With the fall weather finally kicking in, Waypoint and the Department of Conservation and Recreation of Massachusetts (DCR) have started a four-part series to hike/snowshoe various sections of the Blue Hills Reservation. The DCR has sponsored these four hikes to spread the word about accessibility.

On Saturday we met at the Trailside Museum to begin our journey into the Reservation. It was a gorgeous day with little wind and peak fall color that popped against the grey sky. The weather and color wasn’t the only thing that reassured us of a great day – the attitudes and laughter that filled our group created a real special feeling from the start.

Anytime we we facilitate adventures like this, we like to plant a thoughtful seed at the start. Sometimes that seed is planted through an activity, a question or a quote. We find it to be a great way to create a consistent thread of conversation, thought and feeling into the program. This program was not different – At the end of our pre-hike briefing, right before we set foot in the woods, we read a quote by Wendell Berry:

“Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step off into a new place there will be, along with feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the unknown and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into” – Wendell Berry

If there was truly any “little nagging of dread” in any one of us prior to the hike, it was diffused quickly. Every part of the day was a huge success and the perspective on what it means to be a community, working together to accomplish something big, never left the eyes and minds of this group. There was never one person succeeding on Saturday, it was all of us – and we had fun doing it!

We’re so thankful for the chance to get into the Blue Hills for three more Saturdays this winter! An especially big thanks goes out to Bill Boyes (volunteer photographer) and the DCR for their support of these events! We’ll keep you posted on how those trips go as well.

Pre-trip circle up and briefing:

There was a constant humming of conversation about things like – past hikes, food, recipes, politics and family traditions:

On Waypoint hikes we like to create moments for people to stop and listen. On the last leg of our hike, we paused by a pond to be silent and reflect. At the end, we asked people what the predominant thought in their mind was during our silence. Responses included: love, beauty, community and zombies 🙂

Thanks for a great day everyone! Can’t wait to see you in December!