Blue Hills in October

Photos taken in the western part of the Blue Hills in Milton, MA on October 18, 2008.

I started out on the red dot trail from the Trailside Museum parking lot on the west side of the reservation. This trail gets a lot of use and is like a hikers' superhighway as it climbs up to the top of Great Blue Hill.

Besides this being the highest of the Blue Hills, there's an observation tower on top. Here's a view of the Boston skyline.

And here's a view looking more eastwards to the harbor islands. You can see that the fall colors are starting to pick up.

I followed the Skyline Trail to the next hill. Hard to believe this jumble of rocks is the "trail", but it is -- note the blue blazes. I've noted that the Skyline Trail seems to be laid out to deliberately use the steepest and most rugged route to get anywhere.....

Maple leaves provide color on the trail.

A less-steep section of trail. Pine, oak, and blueberry are the dominant vegetation here.

Back up some rocks.

This very confused blueberry plant is blooming in October. I even saw some with green berries. I imagine natural selection doesn't favor this particular strain....

Here's the view looking south from Hancock Hill. The Skyline Trail goes pretty much straight down from here, in another one of those really nasty steep sections.

Crossing the road into the next section of the reservation, I decided to stick with flatter trails for easier walking. This is the Bugbee Trail, which follows an abandoned road.

Some fall mushrooms growing in the woods.

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	I started out on the red dot trail from the Trailside Museum parking lot on the west side of the reservation. This trail gets a lot of use and is like a hikers' superhighway as it climbs up to the top of Great Blue Hill.
	Besides this being the highest of the Blue Hills, there's an observation tower on top. Here's a view of the Boston skyline.
	And here's a view looking more eastwards to the harbor islands. You can see that the fall colors are starting to pick up.
	I followed the Skyline Trail to the next hill. Hard to believe this jumble of rocks is the "trail", but it is -- note the blue blazes. I've noted that the Skyline Trail seems to be laid out to deliberately use the steepest and most rugged route to get anywhere.....
	Maple leaves provide color on the trail.
	A less-steep section of trail. Pine, oak, and blueberry are the dominant vegetation here.
	Back up some rocks.
	This very confused blueberry plant is blooming in October. I even saw some with green berries. I imagine natural selection doesn't favor this particular strain....
	Here's the view looking south from Hancock Hill. The Skyline Trail goes pretty much straight down from here, in another one of those really nasty steep sections.
	Crossing the road into the next section of the reservation, I decided to stick with flatter trails for easier walking. This is the Bugbee Trail, which follows an abandoned road.
	Some fall mushrooms growing in the woods.