Modern Day Thoreau » blue hills

Photo of the Week: 2-12-09

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:14:03 +0000

Taken on the Ponkapaug Trail hike, this little tree was all alone in the field. Click the image to see the full size.

Ponkapoag Pond Walking Trail

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:32:17 +0000

Last weekend I bravely decided to go for a winter hike in the cold January weather in the hills of the greater Boston area. Blue Hills Reservation is a great spot that offers numerous trails of all different lengths and skill levels (if you’ve read any of my other post you know I’m quite fond of the spot). On saturday, in the low 20° New England weather I thought I’d try a trail that was a little more flat since the ground was so frozen. So, me, my trusty side-kick Erin, and my camera embarked on a small winter quest. Ponkapoag Pond is located on the southern part of the reservation just south of RT 95 and is on a dead end street right off the highway, so you can’t miss it. The first part of the trail in a 1/4 mile path that is fitted for vehicles and is actually just an access road to YMCA center and subsequently the trail itself. The trail is 4 miles in total, but due to the cold, we only were prepared to do about half of that, which included our trek down the frozen boardwalk and eventually to the pond itself. As we walked along, we passed several groups of people who were cross-country skiing as well as several snowhoers. This would would be a great place to get som exercise and enjoy the outdoors as well. As we ventured down the boardwalk trail, it was easy to see several meters into the brush since there were no leaves, but we weren’t fortunate enough to spot and winter woodland creatures on our journey. We passed serveral clearings along the way that provided great shots of the marshy surroundings, and with the sun in the 2 o’clock spot (or 10 if your facing back) there lights provided great shadows.

At the end of the trail we came to what seemed like a huge clearing, only to realize it was actually the pond and it was frozen solid. There were several people ice-fishing and several more cross-country skiing as well. We figured it had to be safe enough to walk on, so we ventured out on the ice. It was very convienent that the ice was covered in snow, as it made it very easy to walk on.

There is something very peaceful about a frozen pond and the cruching of the snow under your boots. It’s a very relaxing experience, assuming your warm enough to enjoy it. While the glare off the vast snow-covered pond, made it hard to get a good exposure, the visual camera (the one in our head), always takes a perfect shot.

I highly recommend this as a nice way to get outdoors in the winter to remain sane, and given that it only took us 2.5 hours including traveling from Quincy and back its a nice way to spend the afternoon even when its 20° out. Check out more photos from the hike here.

Blue Hills Reservation

admin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:35:12 +0000

The Blue Hills reservation is another large preserve that is part of the Massachusetts department of conservation and recreation network. The Blue Hills is located in Milton, Mass. just off of RT 93 exit 3 for Houghton’s Pond, another great hike which I will review another day. There is a bountiful amount of trails to hike as well as plenty of other outdoor activities in the area such as: fishing, mountain biking, non-motorized boating, camping, horseback riding, and more. The trails range from easy strolls through well packed paths, to moderate-hard climbs that involve an assortment of ascents and descents. We choose, this particular time, to take the southern part of the Skyline Trail.

The Skyline Trail is split into two sections, north and south, which meet on Hillside Road and the entire trail is about 9 miles long. If you want to do the whole thing you need to devote about 5.5-7 hours of time given the difficulty of the ascents. We choose to do the southern part of the trail which is only 2.6 miles and can easily be done in under 2 hours, including stoping to eat lunch for a few minutes. The best place to park is on Hillside road across from the state police barracks. From here you head towards the preserve facilities building and start your ascent onto the Blue trail from behind this series of buildings.

The initial ascent up to the “Skyline” is a pretty steep and you have to be careful if the rocks are wet because there isn’t much dirt. Your basically climbing up large boulders to the top of the hills. Once you get to the top there is a great southern view of the Milton/Randolph/Braintree valley – a perfect place to snap off a few shots or even a cool panoramic. As you continue along the trail it weaves through the trees and every few hundred yards or so gives you a great view in one direction of the surrounding valley area.

The rest of the trail is an array of ups and downs that offer a moderate challange for most types of hikers, but a my be a bit hard for someone not accustomed to rigorous exersize. People use the trail for all sorts of activities from hiking to running to frisbee golf. The latter was particularly interesting seeing how steep some of the ledges are.

At the top of the next hill is where Elliot Tower is and where you have an amazing veiw of Boston. This is a great place to stop and eat lunch and relax in the sun (weather permitting). The inside of the tower is filled with an array of interesting grafitti that can provide a bit of amusement or a sense of nostalgia (if you name is there). A short hike from Elliot Tower is the weather observatory facing south. This also provides a great chance for a landscape panoramic.

The second half of the trail is a bit harder, at first, then the first half, but as long as you use caution when descending down the moss covered rocks you will be ok. The trail dumps you out back onto Hillside Road, and your car is just a 1/4 mile up the road. If you’ve completed this and are still feeling ambitious, then you can continue on the skyline trail north. The entrance is directly infront of where you parked your car.

For more pictures of the Skyline Trail’s southern part, you can check out my Flickr photostream.

You can also grab my GPS tract.