CIVILIZED HIKING: Rock Circuit Trail (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Thursday, June 1, 2023

Rock Circuit Trail (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop
Distance: 5.07 miles
Elevation: 561 feet
Time: 2 hours, 22 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2023

The Hike

Time for a change of scenery! I had to stay on the north shore for some drag bingo in the evening, and I had a few hours to kill, so I decided to head back to the Fells! It was hot as balls outside - 92 degrees, and my lungs were feeling weird after my lung function test from the day before, but off I went! I noticed there was a new trailhead kiosk with a map at the rink trailhead, I carefully crossed Woodland Road, and my journey had begun!

Last time I hike the Rock Circuit Trail I included the Rock Circuit Connector to make a figure-8 loop - this time I was going to follow the loop as written counter-clockwise. I chose this direction because I remembered the last mile-ish being easier than the rest, and I hoped that would give me a chance to cool off. I was right, thankfully, but in the future I'll likely follow the loop clockwise, which saves the best views for the end.

The Cross Fells Trail intersects the Rock Circuit Trail at intersection E4-8, and right away the rollercoaster begins! It was slightly cooler in the woods than it was in the parking lot, but it was still ridiculously hot for my New England body. The first view is soon after getting on the trail, which is less of a view and more of an open, unnamed ledge, but still nice nonetheless. The temperature difference was drastic from the woods to the ledge.

Even the birds were overheated - they were out and about but not wasting any precious energy on singing (that's how that works, right?). Continuing on, I found my way to the old MIT Observatory where I met quite a large cottontail rabbit. The first real view was from Boojum Rock, and it's spectacular! A great view of Boston and Great Blue Hill.

The trail continues to wind and wiggle and climb and descend, and then briefly coincides with the Cross Fells Trail as it crosses the Fellsway East, which is slightly terrifying. On the other side of the road the trails diverge again and the rollercoaster continues, steeply climbing and descending, continuing onto Ziggy's Rock, which is not listed on the DCR map. It also looks like it's an out-and-back to the rock, but it is a close loop. It does have a lovely view of Boston! Acting as a preview to Pinnacle Rock.

The Rock Circuit Trail skirts past a communication tower and then steeply climbs to Pinnacle Rock, which is wide open with an excellent view of the nearby neighborhoods and Boston in the distance. If it wasn't 10,000 degrees outside, it would have been a fantastic spot for a break, but it was hotter than Satan's sauna outside. I noticed there used to be a USGS disc up there, but it had been removed.

After Pinnacle Rock, the trail dips back into the woods and continues to rollercoaster about. There is one particularly intense scramble - almost a 50-60 degree slab that is well textured with a few footholds. I remembered this one from last time - there is also a bypass that is blazed. It looks like the scramble is blazed in the ascending direction, and the bypass is blazed for a descending direction. It was fun, but I am glad I followed the appropriate blazes (i.e., I wouldn't descend this way).

I admired some of the abandoned catepillar nests (looked more like hammocks) as the trail climbed up to Black Rock, which had some nice views of the nearby towns and Logan Airport in the distance, where I was able to see a plane taking off! I couldn't help but admire how the stats of the trail technically weren't difficult, but oof my legs were feeling it!

The trail passes past the Cascade, which has a yellow-blazed trail that is not on the map. I followed this last time, and its nice, but I was overheated and cranky. Next up was another great view, and the last view, Melrose Rock! Wide open, another lovely break spot in nicer weather. From Melrose Rock, the trail climbs some more to another viewless high point, and then descends to cross the Fellsway East agian.

Now in the final stretch of the hike, the rollercoaster had died down (not done though!) and the heat was pumping. My fingers were officially sausages, and I noticed a helicopter hovering overhead, probably a traffic copter since I-93 was nearby. The trail was a little grown-in before F4-8, but nothing too bad. Continuing to wind, the trail makes its way to a junction with a red-blazed trail, and then comes to a corner that borders a health facility.

I saw a few people in this last mile, but not too many, which I enjoyed. I crossed the gravel Reservation Path and heard a vehicle drive behind me - a DCR firetruck? With its lights on? A little further down the trail I noticed some firefighters in the woods, and then I noticed they were putting out a brush fire! Thankfully I wasn't in any danger, but wow! They were pulling water from the Fells Reservoir. I guess that's what the helicopter was for?

I got to walk past four different fire trucks on Hemlock Pool Road, and the next bit of the hike was very smoky. Really neat and unique, but smoky as heck, which wasn't great for my asthma. I could see and hear the trucks and firefighters from the other side of Shiner Pool. There were a few fully charred leaves that floated their way over, which were iconically satisfying to crunch.

Soon enough I was back at the car and headed to bingo! I blasted the air conditioning, and a few hours later the fire was on the news - a 4-acre brush fire of unknown origin, first reported around 3:00pm and out by 6:30. I'm glad I didn't do the hike in the opposite direction!