August 26, 2020 - Medfield

August 26, 2020

Welcome to Susan's Bay Circuit Diary! This blog follows my adventures with my dog Sulu hiking the Bay Circuit Trail. To get new posts in your inbox, please 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.

I have been reading a ton during the pandemic. According to Goodreads, I’ve read about 120 books so far this year. A couple of books have reflected on my walking journey on the BCT. The one I’m reading now is A Paradise of All These Parts by John Hanson Mitchell, a natural history of the Boston area. When Paradise came out about ten years ago we were fortunate to attend a reading/signing. The talk the author gave was a lively summary of the highlights of the book. As I am finally reading the book, I hear the author’s voice illuminating the text. Somerville doesn’t get a mention in the book (it was Charlestown Beyond the Neck until the early 1800s) but I still feel more connected to the plants and animals that have gone and returned since the Colonial era. It reminds me that there are actually more trees and more wildlife (turkeys, coyotes, fishers) in the Boston area than they were since the 1700s.

From G to H and back again

Sulu and I returned to Medfield this week. It was a gorgeous day like an August day in Maine: low 70s, blue sky, nice breeze. The trail consisted of three off-lead woods walks linked together with not very stressful road walking.

It took us a few minutes to find the path into the woods from the baseball fields at the former State Hospital, but then we were off and the rest of the walk was very well marked. Because of the breezes I decided not to use the bug spray and that decision worked out just fine.

After the first woods trail we came out onto a dirt road alongside a large sports complex. This led us to a second wooded segment. The second trail section must not be frequently used. A fallen tree blocked the trail (actually a couple of trees as one took out another on its way down) and I couldn’t see a clear new path around the snag. Usually you can follow the previous visitors, but this was less clear.

Then there was some boring road walking through the part of Medfield that they do not showcase in the real estate brochures. I was walking for 40 minutes before I saw my first residential house, instead passing through a sort of industrial area with giant gravel piles, auto body shops, and tow companies. All they need is a dog agility place to make it complete.

Taking the slow route through Medfield will hopefully impress upon me it’s distinctiveness among the MetroWest towns that begin with the letter M. In addition to Medfield, there are also Milford, Medway, Millis, Morseville and Metcalf all within a short distance (technically the latter two are neighborhoods, not incorporated towns). Fortunately, of these the BCT only goes through Medfield. I can also report that Medfield should not be known for its sidewalks. Of all the towns I’ve walked through so far, Bedford has impressed me the most with its commitment to walkability.

There were four blazes at the entrance to the third woods trail off the road - that’s got to be a new record. I mentally migrated some of those blazes to where I could have used them north of here. We encountered another big new cluster of fallen trees and Sulu surprised me by not finding a way over. He’s been gaining confidence in the woods this year, but today I had to go back and, not carry him, but lead him through the best route.

Three different kinds of ferns

This third woods segment had a stream for a water break for Sulu which he used both coming and going. We emerged behind the Medfield DPW, where I first saw the town seal, which looks like it was chosen via a contest in the community.

The BCT continues behind and to the right of the dump truck

The trail goes through Vine Lake Cemetery, but I decided to go around it since it is very clearly posted for no dogs. It was not a long detour and I was able to view the oldest part of the cemetery through the fence around the back.