)

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Park HQ to Big Blue via Accord Path (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Spaghetti Loop

Distance: 6.48 miles

Elevation: 1056 feet
Time: 2 hours, 49 minutes

Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace

The Hike

Another step up in the maybe pneumonia recovery! After today I’m feeling good and like I’m ready for some more serious hikes again… but it’s been actually snowing up north and I am simply not emotionally ready to make the jump to snowshoes - someday! My original plan was to do a big loop from the Trailside Museum to Houghton Hill, then the Accord Path to Skyline up to Big Blue. My Taco Bell last night did not agree with that, and I needed to start from a trailhead with a bathroom… so I landed to headquarters! My favorite spot (the one in the corner) was open, I christened that porta potty, and got my day started! It was in the upper 20’s with a slight breeze. There was still some snow in the woods, but not much.

I crossed Hillside St. and hiked on the wide Wolcott Path, which I read in the 1st edition of the Mass. & RI Trail Guide used to be “Wolcott Road,” which is neat. The trail very gently climbs up to the col between Houghton and Hancock Hills. The trail turned into a winter wonderland the higher up I went - it was beautiful! I was lucky that the trails themselves were completely snow free, but everything else was completely snow-crusted. Houghton Hill Path was more narrow than Wolcott Path, which made the scenery that more stunning.

The trail down Houghton Hill had describing snow and increasing ice - with a few slipper spots and good amount of my favorite thing - needle ice! I always start singing “needle ice” to the tune of “Edelweiss” from the Sound of Music when I see it. It was at this point I realized I forgot to take an inhaler puff before the hike, but I did take one when I woke up, so we were experimenting. I also remember that I’m supposed to be controlling how much I sweat, which I’m miraculously terrible at.

The longest stretch of this hike was on the Accord Path - which I hiked all of (minus the stretch that is closed in winter) and the spur paths to the parking areas. The path itself reminded me of a rollercoasters, with lots of twists and turns and ups and downs - if I were a mountain biker I could see how this could be fun. After the junction with Racoon Hollow Path there were two water crossings with an unmapped spur to the road in the middle. The first crossing was flowing hard with only a few sticks to aid the crossing. I tried to balance, and failed, and my waterproof boots saved the day again! The spur to the road after the second crossing (much easier) was overgrown, thorny, and unclear. Apparently not many people hike from the Accord Path to the stop sign with Hillside and Blue Hill River Rd…

The trail from here climbs decently, which is where my back sweat really hit. The biggest item on my hiking wish list right now is a lightweight zip-up hooded fleece with thumb holes and a super thin back and pits… someday I’ll find it. Continuing on, near Brookwood Farm and Blue Hill River Rd., I think I saw an old granite trail marker in the woods, and I tried to investigate but got hit with thorns so I gave up. There was no evidence of a trail, but the other side of the road was the eastern part of the Brookwood Farm road. The path nears the road for a while and there are tall cliffs overhead - there must be a decent view from the top, but it looks steep.

There is a creepy shack (probably pump house), and then the trail gets very “landscaped,” with rocks lining the trail in a very scenic way. Only qualm here was how leaf-ridden the trail was, and therefore it was SOAKED. Another shoutout to the waterproof boots! Just before the junction with the Skyline Trail there is a rocky outcrop just off trail with limited views in the south-ish direction.

I dreaded taking the Skyline up Big Blue just from remembering how steep it is, so to break it up I hiked from 1003 to 1001 first, and then finished the Accord Path to 1002. I noticed my legs were much more tired today than yesterday, which I mostly attributed to being tired and getting my hiking legs back. The Skyline Trail up Big Blue was steep as expected, but actually really fun. I moved comically slowly, but was delighted to not have anyone around during this climb. With each step I ventured deeper and deeper back into a winter wonderland. It was impressive the temperature difference, too! It acted like it was a big mountain! The upper quarter of the trail was completely snow-crusted and beautiful, with great views to the west.

Finally at the top of Great Blue Hill, I wiggled my way to the actual summit, which I realized I had only been to once or twice before… whoops! I was thinking it could be a fun hiking challenge to summit Big Blue x times (something like the Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge - 25 times is a bronze patch, 50 silver, etc.). I was blown away by the beauty of the snow on the trees - it made it feel like I was exploring a whole new area, instead of somewhere I’ve been dozens of times. There were a bunch of people around the Eliot Tower, but thankfully only a couple up top (I was going to skip it, but I couldn’t resist the views!).

The rest of my hike was much more relaxed and uneventful. I took the Racoon Hollow Path down to the Wildcat Notch Path. Now that it was nearing noon, the snow and ice was starting to melt from the trees, and the afternoon people were out. Wildcat Notch Path was filled with deep leaves and was basically a running stream, but the Wolcott Path back to the car was wide and easy. I made my way through 1141, which I dubbed “Times Square” (would Downtown Crossing be more appropriate??), and finished my hike by crossing Hillside St. and getting back to my car! This hike was so beautiful, and my lungs were feeling good! I did a post-hike inhaler puff, and I think I’m ready to keep doing some more serious hikes again!