Training for the Whites right in my backyard

I've lived in Boston 27 years, and I finally discovered the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton/Quincy, MA. The park offers more than 125 miles of scenic trails -- mostly for hiking but some also for mountain bikers. It's said to be good training ground for people planning to hike the White Mountains in New Hampshire; I can see why, as there are many ascents and descents, with some steep and rough sections.

There are quite a few vistas of Boston and the harbor on the eastern part of the Skyline Trail. The weather observatory on the top of Great Blue Hill provides 360 degree views. The through-hike from Shea Rink in the east to the Trailside Museum and zoo in the west only took about 5 hours. Mike and Anna and I agreed to get together for future hikes and winter snowshoeing in the Whites.

~8 miles; ~2,500 ft. elevation gain
Summit: Great Blue Hill = 635 feet
Route: Skyline Trail from the Shea Rink to the Trailside Museum

The butterfly and the wizard

Halloween fun in Foxboro, MA.

No silver leather pants for Billy Corgan this time around

Before their 2000 break-up, the Smashing Pumpkins' lead guitarist/vocalist Billy Corgan liked to tour with silver leather pants. Though the pants are gone, the guitar-heavy sound of the past remains as the band continues its reunited tour.

Decked out in all white, members of the band, including Corgan, played 21 songs in the set, but interestingly, only 4 from the most recent CD, Zeitgeist. This is a departure from the early part of the tour, which featured 8 songs from Zeitgeist. Perhaps Billy decided to cater to his real fan base, those who grew to love the Smashing Pumpkins with the 1993 CD Siamese Dream and1995's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. I must admit that I was stumped on three of the songs, which didn't seem to come from any of the six albums I know.

They played two encores tonight at the Orpheum Theater, this being the second of three shows there. It was indeed a loyal fan base, choosing to see the Smashing Pumpkins instead of watching Game 3 of the ALCS playoffs between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians.

The highlights? The song United States in Encore 1, and the old favorite Bullet with Butterfly Wings.

My first snow of the season

High winds, low temperatures and potentially treacherous open ledges of ice on the way to Mt. Jackson's summit compelled our group of 7 to change plans this morning and hike up the pleasantly graded Crawford Path to Mt. Pierce instead. At 0.6 miles, a side path leads to Gibbs Falls, worth the 5-minute diversion.


If we thought we'd avoid snow and ice, we were mistaken. It flurried on and off as we were ascending, and then, at about 2,700 feet of elevation, the snow covered the ground and tree limbs in a beautiful blanket of white.

It got increasingly colder as we ascended, and near the top there was ice--though quite manageable both going up and coming down. Near the top, to the north, we saw the glorious autumn-colored landscape leading up to Mt. Eisenhower through a thick patch of cloud. One small spot of sunshine broke through in what Mike called a "sucker hole", which he explained appears out of the blue when flying through storm clouds.

Four gray (Canada) jays kept us company on the way up, greedily snatching nuts from the palms of our hands. We discovered that they would not come to anyone wearing gloves--a bare palm was necessary to attract them.

Thanks to Wanda, Joleen and Mike Rice for their leadership.

~5.4 miles; ~2,400 ft. elevation gain
Summit: Mt. Pierce = 4,312 feet
Route: Crawford Path from Mt. Clinton Road

360 degree views from South Twin Mountain (NH)

Amazing 360 degree views surround hikers who make it to the summit of South Twin Mountain. The 4 mile long Gale River Trail and the Garfield Ridge Trail ascend at a fairly easy grade; the hard work comes at the end, with 1,150' of elevation gain in just 0.8 miles. Even though it was a bit hot for hiking, it was worth it. On a clear day, to the northeast, you can see as far away as Mt. Washington (unmistakable due to the smoke coming from the cog railway).

• Views east include Mt. Hale and the Stepped Mountain, as well as Mts. Tom, Field and Wiley (aka "Tom, Dick and Harry" :-)
  
• North you see North Twin Mountain, a tantalizing 1.3 miles away.
  
• South you can see Owlhead, the Bonds and the Osceolas.
• West, back the way we came, you can see Galehead and Garfield.
  

Folks in the New Hampshire chapter of the AMC are the fittest and fastest group I've hiked with all summer. We did the entire hike in a mere 8-1/2 hours (including breaks), solidly beating book time. For the first time this year, I was the slowest hiker of the bunch. My excuse? It was too hot for me; I overheat and tire easily when it's over 75 degrees. I much prefer the cooler temperatures, when I will often hike in a sleeveless shirt.

~10.8 miles; ~3,300 ft. elevation gain
Summit: South Twin Mountain = 4,902 feet
Route: Gale River Trail to Garfield Ridge Trail to the Galehead Hut (at 3,800') and then the Twinway to South Twin Mountain (back the same way). Option for summit of Mt. Galehead (only 0.4 miles away from the Hut).