Hiking: First 10-mile trip plan - Blue Hills Reservation, Skyline Trail

This is the trip plan for my first 10-mile hike as part of my quest to fulfill the requirements for the BSA Hiking Merit Badge. This plan fulfills requirement 5, while executing the plan and debriefing tomorrow will fulfill requirement 6. The plan includes “map routes, clothing and equipment list and a list of items for a trail lunch”, as required in the 2009 Merit Badge Series. I am also following the basic outline of a trip plan as highlighted in chapter 4 of the 2004 edition of the BSA Fieldbook.

I have two maps for the Blue Hills Reservation. One is the map distributed for $2 at the park headquarters by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The other is one that came with the Massachusetts Trail Guide, 9^th Edition, published by the Appalachian Mountain Club. It is Map 4 of the AMC map series for the state. I will opt to use the AMC map because it’s smaller and less likely to tear.

The route I’ll follow is the Skyline Trail, starting at the easternmost part of the reservation, at the Shea Memorial Rink in Quincy. I’ll follow the length of the Skyline Trail west, about two-thirds of the way through where the trail splits at the reservation headquarters, and take the northern branch to Great Blue, at 8.5 miles. Then, I'll loop back to reservation headquarters to complete a full 10.2-mile loop along the southern branch.

This route gives me the option of shortening the trip at various points along the path, as it crosses three roads, but I do not plan on cutting this one short, though according the website Rugged Hikes in the Boston Area (Blue Hills)*, the elevation gain here is about 2,500 feet.

Estimating that a normal hiking pace is about two miles per hour, the full hike would take about five hours, but for the elevation gain. Adding in an hour for each thousand feet, this hike could conceivably take 7.5 hours. The sun will set at 4:20 p.m. tomorrow, so I plan to be on the trail no later than 8 a.m. This is a through hike and I won't make it all the way back to my car, so I’ve made arrangements for Khizer to pick me up. He’ll be in the area around 2:30 p.m. and will studying at a coffee shop close to trail’s end. I expect to complete the hike between 2:30 and 4 p.m.

I will be hiking alone, but this is a well-hiked and well-managed trail, and I will carry my cell phone fully charged in case of an emergency. For lunch and snacks, I am packing two liters of water, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread, some quinoa and chicken curry, trail mix, a whole grain cereal bar, some raw vegetables, and two bananas and an apple. I’ll be carrying a back pack and will follow the principles of Leave No Trace while on the trail, which means I will leave the trail as I found it, in the same condition or better.

The weather will be sunny and clear with a temperature all day that promises to fluctuate around 40 degrees, so I will wear a long sleeve shirt and jeans, but will also have with me a short sleeve t-shirt to change into if I get too warm and a down vest in case I get cold. In the car, I'll have dry clothes to change into for the ride home. Also, I'll be wearing my hiking boots and will carry a change of socks in case the pair I’m wearing gets wet.

That’s pretty much it. I’m posting this on my blog tonight, and of course Khizer knows my plan, so I’m accounted for in case I don’t show up at the rendez-vous site on time. I’ll post again tomorrow night after my hike with pictures and a report of my experience.

*The website Rugged Hikes in the Boston Area (Blue Hills) can be found at  http://home.earthlink.net/~ellozy/strenuous.html.