Honey Hill LbNA #1033

From Route 32 in East Swanzey, just before Swanzey Lake Road,
park on the east side of Rte. 32 at the horse pasture gate. Then
walk south up the road a short way and enter the field to the
right.

In the 19th century, Old Honey Ballou was out on his hill,
roaming the woods in search of wild bees and honey. He
entered the field by route 32 and followed the path to the
woods. He made his way up the forest trail through pines and
past ferns, but no bees could be found.
When the path turned left, Old Honey Ballou passed
through a wooden entrance way and passed a small pine. Here
he had marked the trees in blue to help him find his way to the
top of the hill. Traveling slowly, whistling a tune, he continued
his search for bees. He crossed his two log bridges and passed a
low ledge to his right before stopping at the intersection of blue
and yellow.
It was here that he heard the faint buzzing sound of a
honeybee. Looking around he spotted the tiny insect as it flew
off to the right, pausing at each yellow blaze. The poor
honeybee seemed to think that the blazes were flowers loaded
with pollen. Its slow and steady buzzing made it easy for Old
Honey Ballou to keep up with it. Soon the bee took off, flying
away from the trail and up to a large ledge to the left. It
hovered by a large tree growing around the rock.
Just as the old man reached the giant tree, the bee zipped
off to the left and into a crack in the rock. Honey ran about ten
steps to the overhanging chunk. He stooped down, carefully
removed some dead leaves and found the small honeybee.
Unfortunately, the bee did not lead Old Honey Ballou to its
hive. Disappointed, he decided to explore the ledge for a while.
When he finished exploring he stumbled back to the yellow path
and made his way up the hill. He walked up his log steps, noting
to that he should repair them soon. Carefully Ballou crossed the
double log bridge, then stopped to catch his breath on the
bench.
While resting a swarm of bees buzzed by. Honey jumped
to his feet and followed the bees up to a T in the trail. They
disappeared and Honey wondered which way he should go. The
summit of the hill was often a good source of honey, so he took
the path to the right until he reached the summit.
He enjoyed the view east of Swanzey, the
Marlborough-Richmond Range, and his favorite climbing
mountain, Mount Monadnock. Facing Monadnock, he walked
down the rock slope past two waist high boulders. Down the
steep face all the way to a log he had cut down years ago to
improve his view. Pointing into the woods, the log held the most
honey-filled hive on the hill. Carefully, Old Honey Ballou
stepped into the trees and ducked down to collect his honey
from under the logs and leaves.
When his honey pot was full, Honey Ballou started back
down the hill, following the blue. He stopped occasionally to
view Swanzey Lake, Franklin, Bullard, and Rattlesnake Hills and
on this clear day, Stratton Mountain Vermont all to the west and
south. He also spotted Mount Caesar to the north. Soon the
blue blazes ended and he walked the unmarked trail back down
the hill, through the field and back to the main road.

Alive and well: June 30, 2006