Bay Circuit Trail Section 23
Posted By auntie on September 27, 2017
7.86 miles; East Bridgewater and Hanson, MA
Today I cracked 200 miles on the BCT and yet…sigh. Once again, this section included only a brief, albeit fascinating, hike in the woods and a ton of roads. Also sad because there are only 2 sections left. And what the heck is with this weather? Once again it was mid-80s and very humid. I think it was cooler in August.
Beautiful Color & Berries… But Don’t Touch!
It was almost 3 miles into this section before I got off surface roads. This festive combination of poison ivy leaves and berries festooned a small wooden fence near a water supply station, where shortly afterward, the trail finally turned into a powerline cut, and from there into some woods, and emerged onto this boardwalk.
Lovely Long Boardwalk
I will say this about the Bay Circuit Trail, there are hella long, beautiful boardwalks and bridges to traverse. This one was simply lovely to walk on.
Burrage Pond from the Indian Crossway
Indian Crossway
The trail goes from the boardwalk to a powerline cut to Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, where it skirts a working cranberry bog and then onto the Indian Crossway. According to the Guide for this section
A map of Hanson dated 1870 indicated the “Indian Crossway,” which was higher ground through the swamplands. It was reportedly a place of passage for Native Americans. Today it exists as a remnant of the dike system to control water levels in the growing of cranberries.
It was very interesting to walk on, but the dense vegetation on either side blocked any view of the swamps. I did hear a lot of startled wildlife to my left and right as I walked.
Right past the Indian Crossway the Guide indicates there is a trail gap, but I just kept walking, following the route that was on the Open Hiking map on my iPhone, and it brought me right out to Crooker Place, and alas, back to roads to finish today’s hike.
You can read more about the Bay Circuit Trail here. As always, click on the image, above, for details about this section and to download the GPS track.
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