BCT hike: Map 2, last of the East-West portion (the rest of Section R)
After consulting DCR's map, I decided to park near HQ and walk down trails and road to the wading pool area, then find my way to where I stopped last time. I officially started up again at marker 68 because I know I was there last time. The directions were pretty straightforward except for one place where the blazed trail skipped markers 55 and 56 by taking a better trail just to the left (I followed the blazes) and the part where called for crossing Moon Hill and I totally failed to see the trail up and over and so walked around the field. Wading through the grass there felt a bit like walking on beach. When I got to the other side, I was able to figure out what I should have done, so I went back along the trail to see what it looked like from where I lost it. It was perhaps faint but easy enough to follow once I knew what I was looking for. (A small line of brown growth in the green growth.) Rather than bail at this point and heading back to the car, I went for it, up and over again and on along clearer trail to the Ipswich River and the end of today's portion.
I saw a deer and a little black-colored snake and a bunch of mosquitos and three horses with riders, and heard frogs and birds. And children. And canoeists. I recommend Bradley Palmer State Park for general recreation. I'm toying with nipping up there to canoe at some point.
And now the East-West portion of Map 2 is done and I go back to the North-South slog.