It was 95 degrees with 100% humidity, my girls were at the beach (I HATE THE BEACH!), it was a perfect day for a hike!!
I ventured out to Medfields Rocky Woods Reservation which is a place that I have never been to before. Upon arrival I paid a small $4 fee to the ranger (used for reservation upkeep) and grabbed myself a map. I determined my route, and away I went!! Right from the beginning, I noticed how well maintained the trails were. The trails were fairly wide with no overgrowth (keeping the ticks at bay!). I was also impressed with the trail signage and trail intersection markings (I could clearly see where my $4 was going).
I picked a route that would take me through the differing terrains of the park. The first part, was the loop trail to Echo lake. Echo lake had a nice boardwalk bridge that crossed right over the middle.
Unfortunately, the other side of the bridge was under a few feet of water, so I was forced to take a wider loop around the lake. Before I continued around the lake, I watched the many "death from below" Bass strikes on the unsuspecting flies. This little lake seemed like a Bass fishermans dream, I'll definitely have to come back and try my luck!
Continuing around the lake, I came out to where I would have, if I had made a swim for it! This was the first major trail intersection I had come across, and it was both numbered and labeled with the trail names, and on top of that, there was a small kiosk with a map of the reservation! I don't think you could get lost here if you tried!
I chose to continue on the ridge trail, which passed a small pond and travelled back and forth between new growth and old growth pine forests (think of the smell of a christmas tree lot!). Eventually I came out to the "Tower" trail where I made my ascend of Cedar hill.
This was my stop for lunch. Though the temps were still smoldering in the high 90's, there was a nice breeze at the top of hill that had a nice psychological cooling effect! After lunch, I descended on the Cedar hill trail and back towards the parking area. Along the way I passed Chickering Pond which is the largest body of water on the property. Again it looked like a primo spot for Bass!
After rounding Chickering Pond, I caught the trail back to the parking area. Guesstimating, by looking at the map, I would say the hike was approx 3.5 miles.
All-in-all this place was an awesome hike! I love the places that offer it all in a small package! From ponds and swampland to to an elevated peak ( with great views!), I was able to sample it all in a reveltivly easy hike!
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