A Walk in the Blue Hills

Our good run of weekend weather continued this weekend. We celebrated with a hike in the Blue Hills. We parked our car near the park headquarters and hiked between there and Great Blue Hill, hiking in a loop that included both branches of the rugged Skyline Trail. The weather was perfect, cool enough to be comfortable but warm enough to hike in a T-shirt once we got going. There were lots of people on the trails, not a surprise in the well-travelled Blue Hills. We were joined on our hike by our friend Andrew Tittler and his children. His youngest rode on her daddy’s back but Maura and his oldest child hike well enough on their own.
Though the weather was perfect it was not the most enjoyable hike I’ve ever been on. Maura can be a great hiking companion but on this occasion she was not on her best behavior. Maura is like any other child. Some days she’s a blessing and a joy to be around. On other days she is selectively deaf and won’t hear a word you say to her over her own whining. Sunday was one of the later days. She asked for a drink of water about every five minutes and had to be told so many times not to climb over rocks that weren’t on the trail that I lost my temper and yelled at her. I don’t like to do that. Needless to say we saw little wildlife, though with many other hikers on the trail we weren't likely to see anything shy.

Perhaps it was just a bad day for Maura or perhaps it was that she was hiking with another child. Maura usually goes out in the woods with just her parents. It must be easier to listen to us when no one is competing for her attention.

Fortunately Maura is usually a pleasure to be around. We’ve enjoyed many hikes together and I expect we’ll enjoy many more. Maura’s spring break starts on Friday so we’ll have plenty of time for adventures together and with her with her grandparents, who will be visiting. I’m looking forward to it.