Monday, December 29, 2014

Noon Hill - final visit

I went back to explore the eastern part of this conservation area in Medfield. This included exploring near some of the sites I found previously, as well as a few new spots I had not visited before - like the main hill itself. A fair conclusion, for example, is that all the places near 'B' and 'C' should probably be considered a single site; with old, decrepit, small, hollowed piles at the water's edge, together with satellite piles. I also found one nice pile by itself at 'E' that was a bit different; and a line of piles cutting across the wetland at 'F' that were similar to a couple piles at 'G'. Sites at 'U' and 'V' were more one-of-a-kind. So let's look at some details.
Here we are at 'B2' with some piles overlooking the brook:
Then we walk east towards 'C', around the little knoll there, and encounter a few piles on boulders and these grumpy old things:
 Closeup of one, a forlorn remnant.
These decrepit hollow piles are the most characteristic features of this area. I found the above at 'C2' and another over at 'B4':
These are to be compared to the ones from the other day.
 An isolated pile at 'E', perhaps a different 'flavor' of remnant:

(Various views)

Then, as I was zig-zagging back to 'B3', I found an upper extension of the site at 'B'. 

Then south along the plateau with the brook to the west and a wetland to the east. I eventually hit some rock piles, near 'F', scattered across outcrops above the wetland, that seemed to line up roughly east-west. I do not know if they formed an alignment outcrop-to-outcrop, or if they were isolated each to its own outcrop. Anyway, they look like this:
and:

and:
 At the very highest point of all the water:
Very similar structures appear up on the shoulder of Noon Hill, along the same east-west axis,at 'G'.
Then...back down the hill...around the edges of a few more wetlands....and back to the car.

Excluding 'U' and 'V' which were a bit unique, and 'E' which was isolated, we have basically three sites: at 'A' are outcrop mounds, at 'B' are many low piles with hollows, at 'F' some sort of alignment and sky watching -over the water. The majority of piles are at the same topographic height above the surrounding rivers.

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