St. Patrick Day Adventures

Post Race - Davis Square

Bert and good friend Mike Moran

A Sunny-Sunday Hike at Wachusett Mt. Reserve (central-Mass)

 

We had an exceptionally warm and sunny patch of weather last weekend so we went in search of a good hike. Massachusetts has lots of state parks and nature reserves but isn't known for mountainous terrain. The western half of the state does have the Berkshires where the Appalachian Trail crosses through, but heading east towards the coast the topography becomes sandy and mostly level. Most of the state was under-seawater during the ice ages and over time the land was shaped by rambling glaciers. We've checked out a few nearby nature reserves and enjoyed the winter scenery. However, they felt more like walks than the hikes we've become accustomed to in the Northwest. We have both been hankering for some elevation and more strenuous terrain. During the week we looked up some outdoor books at the library and ear-marked hikes specifically labeled "Difficult". Sunday was a beautiful 50+ degree and sunny kind of day. We got up early, packed up the Subaru and steered west of Boston on the Concord Turnpike. In one hours time we found the mountain we were looking for . . .

How happy we were to be in the outdoors again and at the foot of a real trail-head. It's still winter here but temps have been rising into the 40s and today the glorious 50s. There was one big difference between here and the city that we hadn't anticipated. . . Lots of snow on the trail.

Luckily we had our trekking poles stored in the car's roof-rack . . .

Wachusett Mountain has an elevation of 2000 feet (yes, minor by west coast standards) but it is the highest point in Massachusetts between the Connecticut River and the Atlantic Ocean. With 360 degree views at the top, on a clear day it's possible to see Boston's skyline, nearly 60 miles away. 

Though the buds on trees were still fairly dormant, all around we spotted hints of spring materializing on the forest floor . . .

As the day wore on and the sun rose higher in the sky the snow pack loosened up which made the uphill climb even more challenging. . .

It was a real bun-burner!!!

Jack Frost gets his picture taken and points the way to the North Pole.

Hailey loved every minute of the hike and considering how much she trotted back and forth on the trail, she probably hiked twice the distance we did.

She worked up quite a thirst. . . 

When asked if she wanted to have her picture taken she said she was too busy enjoying her water. . . 

Later though she didn't mind posing at the summit.

Now that spring is fast approaching and there's more and more light thanks to daylight savings time, we're looking forward to exploring more of New England, from mountain to sea.

There are more adventures ahead. . . stayed tuned.

A Place Called Home

Dear friends & family, what has happened to the winter? It's flying by. We're approaching our two month mark living in Boston...I'm scratching my head...it's kind of hard to believe. I guess we've been busy getting settled and learning our way around town.

We're experiencing lots of new things each and every day but right now we'd like to inform you about one particular change... Even though we thought we had found the perfect apartment to live in, we realized today we should of held out and kept looking. Sometimes it takes time to find the perfect place to call home. While we were returning from the 2010 Census Job Fair this morning, we passed by a house on a hill that in no simpler words, absolutely "Spoke to us." As we drove up closer our eyes grew bigger and our jaws dropped open. Lisa gasped - I've never seen her react so emotionally to something of this nature. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes. I swallowed deeply and felt so humbled by the majestic site of the house that stood in front of us. We've never seen anything like it before. Who built this architectural masterpiece? What era is it from? Is it holy? These questions and many more came to mind. In that moment it seemed that time stood still. We knew then and there what we needed to do. We're canceling all other plans through the remainder of the week so that we can re-pack our bags and boxes and move cross town to this mecca in the sky...

                           Just kidding!