Ponkapoag East via Fisherman's Beach (Blue Hills Reservation)

Ponkapoag East via Fisherman's Beach (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Spaghetti-Lolloipop
Distance: 8.7 miles
Elevation: 413 feet
Time: 3 hours, 7 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; Blue Hills 125-Mile Challenge

The Hike

Longest hike in a while! I started hiking again post-COVID last week, and I really am starting to feel like I'm getting back to normal again. The extra liter of water I'm now carrying around tells me otherwise, but I'm choosing to ignore that. I have been dreading this hike just due to it's proximity to Randolph, where I used to work. I knew the best parking was at the Donovan School, but I did not feel comfortable parking there, so I parked at Fisherman's Beach and added the extra ~1.75ish miles round trip.

 

The Green dot trail around Ponkapoag was lovely as always, and when I continued on the Pipe Line towards 5395 it got a little wet and grassy, but still very scenic. A short walk in the woods led to the bridge that crosses 24, and the next thing I knew I was in uncharted territory (for me). I first did the section of Pipeline that connects 5413 to 24, and it was pretty gross. Swampy, grassy, buggy, and there was a rotting squirrel carcass. Thankfully this turned out to be the worst of the trails on this side. 

 

From there I followed the footpath west of the Pipeline which turned out to be quite lovely, and turned left at the junction to get the short spur-path towards 24. I then realized that "short spur path" was the rest of the Smith Trail and it fully connected to 5425, so I turned around when I felt it was appropriate. I wonder why that section isn't mapped (this turned out to be a theme of my hike today)?

 

Back at the Pipeline I had a beautiful walk to the terminus at I-93, then hiked the Smith Trail. The Smith Trail came to an unmapped junction with one clear path and one overgrown path. The overgrown one was the Smith Path. After getting a little bloody, I turned around and checked AllTrails. This is one instance where AllTrails was excellent - it showed that the more defined path actually connected to the Middle Road, so I wouldn't have to backtrack at all! At the corner of unmapped path and Middle Street was a section of burnt trail - I imagine it's from the past few weeks since it smelled fresh.

 

Middle road was woodsy and easy. I returned to the PipeLine and turned at 5421 for some more easy hiking and discovering unmapped trails. I turned around at 5423 to finish out the Pipe Line. From there I turned at 5414 to hike the trails near Pasture Road. Lots of horse poop, two overgrown baseball fields, and two horses and riders that were adding sticks/limbs/logs to the trail for "cross country practice"... not sure what that meant but I hope they cleaned it up when they were done.

 

Back at 5414, I was feeling tired but really wanted to finish out these trails. I continued towards Meadow Road, passed the Donovan School, and tooked another unmapped trail to connect to the parallel footpath. The next footpath that leads towards Fawn Circle ended up near someone's backyard, so I cut that one short and hit up what I believe to be primarily mountain biking trails next. There were more unmapped trails here, so I did my best.

 

The return trip wasn't too bad, but I was sure feeling tired. My feet were starting to form blisters, but I was so happy to be almost done! I have one more hike around Houghton's Hill that I need to do, and then a few very short "clean-up" hikes to finish the challenge!

Step-By-Step

• Park at Fisherman's Beach
• At 5321, turn right onto Green-dot Acton Path.
• At 5355, continue straight onto Pipe Line (do not follow Green dot). 
• At 5395, turn left onto unnamed path.
• At pavement, turn right to cross MA-24.
• At 5413, turn right to hike short, overgrown section of Pipeline, return.
• Back at 5413, head north and turn left onto unnamed path.
• At next junction, hike for a short distance, return (this path fully connects to the Smith Trail at 5425, however I only hiked a short distance to cover what is officially on the map). 
• At same junction, continue onward to 5422.
• At 5422, turn left onto Pipe Line. 
• At 5425, continue to terminus at I-93, return and turn onto Smith Trail. 
• At next junction, turn left for short distance to continue on overgrown Smith Trail, return.
• Back at junction, continue on distinct footpath (not on map) that will connect to Middle Street/Middle Road.
• Cross Middle Street, enter Middle Road.
• Hike Middle Road until 5422.
• At 5422, turn left to Pipe Line.
• At 5421, hike path to 5423 and turn around (make sure to stay on path, there are unmarked/unmapped trails in this area).
• Back at 5421, turn left to continue on Pipe Line.
• At 5413, turn left towards 5414.
• At 5414, turn left to Pasture Road. 
• Hike Trails around Pasture Road and return to 5414.
• Back at 5414, turn left onto Meadow Road.
• Hike Meadow Road to 5420.
• Just before 5420, there is an unmarked/unmapped path connecting to the parallel footpath, take this.
• Hike remaining trails around the west side of Meadow Road.
• Return back to car via MA-24 bridge, 5395, and green-dot trail.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Five Corners, Raccoon Hollow, Skyline, Wildcat Notch (Blue Hills Reservation)

Five Corners, Raccoon Hollow, Skyline, Wildcat Notch (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Spaghetti Loop
Distance: 3.7 miles
Elevation: 715 feet
Time: 1 hour, 32 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; Blue Hills 125-Mile Challenge

The Hike

 Second post-COVID hike and already starting to feel better! Planned to take it easy and simple today but when I realized how close I was to other trails that I needed, I created a whole mess of a hike, but enjoyed it! Started at the designated parking spot on the map just west of the stop sign on Blue Hill River Road and got started on the Five Corners Path. I did a bunch of wiggling in this section, focusing on the Half Way Path and the paths between Raccoon Hollow and Five Corners, which were clearly seldom hiked and overgrown. 

After my wiggling I was able to keep it simple and took the green-dot trail to the red-dot trail (the easy way up big blue) to enjoy a mostly-empty summit area. I usually skip the Eliot Tower since it's usually crowded, but nobody was up! To my surprise, enjoyment, and dismay I saw smoke from one of the wildfires that burned in the past few weeks. It was definitely cool but also uneasy. The spring leaves were starting to reach their final form of "summer green," and the weather was absolutely lovely. 

I kept it simple coming down by following Skyline South and then Wildcat Notch, did a few of the side trails/triangles, and made it back to the car! My biggest thought during this hike was "the bugs are back" - sung to the tune of "The Boys Are Back" from the hit movie "High School Musical 3." Starting to near the end of my 125-Mile club journey (even though I'm close to 200 miles total). 

Step-By-Step

• Park at pull-off lot on Blue Hill River Road, East of Brookwood Farm near Carisbrooke Road.
• Three trails leave this parking lot, use the middle one located on the west side.
• Ascend to first junction, hike back down to the parking lot and retrace steps back up.
• Hike to 1110 and turn left onto Half Way Path.
• At 1093, turn around and hike Half Way Path through 1110, through Raccoon Hollow Path, and stop at 1143.
• At 1143, turn right onto Houghton Path.
• At next junction, turn right onto unnamed path.
• At junction with Raccoon Hollow Path, continue straight on unnamed path.
• At next junction, hike on overgrown path towards road, return.
• Back at the junction, continue straight on unnamed path up the hill, which returns to the first intersection of this hike. with Five Corners Path.
• At Five Corners Path, hike towards 1110.
• At the junction with Skyline Trail, continue straight.
• At 1120, turn left onto Raccoon Hollow Path. 
• At 1092, Veer left onto unmarked Raccoon Hollow Path (not green, not blue - no markings).
• At 1082, continue up hill on red-dot Raccoon Hollow Path towards the summit of Great Blue Hill.
• Hike Towards 1066 and turn onto Skyline Trail South.
• At 1083, continue on Skyline Trail South.
• When the Skyline Trail has a sharp turn, continue down the hill, away from the Skyline Trail, along the Wildcat Notch Path. 
• At 1093, continue straight on Wildcat Notch Path.
• At 1086, turn right on to Accord Path.
• At 1081, turn right onto Halfway Path.
• At 1093, turn right back onto Wildcat Notch Path.
• At final junction, hike to the terminus of Wildcat Notch Path away from the parking area.
• Turn around, and hike back to the parking area.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Red Dot, Eliot Circle, Skyline South, Brookwood, Accord Path (Blue Hills Reservation)

Red Dot, Elliot Circle, Skyline South, Brookwood, Accord Path (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Loop
Distance: 3.2 miles
Elevation: 591 feet
Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; Blue Hills 125-Mile Challenge

The Hike

Oh boy oh boy! First post-COVID hike. Truly it felt like this day would never come. I remember my first walk after starting to feel better had me feeling like I was 90 years old, but it slowly got easier. From the second I took my first vertical step up the red-dot trail I was in for a journey. I took it slow heading up, and I checked off the side trail that leads to the ski area near 1051 which was a well-welcomed break, and beautiful view. 

I continued my way up to the top thankful that I was (a) not dying and (b) just feeling winded, and not feeling like I was dying. I took the Eliot Circle as a walking break and stumbled upon a couple having a couples moment at the view, so I kept on my way. I headed down the Skyline Trail South for the first time (I've only ever ascended this stretch), and it's much easier to go down this trail than up. At the bottom of the steep climb I turned onto the Brookwood Trail for a wooded descent. 

Then I turned onto the Accord Path which was wooded, pollen-y (I swear I could feel the granules in my body), and very scenic stretch of the hike. It leads to numerous cool rocks, an old pump house (?), some really neat/interesting landscaping (?), and of course crossing the bottom of the ski slopes. 

I made it back to the car in no time, and I was just so happy to be back at it again!

Step-By-Step

• Park at Trailside Museum.
• Start hike at 1023, follow the red dot trail couter-clockwise.
• At 1051, take a detour onto the trail to the Ski Area for a nice view, retrace steps.
• Cross Summit Road to continue on red dot trail towards 1055.
• At 1055, turn right onto Eliot Circle. 
• At 1030, continue on circular trail that is now the Skyline Trail.
• At 1066, Turn right onto Skyline Trail South.
• At 1083, turn right, and immediately turn right again onto unmarked Brookwood Trail. 
• At 1062, turn left and hike to 1081, return.
• Back at 1062, hike down the hill to the road, return.
• Finally, back at 1062, coming up the hill, turn left onto Accord Path. 
• At 1003, continue straight on Accord Path.
• At 1050, quickly hike the section between 1050 and 1002, return.
• Continue hike on Accord Path.
• At 1010, enjoy views of the ski slopes and follow footpath to parking lot. 

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

A wanted, and an unwanted break.

I've been taking a break of sorts from hiking. Climbing Monadnock two Fridays ago was so much fun and I loved every second. From there, I had my Disney vacation which was an incredible amount of fun. My Garmin tells me that I walked over 90 miles - nice! Once I got home I noticed I wasn't feeling well, so I took a COVID test, and guess who's positive! I'm running with the conspiracy theory that Mickey Mouse gave me COVID. Regardless, I've been stuck in my house since. It's now day four and my symptoms continue to change. Right now I'm at the "everything leaves me out of breath" phase which kind of sucks. It fmeans that I hvae some flat hiking ahead of me when I am released from quarantine. I'm working on viewing this as a chance for my legs/feet to heal after a lot of hiking and even more walking while on vacation. I just miss being outside. Soon hopefully!

Mt. Monadnock (Lost Farm, Cliff Walk, White Arrow, White Cross)

Mt. Monadnock (Lost Farm, Cliff Walk, White Arrow, White Cross)

Hike Type: Loop
Distance: 6.4 miles
Elevation: 2080 feet
Time: 4 hours, 22 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; Monadnock Redliner

The Hike

This was the day before my Disney vacation, and I was so excited to visit Mt. Monadnock for the first time in years! I have always loved this mountain and always consider it my first "big" mountain. Booked my park reservation the night before, arrived to the main parking lot at 6:30am and was greeted by truly the most beautiful sight at a trailhead - a composting toilet. I quickly made use of that and got on my way by finding the yellow-blazed Parker Trail, accidentally scaring away a pack (a flock, a gobble?) of turkeys, and paralleled the Poole Reservoir as the sun was rising. This section of the Parker Trail was gentile and slowly rising. 

The white-blazed Lost Farm trail is where elevation started to climb. Old stone walls were abundant, and there was a Spruce Grouse who was not fond of my presence. Every couple of minutes it would scare the life out of me and fly further down trail. The upper half of the Lost Farm Trail became more and more scenic and reminiscent of the higher altitudes of the Whites, and terminated at a gorgeous viewpoint looking South into MA.

From there I did some light redlining. Went away from the summit on Cliff Walk to hit the Pt. Surprise Trail and Hello Rock Trails before heading back up Cliff Walk to Bald Rock. Both the Pt. Surprise Trail and the Hello Rock Trails were unblazed and clearly less used than the other trails I've been on this day. The forest was dark and thick, and I found the cold wind that has been shielded from me all morning. Every minute or so I'd click my poles together just to alert any critters that I was around because I always get spooked in forests like those. 

My trip up the Cliff Walk was amazing and I will absolutely be back. The Cliff Walk is blazed with white triangles on trees and white "C"s on the ground. The views are nearly endless and the terminus is at the incredible Bald Rock which gives views to the South and towards the Summit (pictured at the top). I took a nice break at Bald Rock to eat and drink and rest. 

From there I descended back into the scrubby woods on the Smith Connecting Trail, and then continued onto the Ampitheatre Trail. The blazes in this are were confusing, but trails easy to follow. At Bald Rock, the Smith Connecting trail was indicated with a yellow "S," and then towards the junction with Ampitheatre it looked like a yellow cross and four yellow dots, and then I saw a yellow and a white rectangle. A mystery for now!

The Ampitheatre Trail brought me back to my beloved White Arrow Trail. Most times that I've visited Monadnock I've taken White Arrow from the Halfway House. I immediately remembered the incredible views, and I tried to not remember how steep it got towards the top. I put my poles away and took my sweet time and only swore a few times heading up to the Summit, and the summit, to my delight, had very view people and full views in all directions!

Looking back at Bald Rock from the White Arrow Trail. 

Summit of Mt. Monadnock.

After a short, windy break at the summit I started my trip down. I forgot how much I dislike descending on rock slabs. I had a lot of small, sideways, switchbacking steps heading down the upper reaches of the White Dot trail. There was a brief flat section over some vernal pools where I saw some frog eggs!

At the Dot/Cross junction, I happily followed the sign indicating that the White Cross trail was the less-steep descent. There were a couple more slabby sections that I did not enjoy, but overall it was a nice trip down. About halfway down my poles came back out to save my ailing knees, and when I made it back to park headquarters I was greeted by a sea of people. 

I love this mountain so much, it was so nice to come back, it was great to kick off my vacation week with a hike here, and I cannot wait to go back!

Step-By-Step

• Start at the paved parking lot at the park store.
• Walk to dirt lot and join yellow-blazed Parker Trail as it parallels Poole Reservoir.
• Turn right at junction to white-blazed Lost Farm trail.
• At terminus, continue straight onto white-diamond-blazed Cliff Walk towards unblazed Pt. Surprise Trail.
• Turn right at junction to unblzed Pt. Surprise Trail.
• Turn left at terminus to unblzed Hello Rock Trail.
• Turn left at terminus to join Cliff Walk.
• Follow Cliff Walk to Bald Rock.
• Continue Straight to Smith Connecting.
• At junction, turn left to Ampitheatre Trail.
• At junction, turn right to White Cross Trail.
• Follow White Arrow trail to Summit. 
• Look for signs for White Dot/White Cross trail.
• Follow White Dot trail down the mountain.
• Veer right to White Cross trail.
• At terminus, continue right onto White Dot Trail.
• Return to parking lot. 

Photo Album

Skyline Trail (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Skyline Trail (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Hike Type: Loop
Distance: 8.06 miles
Elevation: 925 feet
Time: 3 hours, 4 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge

The Hike

It's officially Disney week so I decided the best way to practice my walking and standing was to head into the woods! My feet were still a bit sore from hiking Wachusett yesterday (I really need to figure out my insole situation), but we did it anyway! Drove right from school to the South Border Road parking lot and started my journey!

Walked along Bellevue Pond on Quarry Road and then started my clockwise loop along the Skyline Trail! This trail was incredible well-marked which I was thrilled to see. There is a version on AllTrails, but there are some moments that are incorrect on that map in the southern side of the loop. I ignored the off-route alerts and kept following the blazes and always ended back on the AllTrails track. The first part of the trail follows rocky ridges and occassionally dips into the forest - almost reminded me of the Kittatiny Ridge in NJ, just smaller. Once dipping back into the woods around B5, the Skyline Trail parrallels the Reservoir Trail, and then both the Reservoir Trail and the Mountain Bike Loop. Thankfully, there weren't too many people, likely because I was hiking on a Monday afternoon. 

The trail remains relatively the same throughout the Western side of the reservoirs - ups and downs in the woods. No views and signage reminding hikers to not go near the reservoir waters. The first real change of scenery from the strict woods was at the North Reservoir where there are obstructed views of the dam and some construction going on. 

The Eastern side of the trail was my personal favorite, as it had more of the ridge-like hiking and very partial views. The most surprising moment was the Sheepfold section. I had been in the woods for around 5-6 miles at this point and suddenly am walking through a parking lot and on pavement? That section was short-lived and the trail quickly went back in to the woods traversing up and down rocky hills. At this point of the hike my feet were HURTING. I want to blame the rockiness of the trails but in reality my feet have been giving my problems recently and i need to play with the insoles (I think). 

I was incredibly grateful that I chose to do the loop clockwise becuase this hike ended at the Wright Tower on Pine Hill which gives an incredible view of Boston, the communities North of Boston, and the Blue Hills in the background. Two guys were sitting at the view smoking cigarettes and blasting music so I didn't stay long, but it is an incredible view. 

Heading down I made a mistake a followed the wrong trail, but I was tired and did not feel like backtracking, so I made it work. Back at the car I aired out my feet and had some beloved snacks! Overall, it was a nice hike, but I'm not itching to get back. The only real view was from Pine Hill, and the noise from the surrounding roadways was loud - much louder than at the Blue Hills (except for that one spot by the Great Cedar Swamp when you need to walk on the highway...). I also noticed that the people on these trails were not nearly as friendly as I'm used to at the Blue Hills, but I'm trying to not make that judgement just yet. I am looking forward to exploring some of the other trails within the reservation. 

Photo Album

Mt. Wachusett via West Side Trail (Mt. Wachusett State Reservation)

Mt. Wachusett via West Side Trail (Mt. Wachusett State Reservation)

Hike Type: Speghetti Loop
Distance: 6.1 miles
Elevation: 1404 feet
Time: 3 hours, 13 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; Wachusett Mountain Redliner

The Hike

First hike in a while! Survived the norovirus (barely - it was not my most glamorous time) and finally had energy and a slightly improved appetite so I felt comfortable getting back out. I had never been to Mt. Wachusett before so I decided to check it out, and I'm really glad I did! The Wachusett Hikers Facebook group hosts a redlining patch challenge, and the author curated a set of four hikes that would fulfill it. I followed the route of hike #2 and added the remainder of the Semuhenna Trail. 

The day started when my 4:45am alarm went off, which I QUICKLY vetoed. Pushed it back an hour and left just before 6:00am and landed out there just after 7:00am. I wasn't sure how to gauge the crowds/businesses since I've never been before, but when I made it to the West Side Trail parking area it was just me! I gobbled up my slice of Cumby's breakfast pizza (arguably a mistake) and got ready to go!

The West Side Trail heading up started slow and steady with a few steeper sections. Once at the auto road I found some frosted sections which were fun to see. That fun ended when I hit the Semuhenna trail and turned left when I started my hike through the swamp. These trails were wet wet. Some spots were avoidable, and other spots were a careful obstacle course of logs, roots, and the smallest rocks you ever did see. The route on Facebook turned around when Semuhenna hit the auto road again, but I continued on to finish out the Semuhenna Trail. Before heading down, though, I followed the auto road for a minute to the ski slopes where I got a cool view of the melting slopes and the hills to the North! I also dipped into the woods to answer nature's call, which really had me reflecting upon how there is no graceful way to do number two in the woods. Also, I need to get more hand sanitizer. The rest of the Semuhenna Trail got steeper but was much drier. Return trip wasn't too bad, and once I got back to the junction with the West Side Trail I continued on Semuhenna until its final terminus, which followed a relatively level path with moderate degrees of wetness. 

At the terminus of Semuhenna, I turned right onto the Harrington Trail which shockingly followed some wet descending sections. The Harrington Trail crosses two dirt roads that criss-cross the park (I'm curious about this history of these roads). I followed West Rd. to Administration Rd., which brought me to the Jack Frost Trail (which appears to be labeled as the Lower Link Trail on the main map, but was clearly labeled as Jack Frost Trail in person) which followed a nice rhododendron tunnel. The Jack Frost Trail veered right while I turned left onto the Lower Link Trail which brought me back to Harrington. 

This started the final and steepest stretch of the hike. The Link Trail branched off of Harrington for 0.1 miles, which I quickly hiked and then started the real climb. While I was fighting for my life, the climb was fun. Lots of scrambling up rocky slabs. Thankfully there was a gorgeous vista (the main photo on this post) waiting for me just as I was about to pass away. I gathered myself there and continued on the final push to the top. The top has a pretty standard sense of underwhelming awe that auto road summits have. It's developed, but still has gorgeous views. To the East is Boston and the Blue Hills, Greylock and Mt. Tom to the West, and Mt. Monadnock is very clearly to the north. I didn't stay up there for too long because the wind picked up and it got cold. 

The return trip started on the steep Old Indian Trail which had my knee acting up, but stabilized once I got back on the West Side Trail for the final return! The Old Indian Trail was busy, and there was a group of 15-20 people all loudly climbing. I get that people want to be with friends and family, but I can't help but get annoyed when I can hear a group of people shouting from a mile away. Either way they were very nice. The final stretch of the West Side Trail was part of my favorite simply because there was no one. I was constantly running into people the whole hike, which is completely fine, but I'm so used to being alone I was a bit overwhelmed. When I got to my car I realized why the West Side Trail was so quiet - I was still the only car parked there!

Overall it was a fantastic hike and a great way to spend my morning. I'm really excited to head back for my next hike!

Photo Album