Buck Hill via Trailside Museum (Blue Hills Reservation)
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge, Great Blue Hill Summits, Trail Trace the Blue Hills
Hike Type: Lollipop Figure-8 Loop
Distance: 7.35 miles
Elevation: 1,850 feet
Time: 2 hours, 47 minutes
The Hike
Officially shifting my personality back to hiking from skiing (minus my finale weekend at Jay for the Ski Patrol Banquet)! I was going to do my usual fitness hike but extend it to Buck Hill, since it was a beautiful weekend morning. 49 degrees, sunny with a few clouds, and very wet trails - let's go!
I wanted to start section-hiking the Wapack Trail, but it was going to be raining all day up there. The Eliot Path smelled like spring with the running water from the recent rain. Up on the Eliot Circle there was a construction crew working on the Eliot Tower restoration - the first time I've seen them working on it! I also passed a dog that was off-leash and did not have recall, which blah blah blah annoying.
I summited Great Blue Hill and realized this was going to be a SWEATY hike. I continued up and over Wolcott and Hemenway Hills, and passed a group of 30+ people as I descended Hancock Hill. I was fighting the urge to cut Buck Hill out of the day, but I pushed on! People were starting to wake up, which was a bummer, but the Houghton Pond side was much quieter.
Clouds started to roll in which made it chillier, but the rolling Skyline Trail kept my heart pumping. The red squirrels were rattling as I suffered up and down Tucker Hill (I think they were cat-calling me), and I had a lower-GI-tract sensation (thankfully just gas).
I continued up and over North Boyce and then up to Buck, which I remember feeling much more diffficult in the past (I'm still enjoying being able to do more things easier!). The top of Buck Hill was more flooded than usual, but bypassable. I passed another sizeable group of hikers as I neared MA-28, and then had a long hike back to Hillside St., following the red blazes.
I spent time emotionally preparing for the Houghton Hill and Skyline South to Eliot Path climbs, suffered through the rock-hard concrete of Bugbee Path, and was soon enough staring at the purple flowers marking the beginning of the end. I successfully made it up Houghton's in one go but I was definitely feeling tired, and as I passed what felt like 1,000 people (probably around 15), I remembered why mornings are always worth it. I made it up to the Great Blue Hill summit yet again, and had a quick descent back to the car for a nice, long nap.
Step-By-Step
- Start hike along Eliot Path.
- At terminus, turn right onto Eliot Circle.
- At spur path after Summit Road, turn left to Summit.
- From summit, continue in same direction to Eliot Circle.
- Turn left onto Eliot Circle.
- At Eliot Tower, turn right onto Skyline Trail North.
- Cross Hillside Street, continue on Skyline Trail/Bugbee Path.
- At first junction, turn left to continue along Skyline Path.
- Follow Skyline Path up and over Buck Hill.
- After descending Buck Hill, turn right and begin to follow red-dot blazes.
- Follow red-dot blazes back to Bugbee Path (paved).
- Turn right onto Bugbee Path (paved).
- Cross and turn left onto Hillside Street.
- Turn right onto Skyline Trail South.
- Follow to terminus, then turn left onto Eliot Circle.
- Make first right to summit Great Blue Hill, retrace steps back to car.
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