WLBH 1-17-2017 - AMC Cabins

AMC SEM Post-Hike Trip Report

TRIP DATE: 1-17-2017     
                                          

TRIP LOCATION:         Blue Hills     

MEETING TIME:         10:00 am  
     

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):         20

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):    3 hrs  50 mins

LENGTH IN MILES:     7.47 miles

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): 216 feet

DIFFICULTY:            C                       (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):      Paul Brookes, Cathy MacCurtain, Pat Achorn

CO-LEADER NAME(S):            N/A

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Street parking at end of Turner Dr in Randolph

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:        No                 TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS: N/A

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?         No

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:

Trails were dry and clear with some small patches of ice.  We hiked in the West Ponkapoag section of the reservation walking trails around the AMC cabins.  We had lunch at the pier overlooking the pond and presented Bill Doherty with a patch for completing his first White Lining series.  Bill brought cookies to share with the group (a Red Lining/White Lining tradition when you complete your series). On the way back to the cars we stopped at the new(ish) Horse Bridge, some graffiti has started to appear.

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE: Sunny at start, turned cloudy, Dry in the upper 30’s.  

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)

IMPORTANT: Contact Hike Committee Chair ASAP with any medical emergencies or other serious incidents.

WLBH 1-10-2017 - Eliot Tower

AMC SEM Post-Hike Trip Report

TRIP DATE: 01-10-2017

TRIP LOCATION:         Blue Hills     

MEETING TIME:         10:00 am    
   

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):         16

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):    4 hrs  40 mins

LENGTH IN MILES:     6.86 miles

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): 480 feet

DIFFICULTY:            B                       (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):      Paul Brookes, Cathy MacCurtain, Pat Achorn

CO-LEADER NAME(S):            N/A

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Houghton’s Pond Parking

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:        No                 TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS: N/A

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?         No

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:

Climbed Houghton’s Hill and then over to Hancock Hill (great view), on to Great Blue Hill using the North Skyline.  Lunched at Eliot Tower. Returned to our cars via Wolcott, Eustis and Hancock Hill path.  Hike was a little more challenging that intended for this series, folks were tired but everyone did fine.

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE: Dry, sunny, mid-20’s.  Frozen snow and patches of ice on the hills.  Microspikes were used by all the hikers.  

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)

IMPORTANT: Contact Hike Committee Chair ASAP with any medical emergencies or other serious incidents.

WLBH 1-3-2017 - Buck Hill

AMC SEM Post-Hike Trip Report

TRIP DATE: 1-3-2017

TRIP LOCATION:         Blue Hills    

MEETING TIME:         10:00 am    
   

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):         12

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):    4 hrs  

LENGTH IN MILES:     7.5 miles

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): 435 feet

DIFFICULTY:           B                      (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):      Paul Brookes, Cathy MacCurtain, Pat Achorn

CO-LEADER NAME(S):            N/A

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Houghtons Pond

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:        No                 TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS: N/A

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?         No

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:

Hiked Houghton’s Pond to the top of Buck using the smaller trails that summit from the southern slop of Buck.  After summiting Buck we hiked down Buck using the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) trail built two years ago in coordination with the DCR.  We then summited again using the newer NEMBA trail built this October.   Together these trails form a loop for the mountain bikers that keep the bikers of the Skyline.   We returned via the notch between Tucker and the Boyce’s.

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE: Raining and mid-40’s.   

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)

IMPORTANT: Contact Hike Committee Chair ASAP with any medical emergencies or other serious incidents.

WLBH - 12-27-2016 - Braintree Path

AMC SEM Post-Hike Trip Report

TRIP DATE: 12-27-2016  
                                           

TRIP LOCATION:         Blue Hills    
 

MEETING TIME:         10:00 am    
   

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):         15

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):    3 hrs  

LENGTH IN MILES:     6.95 miles

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): 245 feet

DIFFICULTY:            C                       (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):      Pat Achorn, Paul Brookes

CO-LEADER NAME(S):            N/A

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Chickatawbut Rd & RT 28 Parking

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:        No                 TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS: N/A

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?         No

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:

Heading down the Braintree path we hiked trails in the Chickatawbut lowlands.  The trails were in good condition and mostly dry.  We had lunch on the trails before heading back along the Bouncing Brook path.  A nice start to the series.

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE: Dry in the low 50’s.   

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)

IMPORTANT: Contact Hike Committee Chair ASAP with any medical emergencies or other serious incidents.

WLBH 3-15-16

AMC SEM Post-Hike Trip Report

TRIP DATE: 03-15-2016     

                                        

TRIP LOCATION:         Blue Hills Reservation – Little Blue Hill

MEETING TIME:         10:30 am  

     

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):         14

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):    1 hour 30 mins

LENGTH IN MILES:     3.4 miles

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): 500 feet

DIFFICULTY:            D                       (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):      Paul Brookes, Cathy MacCurtain

CO-LEADER NAME(S):            Pat Acorn

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: RT 138 Park N Ride in Canton

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:        No                 TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS: N/A

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?         No

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:

Today was the last hike of the White Line the Blue Hills series (a 13-week series running from the Winter Solstice to the Spring Equinox).  We did a shorter hike in the Little Blue Hill section of the reservation then the group went to the Hillside Pub for lunch and drinks. 

During lunch we celebrated a couple of accomplishments handing out Red Lining Patches to Pete Tierney for completing his first White Lining series (he began last year) and Bob Jabaily for being the second ever person to complete White Lining in one season.

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE: Overcast but dry, mid 30’s.

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)

The White Lining Series was well enjoyed and attracted a number of new people that had not hiked with SEM before. 

WLBH 3-8-2016

AMC SEM Post-Hike Trip Report

TRIP DATE: 03-08-2016     

                                        

TRIP LOCATION:         Blue Hills – White Line the Blue Hills Series, Woodland through Hike  

    

MEETING TIME:         10:00 am    

   

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):         17

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):    3 hrs 50 mins

LENGTH IN MILES:     7.1 miles

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): 500 feet

DIFFICULTY:            C                       (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):      Paul Brookes, Cathy MacCurtain

CO-LEADER NAME(S):            Pat Acorn

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: North Parking Lot, Trailside Museum RT 138

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:        Yes                 TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS: 30 mins

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?         No

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:

Today’s hike which was part of the White Line The Blue Hills series was a woodland through hike from Shea Ice Rink to the Trailside Museum on RT138, not summiting any of the hills we kept to the valleys and lowlands.  It was nice to get a sense for the length of a large section of the Blue Hills by doing it as a through hike.  The day was perfect, with bright Sun and warm weather and the group enjoyed the hike a lot.  I mentioned I was planning a spring woodland through-hike from Shea to the very end by Fowl Meadow and many in the group expressed an interest in doing this.

When we arrived back at our cars, Len gave another reminder that his Spring Conditioning series begins the week after the White Line Series completes. A number of people from the White Lining series have signed up for his series which his great.

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE: Clear skies, bright sunshine and mid 50’s.

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)

WLBH 3-1-16

AMC SEM Post-Hike Trip Report

TRIP DATE: 03-01-2016     

                                        

TRIP LOCATION:         Blue Hills – Buck and Tucker Hills  

        

MEETING TIME:         10:30 am    

   

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS):         19

TOTAL HIKING TIME (IN HOURS):    3 hrs  45 mins

LENGTH IN MILES:     5.6 miles

TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): 496 feet

DIFFICULTY:            C                       (A=very strenuous; B=strenuous; C=average; D=easy)

LEADER NAME(S):      Paul Brookes, Cathy MacCurtain

CO-LEADER NAME(S):            Pat Acorn

TRAILHEAD PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Houghton’s Pond Parking Lot

CAR SPOTTING REQUIRED?:        No                 TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS: N/A

WAS TRIP WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST?         No

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED:

Today’s hike was from Houghton’s Pond to the top of Buck hill using some of the less know trails.  We had lunch at the top of Buck, basking in the bright sunshine and warmer weather.  We descended Buck on a new trail that was built by FOBH and NIMBA.  Before starting down, we circled up and Dexter gave us a fascinating background on the construction of the trail.  As we headed down I pointed out some interesting multiple-trunked trees (evidence of prior fire?), later Bob Vogel showed us two trees that had grown together and spliced and become one.  Quite the Show and Tell.  Everyone was into the hike and having a good time.  Next we climbed Tucker Hill before heading back to our cars.

WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKE: Clear skies, bright sun and low 40’s.

OTHER COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.)

IMPORTANT: Contact Hike Committee Chair ASAP with any medical emergencies or other serious incidents.