The Fall in New England is b y far one of the most special and beautiful places to be. The leaves changing colors, the crisp morning air, and of course the build up to Halloween. This weekend, the 9th and 10th of October, was a particularly beautiful time that embodied these very characteristics. Since the weather was going to be perfect for enjoying the outdoors and all it offers, I planned a day hike on Saturday with some friends at the Wompatuck State Park, on the south shore of Boston followed by a cookout back at the house. On sunday, Erin and I went to the Newburyport Fall Festival, in Newburyport, MA about 50 minutes north of the city.

So after a rather long summer hiatus from hiking of any kind, due to various life events, Erin and I decided to go for a like 4 mile hike during the beautiful Labor Day weekend here in New England. The temperatures have been a farcry from what they were a few days ago, so it was perfect weather for nice day hike.

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

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.

Sorry for the delay in this post, but here’s the photo of the week for the second week in September.  You can see more of my photos on my flickr page.

Hey all,
Here’s my photo of the week.  This was taken on the south shore of boston during the Thayer Trail hike. Enjoy!
 
Check out more of my photos.

Sterling Pond Trail to Long Trail via Smugglers Notch Pass.

If you fund yourself in the Stowe, VT area during the summer months, Smugglers Notch Resort has a great array of trails for hiking around it’s three different mountains, Morse mtn. Madonna mtn. and Steeling mtn. The trails range from moderate to hard and include x-country skiing and mtn bike trails as well. One thing to note is that the altitude range is from 1100′ and the base to 3640′ at the top of Madonna mtn so it’s important to pace yourself at a pace slower than you might be used to if your not accustomed to higher altitude hiking.

Sterling Pond trail is a great late morning to early afternoon hike that will take about 3 hours or so including so resting time at the top for a beautiful view and some lunch. The trail starts across from the parking area at right in the middle of the Notch and has about a 880 foot vertical ascent. This is about 3 miles south of Smugglers Notch Resort on Rt 108. The start of the trail consists of old wood/rock steps that in some spots are better avoided. Since the trail is pretty popular, it well cared for and easy to navigate as long as you use general precausion on slipperly rocks and such.

Middlesex Fells Rock Circuit is a moderate to hard 4 mile hike that includes an array of ascends and descends. This is part of the greater Middlesex Fells Reservationtrails. The trail runs through the east side of the reservation and its pinnacle (aptly named Pinnacle Rock) overlooks Oak Grove, and in the distance a great view of Boston.

The trail start out on Woodland Road and the best place to park in in the ice rink on Woodland Road. Alternatively there is parking about 100 yards up from the rink on the same side of the road. The entrance to the trail looks like a utility path blocked by a large metal beam. Just go around this and you’ll see the entrance sign. From here you follow the blue marked trail up the hill for about a 1/4 mile until you see the split in the trail for the white trail (Rock Circuit Trail).

Here’s the photo for the week:

This was taken on a hike on the south shore of Boston. Check out more photos on my Flickr as well as other photos on my artistic gallery

Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT) is located in Lincoln, MA only about 25 mins from downtown Boston. It is a couple of trails that go around the Sandy Pond water reservoir. There is a biking trail and several hiking/walking trails. This location is where the great Henry David Thoreau went when he wanted a peaceful retreat from the busy Boston life.