A pirate cave and Walden Pond in Lynn Woods

Sat., 5/22/10: Enjoyed an AMC-led six-mile hike with pirate cave and three large ponds in the Lynn Woods. We started from the Pennybrook Road entrance.

I learned that the Lynn Woods Reservation is the second largest municipal park in the greater Boston area. Consisting of 2,200 acres in Lynn and Saugus, the park has

• several ponds, including its own Walden Pond (larger than the famous one in Concord), which provide drinking water and are therefore off-limits for swimming.
• a pirate cave ( pitch-black after just a few steps down)
• a small but beautiful rose garden
• an ampitheater
• a stone tower (closed for restoration), which I did not see.

I was the sweep so missed Mike Stadelmaier's informative historical musings on the area.

Skyline Trail, Blue Hills, MA

Saturday 5-15-10: A fabulous day of 73 degrees and lots of sun. Sheeba and I started at Shea Rink and walked the Skyline Trail west to the Trailside Museum. A few Daddy Long-legs type insects, bumblebees, butterflies and a chipmunk sighting. Surprisingly hot, and I finished my entire 2L of water! At end, an enjoyable tour of The Mass. Audubon's natural history museum, including a playful female otter, turkey vultures and a snowy owl.

~ 9 miles, unknown elevation gain, 5 hours (lunch and breaks included)
Summits: 6 hills, including Great Blue (635 feet)
Route: Skyline Trail from Shea Rink in Quincy, southern Skyline Trail from Reservation HQ to Eliot Tower, and Red Dot Trail to Trailside Museum on Route 138

Whitney and Thayer Woods, Hingham, MA

Sunday 5-9-10: This meander through the Trustees of Reservations property in Hingham was a delight. Notable sights included colorful blooming azaleas, sensual lady slippers, an American holly grove, a lily-of-the-valley field, a quarter-mile of head-high rhododendrons, and some fiddleheads from newly emerging ferns. Several glacial erratics dot the landscape, including a grouping called Ode’s Den.

Our lunch spot on Turkey Hill gave us spectacular vistas of Boston's skyline and Nantasket Beach.

At the Weir River Farm, we saw a bright-red barn, 4 horses, a camel-colored llama, about 7 black-and-white cows laying in the shade, and a large sooty gray pig!

Thanks to AMC leader Beth Mosais.

~7.5 miles
minimal elevation gain
Turkey Hill = 187-foot high

The secret island getaway

May 1-2, 2010: My friend made me swear not to tell everyone about this wonderfully relaxing getaway near Boston. No restaurants. No bars. No shopping. The only things to do were walk, talk, beachcomb, read, cook and sleep. Not even a TV! A great place for a low-key family vacation or friends' weekend.

The rabbit population was fairly fearless. Daffodils dotted the island. And we listened to the sounds of nature thanks to one of the New Age stations on Pandora via my iPhone.

As it was off-season, the only market on the island was open for precisely one hour -- from 3:30pm to 4:30pm -- on Saturday. There was no fresh fish or meat to be had. So Saturday night dinner consisted of a yummy cheese omelet over wilted spinach, sweet potatoes and black beans and rice. And a nice bottle of Tavel rose which I'd had the foresight to bring over.

What a relaxing weekend! I needed the R&R. Just what the doctor ordered. Oh, ask nicely and I'll tell you where it is :-)