The Trail Begins

Trails go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains of the moon.

- adapted from The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkein

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Trail, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. Do you realize that this is the very path that goes through Mirkwood, and that if you let it, it might take you to the Lonely Mountain or even worse places?"

- adapted from Frodo's quotation of Bilbo's ruminations, in The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkein

Although Tolkein used the word "Road" instead of "Trail," the roads of Middle-Earth were not inhabited by deadly roaring machines – they were more like the trails where today we travel
to seek enjoyment of each moment, not simply to reach a destination... so I feel justified in using “Trail” in the quotes instead of "Road." Tolkein’s point about the interconnectedness of the world's pathways often springs to mind as I explore the local trails around my adopted hometown of Lexington, Massachusetts.

Many Massachusetts towns have developed collections of “Conservation Lands” under public ownership, which offer miles of trails for the enjoyment of anyone lucky enough to find them. I plan to share information on these trails in this blog.