Burma Road to Field Path (Blue Hills Reservation)
Hike Type: Loop
Distance: 5.00 miles
Elevation: 125 feet
Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; Blue Hills Winter Trace
With the sun finally setting past 5:00pm, I’m allowed to go back to the Blue Hills after work again! I have a soft rule that I need to spend more time hiking than I do in the car, so for how I’ll be in the Burma/Little Blue/Great Blue area. I made it down to the Burma Road parking area around 3:30, wedged my way in between two cars, and started my journey first by doing the small trails right around the parking area (and laughing at the sign that says to NOT eat any fish caught in the Neponset River), and then finally making my way down Burma Road.
I was ushered in by the regal honks of at least 1,000 geese flying in every which direction overhead. The bridge over a small creek is in worse shape than last year, but thankfully it held me firmly (much appreciated). The temperatures were in the mid-30s, so the ground was slightly muddy with frozen patches in the surrounding wetlands. Near the junction with the Fowl Meadow Path I was charged at by a “friendly” dog and apologized at - why can’t people just leash their dogs? Is it truly that much of a hassle?
The Fowl Meadow Path is a really beautiful area with frozen swamps on the left and thick woodlands on the right. There area a bunch of old sewers labeled “MWRA Sewer” (https://www.mwra.com/index.html) which is interesting - they’re all elevated about 3 feet off the ground. I bet this area is beautiful in peak foliage, even with the comical amount of green prickers. There were also some old “artifacts” laying around the small spur trail, including a skateboard nailed to a tree.
Finally at the Indian Path along the Neponset River, I saw that the ice-line was a foot above the water line, probably a good sign? Soon after I made it to the first water crossing and it was not a good sign. There were dozens of thin branches laid across the crossing with maybe thicker logs underneath? A topsheet of ice did not settle my nerves, and after starting it and randomly steeping for a few minutes, I put my tail in between my legs and turned around. I did not want to get wet today. I was really bummed, but such is life!
My redemption plan was to tackle the trails on the east side of Burma Road. I begrudgingly backtracked, passed another hiker heading north along the Neponset River on what appears to be a trail that’s not on the map, and at 6005, continued along the Fowl Meadow Path, over a wide bridge, and then to the Swamp Trail. The Swamp Trail has been flooded both times I’ve hiked it, but today it was frozen! Thank goodness. The trail itself is narrow, scenic, interesting, and painful (lots of prickers), with evidence of an old old boardwalk. There are also a lot of old rusted items littering the woods - are they a result of flooding? Abandoned homes? Someone going really out of their way to not pay dump fees?
Now turning right onto the Green Hill Path (who is Green Hill??), I wasn’t sure if the infamous Field Path would be on the docket for the day, but I’d hike that way just to see where the winds took me. The woods here were spooky - the sun was setting and I spooked a family of deer, which then spooked me. At one point my bag made a swishing sound and I thought it was the sound of a child screaming , but apparently I was not being possessed. I finally made my way to the unclear junction with the Field Path, heard at least one of the deer splash their way into water, and decided I was already planning to do one rite-of-passage trail today, so let’s go for it. I was delighted to see pink marking tape blazing the trail, and it was significantly less overgrown than last time. Whoever the patron saint of the Field Path is, thank you. There were still a couple of blowdowns, one was particularly tricky, but I made it out with only one visible scrape!
I took the Orchard Trail back, which was calm and featureless. The sun was about to set behind the clouds, so my goal was to pick up the pace and get back to Burma Road before it was too dark. I continued along the Green Hill Path once the Orchard Trail ended, hiked the spur to the east, and then followed the path as it continued outside of DCR park boundaries into “conserved private land” - or something like that. The terrain in this area was really interesting - almost like dirt canyons. I wonder if this is because of erosion, development, or just something else (aliens)? The trail continuation brought be back to the Swamp Path, and then to Burma Road. When I was about 0.5 mi. from the parking lot I passed someone with their dog walking in toward 6005, which was interesting (driving home from the next day’s hike I saw his same car in the dark, I guess he enjoys the solitude). Soon enough I was back at my car with just a smidge of daylight left - initially bummed because I wasn’t able to safely get the Indian Path, but happy I was still able to accomplish some trails.
Step-By-Step
Park at Burma Road parking area.
Start hike at “Fowl Meadow” granite marker, hiking along Burma Road.
At 6005, turn right onto Fowl Meadow Path.
At unmapped 6009, turn left to hike unnamed short path. Unclear when to turn around, so I turned around at a big tree. Retrace steps.
Continue along Fowl Meadow Path until terminus at Neponset River.
Turn left onto Indian Path along Neponset River, have a crisis at first crossing, and retrace steps all the way back to 6005.
Continue straight through 6005 onto Swamp Trail toward 6105.
At 6105, turn right onto Green Hill Path.
At 6103, turn right onto Field Path.
Survive the field path onto junction 6102.
At 6102, continue onto Orchard Trail.
At 6104, continue onto Green Hill Path.
At 6106, turn right to hike spur trail and retrace steps.
Continue along Green Hill Path, leaving the Blue Hills Reservation, and then rejoining the Blue Hills Reservation on the Fowl Meadow Path.
Follow Fowl Meadow Path to 6005, and then follow Burma Road to car.
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