Boston Globe on FBH Hikes

Click here for the electronic version of this article.

Blue Hills Hike to Cover 8 Miles
Guide will highlight bird calls, flowers
By Robert Knox, Globe Correspondent

Thursday, May 21, 2009
Boston Globe South

Seasoned trail guide Steve Olanoff likes to vary the agenda when he invites people to take a long hike in the 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation.

"I mix it up - some advocacy, bird calling, flowers. Keep everything moving. And I find a way to tell the occasional story or joke," the Westwood resident said.

Olanoff, a retiree, is a member of the Friends of the Blue Hills, a nonprofit support organization sponsoring this weekend's hike through some of the state park's big hills. It's an 8-mile hike, beginning at the Quincy end of the reservation's famous skyline trail. The hike will include some steep ascents and is expected to last six hours.

Olanoff, who has been leading hikes through the Blue Hills for 25 years, favors a steady, moderate pace for longer outings. "A lot of people like my pace," he said. "It's moderate. I maintain the pace uphill."

His plan for the long hike - other public outings are much shorter - is to have one steep climb in the morning, then go through level terrain to a spot with a good view for a lunch break, then traverse some more level ground after lunch before one more steep climb in the afternoon.

This weekend's outing focuses on the park's scenic hills and spring wildflowers.

The expedition's high points include Rattlesnake Hill and Wampatuck Hill. Hikers will search for the rare lady's slipper, a pink wild orchid that can be found in the Blue Hills and other regional woodlands this month. Other spring bloomers hikers are likely to encounter include Solomon Seal, wild violets, and possibly Jack in the Pulpit.

"A whole lot of purple," Olanoff said, "a whole lot of white."

Guided hikes are one example of the Friends of the Blue Hills' activities for the group's 1,000 members and the public, said director Judy Lehrer Jacobs.

"We have a lot of programs for different ages," she said. The organization's trail maintenance programs, in which members help out and learn how to do trail maintenance, for example, "are a chance to give back and also to enjoy being outdoors."

Upcoming programs on educating people to threats to the Blue Hills environment caused by invasive plant species include walks to make plant identifications. Those will take place next month on three consecutive weekends: June 13, 20, and 27.

(Those shiny green plants with white flowers taking over a forgotten corner of the backyard might be the invasive garlic mustard; the Friends are planning an event that will include tasting some dishes using garlic mustard as an ingredient.)

And not all of the trail walks are daylong affairs. On May 30, Olanoff is scheduled to lead a 3-mile beginner's bird walk hike through Fowl Meadow in Canton to listen for and identify late migrant and nesting species in what the Friends describe as the "best birding area" in the Blue Hills. Participants are advised to bring binoculars and a bird ID guide book.

Olanoff will be listening for birds rather than looking for them on this weekend's high-country hike.

Since it's a long hike, he said, hikers won't be able to stop and look for birds, but they can listen for the calls. Deep into the woods, hikers will hear woodland birds such as thrushes and vireos.
He is also planning to bring up a few issues for advocacy - such as the Friends' ongoing efforts to keep developers from gaining control of public park land - and discuss the history of the reservation, how to maintain the trails, and how to use them.

"If we hit a muddy spot," Olanoff said, "I walk right through the center of it, so people will follow my example." The idea is to stay on the trail for environmental preservation and to avoid widening the path.

"I have to tell you," Olanoff confessed, "very few do."

Muddy or not, rain or sunshine, some preparations are required for all hikes. Participants are told to bring water, wear outdoor clothes and footwear, and pack a lunch for the longer treks.

This weekend's hike is also sponsored by the Boston chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, of which Olanoff is also a member. There is no rain date.

Robert Knox can be contacted at rc.knox2@gmail.com.