16 August 05: Middlesex Fells: Skyline Trail

16 August 05: Middlesex Fells: Skyline Trail

The Skyline Trail is probably the longest hike in the Middlesex Fells (6.9 miles) and the first trail I remember hiking here, years ago. What was neat was that I still remember most of the junctions and intersections from back then. It can be tricky because the Skyline Trail joins many others, and crosses lots and lots, and you have to make sure you stay on the Skyline once they detangle. My guide says "A difficult hike, average hiking time 5 hours". I took five hours the first time, and four hours this time, because I didn't get lost as much! Timetable:

Click on the thumbnails to see the full size picture.

There's been a lot of dieback among the plants, far more than I've ever seen before. First picture shows typical fern dieback, most of them look dead. Second picture shows some oak dieback, and third picture shows sassafras dieback, turning the pretty colors of autumn, months early. I think the dieback is from the heat of this summer, not drought (there's been plenty of water, and lack of water usually makes plants drop their lower leaves, which doesn't look like what's happening here).

Another clue that water has been plentiful: lots of fungi. I've seen the shelf "drawing fungus" before, but the cluster of orange caps is new to me.

Nice view from Silver Mine Hill.

Two views of the Boston skyline from Wright's Tower at Pine Hill. This is the stone tower you see when you drive north on route 93, which is clearly visible here.

More fern dieback in high meadow. I was struck by how widespread the dieback is. The only live ferns I saw were way down in the low boggy areas.

Several shots at the North Dam, showing the cute brick pumphouse and the dikes which control the water here. The first shot shows the far ridge which includes Winthrop Hill -- below you'll see pictures from there looking back here. The purple loosestrife, yellow goldenrod, and white Queen Anne's Lace make a beautiful combination.

I met a couple of garter snakes, but this fella was the only one to hold still long enough for pictures.

One regular and two zoom shots from the summit of Winthrop Hill, looking back at the North Dam and the little brick pumphouse we saw before.

A different view from the Winthrop Hill summit, with pumphouse.

A visitation from Hummingbird

In the area of Dike's Brook, the densely overgrown thicket that I like to call The Tunnel, I saw the first hummingbird I've ever seen in the wild (in the Northeast, and not at a hummingbird feeder). He was sipping away at some yellow trumpet flowers, but he saw me right away, and came up to say hello. He would move closer a few feet, hover for a second, then move in another few feet and hover again, and finally he was right in front of my face, easily within arm's reach, clearly checking me out. I think he was attracted by my bright red shirt (since hummingbirds love red and yellow flowers). He was dark gray with white speckles, no color that I could see -- and my book says that ruby-throats are the only hummingbirds native to this area. So I'm guessing a juvenile. That may also explain his remarkable curiosity and lack of fear. But he bolted when I tried to get the camera in position, so no pictures, darn ... he seemed very personable.

This page maintained by Wil Howitt
Last updated 16 August 2005