Drumlin Dash

Dexter Drumlin is a 311-foot hill rising gently over historic Lancaster, Mass. I visited the hill, part of a 38-acre Trustees of Reservations site, with Laura, her mother and Daisy the Westie on Sunday afternoon. We followed the footpath to the summit, and they stayed there while I walked downhill to the edge of the reservation, which borders the Nashua River. Laura encouraged me to run back uphill. So I did.
While gentle to walk, the hill is more challenging to run, and I felt myself leaning into the hill and feeling the push-back of the wind. Near the end of the run, I had company, as Daisy decided to race me to the finish line.
Back at the top, I had the chance to admire the far-off mountaintops resplendent in fall foliage and the covered bales of hay on a neighboring farm -- one of many in this flat section of central Massachusetts. The total trail loop is one mile, but we opted not to do it and instead went for a late lunch at nearby Kimball Farm.
What is a drumlin, anyway? It's a hill formed by an Ice Age glacier, with the term itself derived from the Irish word droimnin (littlest ridge). While this hill was indeed little, it was still breathtaking to climb, in a scenic way and in a running-challenge way. I hope my progress up it wasn't too glacial.