Buck & Tucker Hills via Angle, Doe Hollow, Bugbee (Blue Hills Reservation)
Hike Type: Figure 8-ish Loop
Distance: 4.63 miles
Elevation: 653 feet
Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills, Blue Hills Grid
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills, Blue Hills Grid
The Hike
It was a hot, hazy, humid after school hike that involved suffering through some residual chafing form yesterday's adventure around Great Blue Hill. There was a small breeze, which was nice! The goal for today was to get to Buck Hill, and everything else would be decided in the moment (I think I'm accidentally getting back into tracing... I'm glad the Blue Hills has so many options here for types of hikes (e.g., fitness, peak bagging, tracing, etc.)).
I got started from my favorite parking lot to the paved Bugbee Path which had yellow and purple flowers in bloom (creeping buttercup and wild geranium). I took a dreadful sip of warm nuun, which is unfortunately a necessary evil this time of year, and then applied bug spray. I was hoping it would be too hot for the bugs (I was wrong).
I continued onto the Angle Path which was getting very grassy and spotted a new type of frog - the wood frog.
"The Wood Frog looks somewhat like a much larger spring peeper, but with a dark mask and ridges running down the sides and no pattern on the back. True to its name, it lives in forests, breeding in temporary (vernal) pools. It attracts mates with a quacking call, and the female lays large masses of eggs. Find this species across Massachusetts." from Mass Audobon.
The bugs continued to be a nuissance as I continued onto the Doe Hollow Path. I began to smell "wet smoke" when nearing the Skyline Trail junction, and then saw a massive burned patch. The burned area extended who knows far from the northeast corner of the Doe Hollow/Skyline junction. There aren't any news reports on it, but I did find a Reddit thread talking about it from Saturday, April 27th. Wild that the smell is still so strong weeks after the fire happened. I just hope its natural and not vandalism (I fear it's the ladder).
The burned area continued along Doe Hollow for a bit, gradually fading into "normal" forest. I eventually turned onto the Buck Hill Summit Trail, which is a long, gradual climb of Buck Hill, and slowly led right into the burned area again. It was eerie on the trail, but also creepily beautiful. There was a very unique gradient of black to brown to orange to green.
The burned area continued all the way to the top of Buck Hill. There was a breeze which may have saved my life and the views from this trail were still beautiful, even with the destruction.
I crossed the Skyline Trail and continued onto the Fern Spring Foot Path which was unaffected by the burn (not including the damage from it's most recent burn a couple years ago), albeit a little grassy for my liking during tick season. I passed a trail runner who I've run into at least three times in the past couplle of months, and soon was back down low in the sea of a million bugs.
I meandered my way back along the Bugbee Path, almost exclusively, until I veered off to climb Tucker Hill. My legs were tired, but there was a breeze so I won't complain. Just over the high point of the Athol Path there was more fire damage - I wonder if this is the same fire as Buck, same fire as Hancock, or a third?
I descended along the Athol Path, through some spider webs, and then turned onto Headquarters Path to return to the car. My hip was definitely in a mood again but feeling better than yesterday - doing a less rigorous hike definitely helped!
[ADDITION FROM THE FUTURE]
Due to busy life, two chorus concerts, a trip down the shore for Nana's 90th birthday, and then getting sick from the previous events, I've taken a bit over a week off of hiking. I'm sad becuase I love hiking and I miss it, but I also think getting sick might have been my body's rude way of telling me to actually rest a bit and let my hip heal. I'm writing this on Thursday, May 30th, I won't be able to get out tomorrow, but I should make my grand re-entrance on Saturday and Sunday! I've been doing some planning and goal setting for June and the summer which I'll add to it's own post. It's almost summer!!
Step-By-Step
- Park at Park HQ/Across from police barracks.
- Turn left onto Hillside Street/Headquarters Path.
- At jct., turn left onto Bugbee Path/Skyline Trail.
- At 2070, continue straight/left to leave pavement and continue on Bugbee Path.
- At 2075, turn right onto Angle Path.
- After 2092, turn left onto Bolton Foot Path.
- At terminus, turn left onto Doe Hollow Path.
- At 2153, turn right onto Buck Hill Summit Path/NEMBA Trail.
- At terminus, cross Skyline Trail, and continue onto Fern Spring Foot Path.
- At terminus, turn right onto Bugbee Path.
- At 2096, turn right onto Dark Hollow Path.
- At 2094, turn slightly left onto Ayer Trail.
- At next jct., turn right onto Athol Path.
- At terminus, turn left onto Headquarters Path.
- Follow Headquarters Path back to car.
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