After we got back to the parking lot at the Trailside Museum, Patricia and Penny had had their fill of hiking for the day. I was given advanced notice that this was likely going to be the case so I drove in my own car earlier that morning so I could get in a few extra more miles. A bid adieu (my favorite Wordle starting word BTW) to Patricia, Penny and the Au Pairs and made the quick drive to the Park & Ride just down the road. My plan was to zig-zag around Cosmos Path, K Path, and Moulton Path, the whole time making quick back and forth trips to cover all the tiny little dead-end tributaries. The plan was to hit the 6000 block of trail markers and then make the trek to the summit of Little Blue Hill. #6900 was right there waiting for me at the trailhead as I stepped off the parking lot. I promptly took a wrong turn and went a couple of hundred feet down the wrong trail before I checked my new favorite app, Maprika, and realized I was on the wrong trail.
Once I found the right trail with the help of another roving hiker I quickly found the trail split at #6877. As I made it down my first dead-end tributary I wondered why it came to such an abrupt end. After I got over the slight hill I saw how the trail bumped into the corner of someone’s driveway so I guess I had my answer there. The two dogs in the yard of the house at the end of the driveway did a great job of letting me know that this was their backyard, literally. I double-backed after I hit the driveway and came across #6830 and then bumped into my first missing marker of the day. #6680 was nowhere to be found so I busted out the index cards and Sharpie to whip up my own. I was shortly redeemed when I found #6670 right where it belonged and took care of another quick double-back to cover the little dead-end.
The day was getting warmer and the munchies hit so I dipped into the backpack to taste test some protein bars I picked up yesterday. I had literally had a dream where I was eating one of the old style Protein Plus Power Bars I hadn’t eaten in years. I was hoping to find something similar. I can happily report that the Quest Birthday Cake bars hit the spot. I also tried the French Vanilla Creme Powercrunch bars and I liked it but it was more cookie-like and didn’t give that solid meal-replacement level of satisfaction that the Quest did. I was disappointed yet again when I couldn’t find #6650 and so the index card and Sharpie were busted out yet again. Another double-back along a dead-end and I kept going down Cosmos Path. The sun was almost directly over head and it was having that gorgeous effect of the sun streaming down through the pines. I stopped for a bit and played around with the iPhone camera and keeping the sun just out of frame to try and get that look in a picture. It came out pretty good, but I keep wondering if I should try and revive one of our old digital cameras to carry along to grab pics where I have more control and a zoom lens. TBD on that one. Then it got weird, well weird in an OCD completionist kind of way. I found the actual #6650 trail marker but in a completely different spot then where it’s supposed to be.
Once I got over my consternation I was rewarded with #6700 and #6850 being present and accounted for and properly located. Yet another dead-end double-back at #6850 brought me across the street from the giant glass and steel office building we saw from the summit of Great Blue Hill. It was a straight shoot up the K Path right past #6800 and back to #6670. I was putting on the gas as it was getting late (and I was getting tired) so not so many pictures here except for one very cool weathered exposed stump.
I was regretting my decision to tackle Little Blue at the end of the hike as I was getting pretty beat but I pushed through and am glad I did. I had heard from the same hiker who got me on the right path at the beginning that there was a stone bench along the way to the summit and sure enough it was right there. But it was more than just a stone bench, it was memorial to Augustus Hemenway. His wife, Harriet Hemenway was one of the founders of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. I of course did not know any of this during the hike, but the internet is a great thing. I stopped to take a load off and enjoy the view. Thanks for the break Auggie!
I found #6880 without issue, but the side path that leads to the summit is not very well marked or laid out, so I busted out Maprika again to guide me along. The summit was soaked in sun and the summit rock had a tiny little tree poking right out of the middle. Happy to have finally made the peak I was relieved, but for only a brief moment, when I realized I had to loop back up and around to complete all the trails. So stopping for just a few more trail marker selfies, #6896 and #6891, and some pics of interesting tree hollows that in the parallel universe of Hyrule were perfect hiding places for Koroks; I made it back to the car exhausted but happy.
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