Crazy carp fishing in December!

My friend Dave found some amazing carp fishing this week. On Christmas day he got to slip away for an hour and a half and caught 16 carp. If you are not a carp fishermen, let me explain that even during percect conditions in May, catching three or four carp is a great day. If you catch one carp in the winter, then that day is not wasted. I really can not stress the point enough how hard it normally is to catch one or two carp in winter.

The main reason for this carp feeding frenzy has to do with this super warm spell we are having. While Dave was fishing, I myself got to slip away. I went hiking in Medfield. It was warm enough that I was in just a T-shirt most of the time.

Luckily for me, I had Friday off from work, and gladly fished with Dave. At first we didn't get any hits, then the sun warmed the water up. The fish turned on like a switch.

I ended up catching nine carp. Believe me, that is an amazing day for this time of year. Yet it was nothing compared to Dave. He caught a score of fish (20). I was lucky enough to witness and photograph his seven hundred carp of the year. He needed 13 to reach 700. I can't believe that fishing was so good that it was "easy" for him to reach that improbable number. Feel free to read his account of the events.

www.ricarpfishing.blogspot.com

Obviously the thought of going fishing again on Saturday would seem like a great idea. I, with painful willpower chose to go hiking/jogging. I put on almost ten pounds during the holiday season. I went up to the Blue Hills and did about 10 miles. Dave of course went fishing, he caught another ten fish. Who knows how long the good times will keep rolling.

Trustees of Reservations

You may have noticed that I have been doing a lot more hiking than fishing lately. If you have been reading through, you can see a lot of places I have hiked have been owned by the Trustees of Reservations.  There are many types of open space to walk in. Of course there are state parks and state beaches. There are town forests and state forests. The Audubon society in many states have open land including MA and Rhode Island.

The Trustees is sort of like the Audubon Society. It is a private group of 100,000 members. They own about 100 properties. All total they own and about 25,000 acres of open space in Massachusetts ( I just read these figures on their website). The properties I have visited have for the most part been forest. If you have ever been to the North Bridge in Concord, the building to your left walking toward the bridge is the Old Manse, it is owned by the Trustees.

The Trustees do run a campground in Royalston called Tully Lake. I am going to look into that a little more. This could be a cool place to visit in the summer

Looking at a map, the Trustees have properties across the state. you will notice there is a large clump of open land along the Charles River in the Dover/ Medfield/ Sherborn area. These have been the places I have visited. They are within 45 minutes from home for me. Also I can hit multiple places with a quick lunch mixed in making for an enjoyable worthwhile day. I like the fact the Trustees keep quite a bit of the Charles accessible to the public.  Many of these reservations have a spot to land a canoe. It would be kind of neat to access these places from the river.

Like the Audubon Society, it costs money to become a member. Some of the properties are free to anyone. Others have a small fee for admission if you are not a member. Every place I have been to so far has been "free to all" however I am enjoying these trips so much I want to give back so I am going to join for a year.

Attleboro Area Industrial Museum

On my quest to learn more about my area, I went to the Attleboro Area Industrial Museum. The museum is in downtown Attleboro right next to the police station. Any info on for dates open ant times can easily be found with a quick Google Search. I was going to make it a two for one deal and go to the Attleboro Art Museum also, but it was closed for the Thanksgiving weekend.

This little museum is a gem. First off, it is free. Although donation are definitely appreciated. I put a couple dollars in the donation box before I left. Every place is famous for something. Attleboro is famous for jewelry. I t was considered the jewelry capitol of the United States. There were many manufacturers making things as important as World Series rings. Many of the exhibits are on jewelery, although there is plenty more to see.

I was the only one in the museum, which was an old mill building, when I went. There was one man named Carlton working, I believe he runs the place. Anyway, he basically gave me a tour and was not only knowledgeable of all the artifacts but also seemed to know everything about the Attleboro area history. He shocked me when he said the museum had been there since 1976. I thought for sure I've only noticed it the past couple years. He was great and answered all my questions.

There were some Indian arrowheads which I like looking at. There were many old timey machines used in old mills. I guess many people would find an old horse drawn fire truck one of the most interesting pieces. I liked looking at some then and now pictures of different areas of Attleboro.  It was neat seeing what parts of town looked like one hundred years ago.

All in all, I stayed about an hour. I sort of rushed because I also wanted to go to Slater Mill in Pawtucket. If I didn't rush, I'd say I would have been happy with another half hour. I know a few people that asked me"how is it, I always drive by but never stop" I can say that the museum is absolutely worth 90 minutes of your time. I was totally surprised at how fascinating it was.

Exhibit on Balfour, a famous manufacturer in town

Who knew?

Woodcock Garrison House

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving I went to the Woodcock Garrison House in North Attleboro. The house is the oldest house in town. The historical society had an open house where members of the community could tour it for a small donation. The volunteers were dressed in period attire. All of them had a ton of knowledge on the house and how Colonials lived. As soon as we walked in, there was a turkey cooking by the fireplace, and you felt transported back three hundred years.

Each room had a volunteer explaining the artifacts/antiques in the room. Some of the stuff was very interesting. There were utensils from pre-Revolutionary War time, old furniture, and a ton of other stuff needed to survive in that time period. Being half way between Boston and Providence, the house was used as an inn for many years. George Washington slept there once.

 I sort of dragged my friend Laurie along as she had no real desire to go. By the time we went into the second room she was asking questions. In our town, third grade students take a tour of the town. We had to dress up in "knickers" or dresses. We hit many historical sites including the Garrison House and the little red school house next door. I remember the field trip a little bit, and a couple of things I was taught came back to me on the tour. It was fun going back and reliving a field trip I took about 32 years ago. If you are ever in the North Attleboro area and there is an open house held by the Historical Society, it is well worth a couple of hours.

On the other hand, if you are into history, I am sure many towns have historic buildings and their Historical Society has the occasional open house. Even though places like Concord and Boston get the lion's share of the historical attention in New England, maybe we should all get to know our hometown a little bit better. I know I am going to try.

Historic Sycamore outside of the house

Little Red Schoolhouse

Shattuck Reservation and Cedar River

I had the Saturday after Thanksgiving off from work. I went to the Attleboro Area Industrial Museum in the morning. This left me all afternoon to do something else. I decided to go for a quick hike up in Medfield. There are two open spaces owned by the Trustees of the Reservations across Causeway Street from each other. They are Noon Hill and Shattuck Reservation. Combined they are about 700 acres. Noon Hill has more miles of trail as Shattuck has about 1.5 miles compared to the 6+ miles at Noon Hill. Also I have read Noon Hill has a really nice view.

Shattuck Reservation

My plan was to go to Noon Hill and do as many miles as possible. when I pulled into the parking area (off Noon Hill Road which is in itself off of Causeway Street) there were a lot of cars in the lot. I decided to search out solitude instead of views and went back to Causeway St and the Shattuck Reservation. There is a small unsigned pulloff about 1/4 mile from Noon Hill Road on Causeway Street. This is where I parked. I walked fifty yards down to a connector trail. This trail linked up to a red loop trail. I enjoyed my walk in the 38 degree forest. The trail went by the Charles River in a couple of spots. In more than one place side trails went off toward the water. The views of the river were marshy and overall very scenic

. I saw a total of two people on my hike ( mountain biker and a jogger). I was surprised to see the mountain biker since there was an inch or two of snow on the ground making for treacherous riding conditions.

There was one downside to this hike. There is a sportsmen's club across the river. The whole time I was there shotguns were being fired off at clay pigeons. At one point on the loop I was close enough to repeatedly hear ":Pull! Bang!"

Once back near the car at the end of my loop hike. I continued down the original path that I started on. It led to a cool peninsular that the Charles River does a u-turn around. Swamp was on one side and on the other a small pond made by a bend in the river. It was the most scenic spot I saw all day.

I'm sure this makeshift campsite (notice the campfire stones in between two trees)
was highly illegal, but what a nice setting to do some "stealth camping"

I only had to climb about 3 feet for this "summit view"
of the Charles River

This is the "pond" as the river bends around the peninsular. 

Cedar River

After I got back to the car I only had about an hour of daylight left. This wasn't enough time to properly explore Noon Hills miles of trail so I saved that hike for another day. In my way to Noon Hill I passed another Trustees owned property called Cedar River (named for cedar trees along the Charles River bank0. There was only one mile of trail so I thought, Why not? I pulled into the parking lot and went for the river. The neatest thing about this property, along with many other Trustees properties, was the old stone walls from a time when the area was all farm land. but to be honest this place was a bit of a disappointment. The one mile loop trail basically circles a private residence that is somehow right in the middle of the property. If you go to the river first as I did, the house is always on your right as you circle it.

When reading about the Cedar River, the literature says deer and wild turkeys abound. I would probably stop again at dawn or dusk as I was driving by, just to see if any animals were in the fields. I would not however make a special trip to go there.

As I passed by stone walls at Cedar River they had these
granite posts wherever the trail ran through it

Add caption

Chase Woodlands and Peters Reservation

Beautiful Red Pines

Continuing on my winter hiking kick on Thanksgiving morning I went to the town of Dover, MA to do some exploring. DJ was going over his moms for lunch while we planned on having our meal about 4 pm. Chase and Peters are two large pieces of open land right across the street from each other. They are on Farm Road. The Trustees of the Reservation own these properties.

The parking lot is on the Chase Woodlands ground. I snapped a picture of the trail system on my phone and went off. These are fine woods, but there wasn't anything for me to look for like a summit view, a pond or a river. None the less I came across some deer tracks and tracks of what I think is a raccoon.  I did an outer loop hike that took a little more than an hour.

The true purpose of this adventure was to go snowshoeing. We got an inch down my way the night before, but the weather forecast called for about 5 inches inland. That did not materialize. The area got about the same as where

Just a man, his hot chocolate and a trail

I live. There was between a dusting and two inches on the ground. Even though I couldn't snowshoe, I got to give my new Keen winter boots a test. They were comfortable but a little heavy. I loved that they were waterproof. I walked through ice cold puddles and my feet stayed dry and toasty warm. Overall I was very satisfied.

After a quick drink at the car I crossed the street to Peters Reservation. I liked these woods more. There is a trail to a canoe landing on the Charles River. The spot is very scenic. To the left the Charles is a bit marshy. On the right across the river is a cow farm.  The trail to the river is also nice. A fine stand of tall perfectly straight red pines lines the way. There is also a "knoll" on site. Basically a small hill without a view. There is a stand of rhododendron that I am sure is beautiful in May.

By far the highlight of my walk were three deer. As I was walking toward the knoll three deer came bounding toward me at almost full speed. They came from my right, ran by me about fifteen feet away and continued past my left. It happened so fast, there was no way I could get a picture. Still, it was an awesome experience

The Charles River at Peter's Reservation

Blackstone River Bikepath

Admittedly, this post should be done during the warmer months, however I took some photos the other day and figure now is as good a time as any to write about a real tresure. I will post it again in the spring without this opening paragraph.

The Blackstone River Bikepath is about 10 miles long. It runs from Cumberland (almost Central Falls) to Woonsocket. You would never believe how "green" it is going through such urban communities. For the whole way the path runs along the Blackstone River, the historic Blackstone Canal or both. Only for short amounts of time can you not see water. The bikepath is always listed as one of the ten best things to do in Rhode Island.

 There are many access points and a quick search will get you to the one closest you. For me, I usually park at the Kelly House just a minute or two off of I-295. This is close to the middle of the path, giving me options.A lot of people use the path for walking, biking or rollerblading. I will say that other than summer weekends, rarely is it crowded.

Over this summer and fall I rode my bike a lot on the path. I did the whole path of twenty miles (ten up and back) one time. Usually though, I do a ride of about 12-14 miles as this takes me just over an hour. I have noticed I enjoy the ride a lot more when I am relaxing and enjoying the scenery.

 There is always something to look at. There are three dams, the a fore mentioned river and canal and bridges that I pass under. It is a great place to see fish swimming and the best place I know to see muskrats right before dark. I have seen one deer.  Many people will stop at the benches along the waterfalls.

The Kelly House Museum does a great job explaining the Industrial
of the area. It is at Mile Marker 11 and it is
FREE!

This is Mile Marker 11. The first Mile Marker
starts at 7.5 because it is 7.5 miles from the East
Bay Bikepath. This is a little confusing for peoplie
new to the path.

Next year you owe it to yourself to take a daytrip to the bike path. It is an easy ride for millions of people in southeastern MA and can be reached by almost everyone in Rhode Island in an hour drive. Take the family and a lunch, go for a bike ride and get some fresh air. It is a tresure.

Things I am Thankful for

Me, thankful my bike ride was over
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Every year at Thanksgiving I do a post of things I am thankful for that are outdoors related. Honestly, I love doing this post. It is a way to look back relive fun memories. I get to think about the past ten months and be thankful of things I might have taken for granted. So without further ado...

1. I am thankful of the best carp month I have ever seen. During a week in May, I heard of over twenty carp over twenty pounds caught by seven or eight guys. I got quite a few myself including a personal best 28 pounder.

2. I am thankful for the relaxing weekend Laurie and I spent in western MA. We hit four museums in Springfield, the Norman Rockwell Museum and Golden Corral.

3. The single most fun day of the year was going to the Baseball Hall of Fame with DJ in March. We had a terrific day.

4. I am thankful for ridge hikes above timberline. There is nothing like walking two miles and being on top of the world. There is no place in the world I am happier.

5. I am thankful my friend Eric took me on his boat. We had a fun time. He asked me to go many times more, but our schedule never quite seemed to match up again. None the less, it was awesome.

6. I am probably most thankful that for most of the summer I was in shape enough to enjoy my hikes. Hiking is so much more fun when you are not sucking wind. My hikes were awesome. I completely fell in love with hiking for the first time in years.


7. I am thankful I found outdoor hobbies for the winter. Between ice fishing and striper fishing, I still get to be at the water. Throw in hiking in "pocket wildernesses" near home, and a couple museums I want to visit winters fly by.

8. I am thankful for my fishing buddy Dave. I can't stress enough how
 much he has taught me and how much fun I have fishing with him.

9. Albies, plain and simple, the greatest fish I have ever caught.

10. New Hampshire, all of it above Concord.

11. Speaking of Concord, I am thankful to visit the site the Revolutionary War's first battle.  There are so many things to do in Concord. My favorite town in Massachusetts

12. I am always thankful and never take for granted I live in the greatest country in the world. A country that I not only have the freedom to do what I want, but also public access to some truly great places for all of us to discover.

The Art of Lunch

Up until two or three years ago, I never realized how much more enjoyable my outdoor adventures could be if I brought a lunch with me. Usually I would fish a few hours then eat something when I got home. Quite often I'd forget I was even hungry for most of the day.

When I would climb a mountain, we would bring a lunch with us and eat it at the summit. Trust me when I tell you food tastes amazing after a four hour hike uphill. I looked forward to eating as much as I looked forward to the view.

I never had this cross over to other outdoor pursuits. Just over the last couple years, I bring lunch on fishing trips and daytrips. I think bringing a lunch enhances the experience. Bringing a lunch opens up options. First off, you don't need to leave whatever you are doing when you get hungry. You can stay as long as you want without worry of your stomach growling. Second, by bringing a lunch, you can eat anything you want instead of being dependent on whatever is in the area. Also, by bringing a lunch, your more likely to eat healthier than if you stop at a fast food joint.

In general, I bring a couple sandwiches with me and some fruit. I started eating healthier over the last six months than I used to.  I love fruit, so I snack on it all day. I'm pretty cheap, so I usually but bananas and apples. If strawberries are on sale in the spring, I may spring for them.

For sandwiches, I usually bring one with sandwich meat like roast beef and turkey. They hold up pretty well. Sometimes I am the mood for tuna. If I make tuna, I make the sandwiches on site. I'll bring the tuna in a container and wrap the bread. Soggy bread is a pet peeve of mine.  Other food I have brought for lunch include leftovers from the night  before and Chef Boyardee.

As I mentioned, I usually bring fruit as a "side dish" Other sides I have brought with me include candy bars, cookies, cans of fruit such as mandarin oranges, and pudding cups. Bring whatever you like.

Just the other day, I bought a thermos. I do not have much experience bringing hot foods with me. However on these winter hiking trips, a nice hot chocolate when I get back to the car is welcome warmth. I may but another thermos so I can have one for hot drinks and another for hot meals. Options there include soup, hot dogs in hot water ( a friend of mine did this for a fishing trip this spring and they were great). If I put my mind to it, I'm going to come up with other hot food ideas that I can store in a thermos.

When I go on a hike and bring lunch on my back, I usually bring foods that hold up pretty well fruit such as apples are less likely to turn soft than bananas. Cans of spaghetti-o's although heavy come with me a lot. I have no problem eating them cold, but some people think that is disgusting.  Remember to either bring cans with pop off lids or bring a can opener.

 Now a days, plastic containers to protect sandwiches are all the rage. They work well, but I find bread will still get stale if I don't wrap them in a sandwich baggie anyway. I also use deli meat containers for the same protection for my sandwiches.I am not a huge fan of flattened sandwiches so I make sure to keep them protected in my backpack.

I really enjoy eating lunch on an all day fishing trip or even when I am driving between spots hiking. Although lunch is not the highlight of the day when fishing is great, but it does make all trips that much better. If food is an after thought to you or you usually end up up at McDonalds, it might be worth a few minutes at the grocery store buying and planning a meal you will actually enjoy. Your meal will most likely be cheaper than if you ate out. It could be as healthy or as bad for you as you want it to be. Either way, it will be food you like

Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA

The Post cover Rockwell did of JFK

Over the summer my good buddy Laurie and I went on a quick getaway to western Massachusetts. We hit a couple museums in Springfield, the Golden Corral and the Norman Rockwell Museum. The day we went to the Rockwell Museum, admission was free because they participated in the free museum Friday over the summer. As you can imagine, it was pretty crowded. Normal admission is $17.50 for an adult

The museum sits on a really nice property. There are two main buildings. One is the main museum. The other is a short walk to his studio. The studio that Rockwell worked at was in downtown Stockbridge. It was moved to this property when the museum bought it.

 The main museum has two floors. The bottom is a collection of all the covers he did for the Post, there are hundreds. The top floor is a collection of his works. This was one place that I knew I was in the presence of greatness. I really admired all the paintings. Of special note were the famous "Four Freedoms" they are the Freedom of Speech, Religion, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. They are in a central room. There are many other paintings, too many to count, some are quite funny as Rockwell really had a sense of humor.

I spent quite a few minutes taking pictures of the Post  that Rockwell did of my hero JFK. I wanted to get a perfect shot of it. This is tougher than it would seem because of glares, reflection and the dimensions. I took at least twenty pictures of it, but when my phone crapped out, I lost them all.

If you are into art, I highly suggest you take some time to visit this museum. Not only was Rockwell one of the best and most famous artists in American, he was also one of the most prolific. 

Mini Post- Little Things #1

I decided the other day, that I am going to do some mini posts on the blog. They are going to be about "little " pleasures in life. They won't be long. Most probably won't have pictures. I will write them whenever I have a cool experience not really worth writing about but cool to me. I might write about them five days in a row or not for five weeks. I am going to number them as I go, for no other reason than to go back and relive them. If you are a frequent visitor to this blog, you must be interested in fishing, hiking or history so hopefully you enjoy them. Feel free to share any of your favorite "little things" in the comments section.

#1 Thursday night I ate a little too much supper. I ate enough where I couldn't go for a run about 7 pm because it wasn't digested. It didn't mind because it was really cold, windy and I was being lazy. As the night went on, feeling lazy turned into feeling like a fat ass. The later it got the guiltier I felt about overeating. So at 9:45 almost roboticly I put on my sneakers and started stretching. I went outside and started my run. The air was cold and dry. The northwest wind blowing 26 degree air into my lungs made it tough to catch my breath.

After a short time, I warmed up of course. I was sweating under my winter hat but my nose was freezing. In short at 10:30 at night, I was not having fun and could not wait for my four mile run to be over.

With about ten minutes left into my run, I jogged into one of the darker areas of my neighborhood. I looked up into the sky and for the first time this winter I saw an old friend. High up in my southeast was Orion. He was bright. His belt shined bright as did the star in his front foot Betelgeuse. I was so mesmerized by the constillation, I forgot I was simutaniously hot and cold. I forgot I was sucking wind and my knees were hurting. I forgot all that and was happy to be outside with my old friend. For the rest of the run, I just staired into the sky looking at the sword, shield and belt in the bright stars. It was that little thing, a constilation that has been in the heavens for millions of yesrs that made my night worth it.. the little things

Noanet Woodlands

Iceciles on the dam

DJ standing over Noanet Brook
This is the stream that ran the Iron Mill

After a lunch and some hot chocolate, DJ went across the street from Powisset Farm to Noanet Woodlands. This forest is also owned by the Trustees of Reservations. It is a large area covering 595 acres. There are 17 miles of trails. We knew that here, we could finally stretch our legs and get some hiking in. There are a couple of really cool things to see in these woods.

The first is Noanet Hill itself. It is not real big but there is an east facing view towards the Boston skyline. Besides looking towards Bosron, there is commanding view of the area. It is all hardwoods so the leaves are all brown now, but what it must have looked like a month ago!

A view from my perch on the summit

Even more interesting are the ruins of an old iron mill. All that is left is the water storing dam and the foundation. Apparently, there used to be a water wheel that powered the mill that was the largest in New England and maybe the country. There is signage with info about the mill. I thought it was fascinating. Behind the dam are four or five water storing ponds. I liked the area very much. We didn't see any deer, but being close to Boston the scenery made up for it.

A Cedar Tree at the Summit

Two Parks not Really worth it this time of Year

Thursday, DJ and I set off for another day of hiking. We went to three places we had never been to

One of the big white pines at Elm Bank

before.DJ worked the night before so he didn't get much sleep. He was willing to go anyway so I hoped it would be worth it to him to get up early.

 The first that we went to was the Elm Bank Reservation off Route 16 in Wellesley. Of the three, this was the one I was most looking forward too. I am a member of "Massbird" an email club that members post about bird watching. Elm Bank is mentioned a  lot. The park is 182 acres. Unfortunately some of that land is soccer fields, parking lots and the MA Horticultural Society has their headquarters there. So there is not a lot of trails to hike. We did find one nice trail that ran along the banks of the Charles River for about 1/2 mile. Along the trail were some huge oaks and white pines. I liked the trail a lot. It just wasn't very long. There is a lot of paths and paved roads making it a great place to jog or walk a dog. But for a hike, it was a little disappointing. Though in spring, with migrating birds, the fishing in the river and warm weather, I can see it being very popular. The weirdest thing we saw was a canoe going down river without anyone in it. There wasn't any sign of anyone following it or trying to capture it.

The second place we went was even more disappointing. We went to Powisset Farm in Dover. The farm is owned by the Trustees of Reservations. A private group that protects open land, sort of like the Audubon Society. The farm is a "working farm" over 100 acres. They have livestock, hayfields and vegetables gardens. I obviously did not expect to see the garden in all its glory this time of year. I did think there would be trails through meadows and hayfields. Maybe there are, but all we saw was the main area and some chickens. This would be a fun place to go in spring and summer with little baby animals and a huge garden. It is open to the public, but again, for hiking it was lacking.

Charles River

Exploring new places, I expect to find places that disappoint. I except this as part of the game. Later in the day we found Noanet Woodlands that was really nice. Last week I hit it two for two with Cutler Park and Wilson Mountain, but I want to share places with you guys that might not be worth the time also.

Lonely canoe going downstream

Chickens at Powisset Farm

Cutler Park, Needham/ Dedham/ Boston

The biggest cat tail marsh I have ever seen

My second destination last Saturday was so close to my first I didn't even get up to speed on the
highway. I went to Cutler Park. Directions are as easy as Wilson Mountain. Get off Route 128 at Exit 18 (Great Plain Ave) towards Dedham. The small parking area will be a couple hundred yards down on the left. This park is large (600 acres) and can also be accessed from other points including Kendrick Street.

As stated above, this park is large. I did the big loop trail called the Heron Trail which has to be near 8 miles. I misjudged the length of it. I started my walk just past 1 pm, I didn't get back to my car until it was almost dark at 4:30. I really didn't stop and walked at a fairly quick pace. If you decide to do this loop, give yourself ample time.

Also of note, the trail is hard to follow when you come to Millenium Park. I guessed right, but for a time, I did not know if I was going the right way. Also there was some road walking on the VFW Parkway, Route 135 and Needham Street. I knew I would have to road walk doing this loop. There are plenty of shorter trails that did not require road walking in Boston.

My highlight here was seeing three deer, however none of them wanted their picture taken and I saw the big white flag flying in the air as they bounded away. a large part of the park is cat tail marsh, so I would bet during spring and summer, it is loaded with birds.

Just doing a Google search will quickly get for Cutler Park will easily get you to the website of Cutler Park. From there you can download a trail map and read other important info, I suggest you have a charged battery on your phone if you use it to read the trail map. I started my hike at 42% battery life and reached my car just before dark with only 8%, and I needed the map to negotiate the side roads  I was walking on. It was a little hairy.

Tunnel under the commuter rail
The rail line cuts the park in half

The Charles River
I lover that dirty water!

Kendrick Pond, I bet those hardwoods in the background were
beautiful a month ago

Wilson Mountain. Dedham

A couple of posts ago I promised to hike once a week for the winter (weather permitting). Not

A little babbling brook

wanting to be a liar, I made good on my promise on Saturday. I hit up a couple of reservations near Boston. The first was named Wilson Mountain. This property is owned by the state and is a 207 acre state park. Directions are simple., Take Route 128 to Exit 17 (Route 135). Parking is a half mile down on the right.

There are a couple miles of trail. Although calling Wilson Mountain is like calling me at five foot five an NBA center, there is a hill that actually has a view towards the Boston skyline. It was a pretty park. I'd say there are a couple miles of trails. On a chilly but dry day I saw a few people. At least half of them were walking their dog.

The highlight for me was seeing a decent size buck. I had just put my camera in my bag not ten seconds before I saw it. luckily, it did not see me and I got a couple quick pictures of it. I would say it was forty yards away. there was some brush between us, so the pictures were not great, but I did get to watch it meander on a a ridge for a minute or so. Between hiking, picture taking and sitting on top looking at the view I stayed about two hours.

A pretty carpet of pine needles

Prudential on far left
John Hancock middle left

The best view is from on top of this rock
as you can see both the John Hancock and Prudential

Stealing picture ideas from the Mountain Wanderer
and one of my favorite authors Steve Smith

 

A little bit of snow was left over from the little storm the previous morning

Even as the temperature rose to around forty, the skim ice never melted off the swamp

A buck through the brush

Providence College Hockey

One thing DJ and I started doing last

winter is going to Providence College hockey games. The games are a lot of fun. The tickets are cheap, I think the most expensive tickets are seventeen dollars. PC plays in a division called Hockey East. Just about every team in the league is in the top 25.

On Saturday night we went to our second game of the year. The Friars played number 10 Vermont. PC lost the game 2-1. Of course we wanted to see the home team win, but we still had fun.

If you live near a college, consider going to one of their athletic events. PC is only 20 minutes from our house. For most Division 1 colleges, tickets for basketball and football aren't real cheap. However, tickets for baseball and hockey are super cheap The games are well played and some of the players are going to be pros someday. I'm all for going to sporting events and not spending a lot of money.