Re: Mountain Climbing Help
Richard Axtman (troop1@POBOXES.COM)
Wed, 28 Apr 1999 11:30:57 -0400
Bill Staubin wrote:
>
> Other than Mt. Monadnock could anyone suggest another mountain
> in northern MA or NH or VT that would be a good climb for a
> varied group of Scouts?
Try the Blue Hills in Milton, Massachusetts. Here's what you'll
find there:
The Blue Hills just south of Boston make up the highest coastal range
in the Eastern United States. The highest point is the summit of the
Great Blue hill at 635 feet. On the summit you'll find the Eliot
observation tower that's made of solid stone. From the tower you
can practically count the windows in the John Hancock Tower in downtown
Boston and on a clear day you can see all the way to Mount Monadnock
in New Hampshire some 70 miles away, plus all the coastline and
Islands along the Eastern Seaboard from New Hampshire to Cape Cod.
There are several ways to reach the summit and tower, using a gradual
climbing wide path or a very steep rocky hill. The Blue Hills
Reservation has 6,500 acres of woods, meadows and ponds and over
200 miles of trails for hiking, riding and nature study. During
the winter months they also have a Ski area. You can also visit
the "Trailside Museum" where you can buy trail hiking maps for about
a dollar or souvenirs, snacks, drinks, etc. The Blue Hills
Reservation has a web site with more info at:
http://www.state.ma.us/mdc/blue.htm
Blue Hills Trailside Museum
---------------------------
Is located at 1904 Canton Avenue, Route 138, Canton, MA
Phone: 333-0690
Hours: Tues. - Sun. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Admission: Adults $3, Children $1.50
Description: Has Natural history exhibits of the Blue Hills
Reservation, live animals and various programs
Directions to the Blue Hills
----------------------------
Take exit 3 off I-93 and park in the lots off Blue Hill River Road
or Hillside Street. Or take exit 2, parking off Route 138 by the
Trailside Museum, just past the ski area.
See a Map of the Blue Hills at:
http://www.state.ma.us/mdc/maps/blue.gif
Hiking Trail Maps and Awards
----------------------------
You can get trails maps at the "Blue Hills Trailside Museum" for
about $1.00 that cover all the trails or you can buy a book with
even more details of these hiking trails and more from "The Witch
Trail Committee." They sponsor and publish a guide called,
"Historic Hiking Trails in the Boston Area" written by
Joseph P. Neville. The guide book covers 7 trails. Including
the Blue Hills and offers detailed trail descriptions and fold
out trail maps. They list two hikes for the Blue Hills, a 2 mile
hike or an 8 mile hike. They also sell two Blue Hills Hiking
Patches and two Pewter Hiking Medals that make great awards for
Scouts of all ages that take these two hikes. You can buy their
book at any of these five New England Scout Shop Locations:
397 Westgate Drive, Brocton, Ma 02401
Tel 508-427-4747 Fax 508-427-4749
1980 Lunenburg Road, Lancaster, MA 01523
Tel 978-840-8180 Fax 978-840-8118
189 North main St., Middleton, MA 01949
Tel 978-774-1130 Fax 978-774-7962
123 Washington St., Winchester, MA 01890
Tel 781-721-6860 Fax 781-729-8394
490 Union Ave., Framingham, MA 01701
Tel 508-935-2923 Fax 508-935-2925
The New England Scout Shop's are distributors for BSA,
but also sell things not in the BSA catalog. The book
I mentioned is just one of them.
WHERE TO CAMP IN THE BLUE HILLS
-------------------------------
Your Scout unit could stay at CAMP SAYRE SCOUT RESERVATION in
Milton, MA. It's owned by the Boston Minuteman Council and it
offers tents, cabins and Adirondacks. Their camp occupies more
than 100 acres, and borders the Blue Hills Reservation. For
more info or to reserve a campsite contact:
The Boston Minuteman Council #227, BSA
CAMPING DEPARTMENT
890 Washington Street, Dedham, MA 02026
Tel: (781) 407-7707
Council E-mail: Council@mail.bsaboston.org
Council Website: http://www.bsaboston.org/BMSR
You can also take a side trip into Boston and see some of the
sites there while camping in the Blue Hills. Maybe you could
also hike the "Freedom Trail" too and learn some of the local
history. There's another patch and medal your Scouts can earn
for doing this if you do.
I hope this helps you find yet another good place to go with
your Scouts for adventure.
Serving You and Scouting,
Richard Axtman
Founder and President of "Scouts NewEngland" (SNE)
Visit our SNE Web Site at: http://members.tripod.com/~SNE
Write our SNE E-mail Group at: mailto:sne@poboxes.com
and
Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 1, Littleton, MA
Nashua Valley Council, Lancaster, MA
Personal E-mail: mailto:troop1@poboxes.com
