6/2/2020: Ashland Town Forest to Ashland Center

Welcome to Susan's Bay Circuit Diary! This blog follows my adventures with my dog Sulu hiking the Bay Circuit Trail.  Feel free to subscribe (see the little "subscribe" oval above). The rest of the past posts can be found using the little menu on the left.  If you are curious how this all started, go here.

The Bay Circuit Trail journey is full of surprises. Just when you’re braced for a boring road walking afternoon, it sends you to a cul-de-sac, down behind a house and onto a cool green trail that exits unceremoniously behind the DPW salt barn.  

The view from the side of the salt barn

Crossing the extremely utilitarian campus (featuring the Ashland dog pound) then led to the beginning of the completely charming Riverwalk.  

The Riverwalk goes alongside our old friend the Sudbury River (is it the freaking Nile of the greater Boston area?) for about a mile.  It’s paved in grit and is wide, flat, and smooth (handicap accessible).  

Ferns line the path most of the way 

Peekaboo to the river

The new bridge over the Mill River to the under-construction park

 It’s not possible to take it to the terminus as the Mill River Park is under construction, but the BCT shunts off into the shrubbery (could really use a blaze here, people) and along what is described as a “three foot right of way” through multiple backyards to finally emerge between two suburban houses. 

Find the trail in this picture: "stay close to the fence"

I was acutely aware of my white privilege as I trekked up some strangers’ yard to the street.  I wasn’t even completely positive that it was the trail as the blazes are a little sketchy until you get to the street.  I am in the most harmless class of American society - graying white lady with a small poodle - but I am sure not every nature lover could just traipse through backyards the way I’ve been doing. And that’s sad.

Mill Pond Park, a stop on the trail, is not really a thing now due to construction, but we took a moment to enjoy a waterfall at the mill dam.

I spotted a great blue heron fishing among the rocks there.  

I tried to make art out of my blurry phone photo

From there, another weird trail where you dive between a big rock and a guard rail.  Some of these paths must only be known to neighborhood kids. 

Then unfortunately some bad directions and lack of signage took me almost a mile out of my way, but we crisscrossed the Sudbury River (much narrower after the dam) a few times and did our best to stay in the shade.  

On the way back we stopped at a scenic overlook spur of the Riverwalk.  Sulu took this opportunity to get very muddy.

Posing on a rock at the DPW

Next time we’ll start in Ashland Center and see where the road takes us. But first I have to wash the dog.

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