Hike Type: Lollipop Figure-8 Loop
Distance: 5.56 miles
Elevation: 774 feet
Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills; 52 Hike Challenge 2026
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills; 52 Hike Challenge 2026
The Hike
After a wildly sleepy, but otherwise painless drive, I was at the Chickatawbut Overlook and ready to cross of two hanging chads I needed in this area! It was a nice early spring day with temperatures in the low 50s and partly sunny skies with rolling clouds. Shorts and a long sleeve were perfect layers, and I happily was off!
I climbed up to the tower and wiggled my way up the back side of Chickatawbut. It was windy and chilly over here, but once I started gaining elevation I soon warmed up. It was also delightfully dry! I was ready for spring mud, but it seems the worst of it has since dried.
Once up on the Skyline Trail, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze had calmed down, making for some just wonderful hiking. I always forget how pretty this area is, too. Really all of the Chickatawbut sections minus the part directly connecting to MA-28 is wonderful over here. I went down Chickatawbut, up Fenno, down Fenno, up Kitchamakin, down Kitchamakin, up Nahanton, and then down Nahanton, past a wonderful view, into Squamaug Notch. I'm always curious about the foundation remnants on Nahanton Hill.
I climbed up the first Broken Hill. I always enjoy the forest here - it's open, piney, and formerly burnt so minimal understory - just super pretty. I walked over some avoidable mud, briefly descended to a little baby pond and climbed up the knob that is Broken Hill 1.5 (that's what I call it, at least). I followed the old fence posts up Broken Hill #2 and followed them all the way to #4. There were a wild amount of snapped, young trees on Broken Hill #2, I'm guessing they were weak from fire and the winter took them out. There was a nice tree view to the reservoir before the easy almost-scramble up #3 and I got a nice, unique view and springtime bush on #4.
I made my way down towards Chickatawbut Road and turned onto the unmapped Pocapawmet Path, which brought me to Wampatuck Path. I ran into my firts person of my hike at the terminus of Wampatuck Path, who was a younger hiker on her phone with her two dogs off-leash, covered in mud, and coming right up to me. I can't stand lazy dog owners.
I was dealing with some recurring weird hip pain that started in my left hip and had migrated over to my right, but with mindfun walking it was fine. The swamp and Bouncing Brook were not nearly as full as I thought they would be, another sign of the spring melt drying out!
Once on Laurel Path, I giggled to myself as I hiked deeper and deeper into the reservation, to an area that is arguably one of the more remote spots of the reservation, which doubles as one of the spots closest to I-93. I made my way onto the Braintree Pass Path, maneuvered around an impressive blowdown, and admired the mental image of this area before they blew up the path for the interstate. Before the turn in the trail, there was a stone wall. I wonder if the stone wall continues on the other side of I-93?
I turned to continue onto the Braintree Pass Path, which was now an old road, and found truly the worst possible thing imaginable on me... a TICK. I scraped it off with the force of a butcher's knife and felt every small leg hair movement for the rest of my hike. HORRIBLE. This was the first tick I found since my hike on Smarts Mountain years ago. AWFUL. There were some geese being cute in Wild Duck Pool, though, so that was nice... I guess.
I continued from Braintree Pass Path to Skyline Trail, and was really kicking myself for saving the steep climb up Chickatawbut Hill for last! Either way, I suffered my way up, passed an adorable red squirrel holding a nut in its mouth, and followed Stowe and Tower Paths back to the car. A beautiful afternoon, even if a tick tried to have me murdered!
Step-by-Step
- Park at Chickatawbut Overlook.
- Start hike on Tower Path (yellow).
- At tower, turn right to conitnue on Tower Path (yellow).
- At 3075, turn left onto Sassaman Notch Path (yellow).
- At jct., turn right onto Thayer Path.
- At jct., turn left along fence to continue on Thayer Path.
- At terminus, turn left onto Skyline Trail.
- At Chickatawbut Road, turn right onto Pocapawmet Path (not on map).
- At terminus, turn right onto Wampatuck Path.
- At 3152, turn riht onto Bouncing Brook Path.
- At 3130, turn left onto Laurel Path.
- At jct., turn right onto Braintree Pass Path.
- At 3042, turn right onto Skyline Trail.
- From Chickatawbut summit area, go straight when the Skyline Turns off and then turn right onto Stowe Path.
- At jct., turn left to stay on Stowe Path.
- At terminus, turn left onto Sassaman Notch Path (yellow).
- At 3075, turn right onto Tower Path (yellow).
- At tower, turn left and return to car (yellow).
Photo Album
No comments:
Post a Comment