Puddle, Raccoon Hollow, Houghton, Breakneck Ledge, Eustis, Wolcott Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)
Hike Type: Lollipop Loop
Distance: 4.61 miles
Elevation: 633 feet
Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Book Time: 2 hours, 37 minutes
Parking: Ample parking at Trailside Museum North, and even more in the south lot.
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills 2
The Hike
I had a halfway decent drive after work to the Blue Hills, and I was feeling blegh. Maybe because it's warm out, maybe because I hiked yesterday, maybe because I'm hitting the one month post-mortem of the break up, who knows! Comically, as I approached the Blue Hills, Sarah texted saying she was also going to the Blue Hills, but I was not feeling social and needed some alone time to just wander and not think (or think, in fairness, I'm still figuring out what my brain needs).
I parked at the north parking lot and started my hike along the Wolcott Path and then hiked up towards the water tower before turning onto the summit road to the Chickadee Path. Chickadee Path is always a delight, and I turned onto Puddle Path when I saw at least 10,000 cross-country teenagers running along Wolcott. There were some shockingly warm pockets of humid are along the scenic Puddle Path!
I worked my way into Wildcat Notch, where there were some beautiful fall colors, and I realized the second swamp along this path is what feeds the second trickle crossing along the Skyline Trail South! I checked Sarah's location a couple of times, and it seemed we would not be crossing paths, which was okay, but would have sure been fun to run into each other as we did our parallel play!
I continued my descent down Raccoon Hollow Path, which is just freaking lovely! I feel like a re-learn this every time I hike it. The stream was flowing in the scenic lower stretch with the regrowth of Houghton Hill above. I CAREFULLY found a spot to pee where my head could be on a swivel - one of the dangers of the Blue Hills. The granite marker at the end of the trail was basically hidden behind plants now.
Along Houghton Path, what Seek called the eastern cottonwoods were growing in in abundance! The plants were fully taking over and were between four and seven-ish feet tall. I wonder if this is a good plant to be regrowing or? I know they've had zoom talks about the regrowth, but I am never able (or never remember) to make it. Going uphill, I could tell the path was grassy after the summer sun, but it was no problem now. The path was no longer post-apocolyptic, but hopeful. It was like the scene from the Firebird in Fantasia in slow motion.
I made my way to Breakneck Ledge Path, where I heard a dad shout at his kid "TURN LEFT! DO YOU KNOW YOUR LEFT AND RIGHT?!" which gave me a little chuckle. I loved looking at the piles of rock fallen off of Hancock Hill from this trail. I meandered downhill again to the Base Path and then to Eustis, which was muddy at first but then turned into a simply delightful walk.
I was able to reflect a bit on the past month while hiking on Eustis. I think the day was just feeling heavy because of the one month thing. The sadness is still there, the wondering is still there, but I am doing much better than one/two/three weeks ago, which is good. I wonder how he's doing and it sucks we can't just like, be friends, but I know that's simply not an option right now. I also have been struggling with food over the past few months, especially in this last month. It's felt easy to get the "f-its" as I've been craving any ounce of dopamine I could get my hands on, but we all know that it just makes it worse!
Thank you for the thinking time, Eustis!
I made my way onto Rotch Path, where the sun was shining on the trees. The crickets were out, and I was hungry for my Costco Rotisserie Chicken! My camera was yet again washing out the warm fall colors, and as I passed Carberry Path I felt a bug on my ear. I grabbed it off, and it was a tick! I threw it, but it caught and latched onto my knee!!!! Not fair, it's almost November! Thankfully, I do believe I handled it incredibly well, especially considering my history with ticks. I flet itchy for the rest of the hike.
Thankfully the hike was almost over, and I was soon back at my car. I went over to Costco to find that their rotisserie was broken!!!! The heartbreak! The betrayl! I got some frozen chicken and sadly drove home.
Step-by-Step
- Start hike from Trailside Museum north parking lot on Wolcott Path (green dots).
- At split, veer right uphill.
- At Summit Road, turn sharply right to hike to water tower, and then travel uphill on Summit Road.
- At 1072, turn right onto Chickadee Path.
- At 1085, turn right onto Puddle Path (green dots/yellow triangles).
- At 1103, turn right onto Wildcat Notch Path (green dots/yellow triangles).
- After 1092, veer left onto Raccoon Hollow Path (green dots/yellow triangles until 1120, then unblazed).
- At terminus, turn left onto Houghton Path (yellow triangles).
- At 1147, turn right onto Wolcott Path.
- At 1160, turn left onto Breakneck Ledge Path (yellow triangles).
- At 1185, turn left onto Base Path.
- At terminus, turn left onto Eustis Trail.
- At 1140, continue on trail.
- At 1121, turn right onto Rotch Path.
- At 1114, turn left onto Border Path (green dots/yelow triangles).
- At 1100, veer right onto Wolcott Path (Green dots/yellow triangles - green dots after 1085).
- Follow Wolcott Path to car.
Photo Album
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