Bay Circuit Diary

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 . Happy New Year! December 15 turned out to be the last walk of the year not because of the press of the holidays (hello, pandemic!) but because we had a big snow storm on December 17-18. We got over a foot of snow in Somerville and I didn't know when we'd ever see the ground again. I started researching snowshoes. Then the temperature rose and the snow magically melted away. By New Year's Day there was not a patch of snow to be seen. Because I'm always a bit behind documenting my adventures on the trail, I thought I would do a 2020 recap now. I made 59 trips, a few of which Sulu was excluded from. I've covered about 123 m...

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 . From a little before G to J Google Maps routed me via Route 24 again to get to Wheaton Farm , so I guess last time was no fluke.   The day for my hike was sunny and cold. I did my homework this time, and found the parking lot and the trail easily. I am still trying to conserve phone battery by using paper maps.  Sulu and I are also still wearing orange even though shotgun season is over now it’s “ primitive firearms ” season.  The other dogs and walkers I saw had orange too.   I had good news early in the walk - the turnaround point from last time was much closer to the parking lot than I realized.  After leaving Whea...

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 . Between the two red asterisks First piece of news: For the first time, Google Maps directed me to Route 24 for my starting point. I’m continuing to process counter-clockwise around Boston.   It took a little time to find the parking spot at the Beaver Brook Woods conservation area. The trail directions did not give the house number beside   where this little lot is tucked away (for the record, the closest marked mailbox is 99 Poquanticut Avenue).   I was able to use AllTrails to locate the end point of my last walk to find the entrance to the tiny parking area. After last time’s phone battery crisis, I resolved that ...

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 . From C to the somewhat oversized arrow. Today I spotted the sign for the Sharon/Easton boundary within 500 feet of the entrance to Borderland State Park . It was our first sub freezing walk, and my iPhone really felt the cold. My battery life plummeted to 2% and I was unable to make many notes or take many pictures.  View from the carriage road leading from the mansion We walked around the Ames mansion ( as seen in the 2019 film Knives Out ) to the Rockland Street Trail. The Easton side of the park is much flatter than the Sharon side. There were a few people on the carriage road leading from the mansion, but the Rockland St...

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 . From C to almost B I arrived at Borderland State Park after a late start to find that they close the gates at 4 o’clock - that’s about half an hour before sunset. That didn't give me much time but I was determined to do my best.  A friendly welcome The Visitors Center is closed of course, and there are no facilities because of Covid, but they are still collecting parking fees. I was able to make use of Walter’s Senior Pass for the state parks.  Massachusetts residents 62 or older, this pass is only $10 and is good for life. And, there is no name on it, so we just leave it in the glove compartment for when it’s needed. This park is surp...