Sunday Hikes: By the Tide Pools

I haven't been hiking (or posting) as much lately, as I'm very hard at work on three writing projects and on designing a new writing course.


So this week's Sunday Hike is not really a hike, more of a shorter cliff-top stroll and oceanside rock-hopping adventure, but it's probably my favorite place in Rhode Island. It is Black Point between Narragansett and Scarborough. 


Access: The Black Point Fishing Area parking lot is on Ocean Road just north of Scarborough Beach.

And there are large tide pools, deep and extensive enough to swim through, which make it a fun place to go snorkeling.

Bring something warm, the late afternoon fog often creeps in quickly. We've also found the path along the cliff-top a great and safe place to watch the swell from hurricanes out in the Atlantic. I took the picture below when Hurricane Earl was passing by last September.

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: Not far...
Dogs: Yes

Sunday Hikes: Among the Cairns

This week's hike was in George B. Parker Wildlife Refuge in Coventry, Rhode Island, another really pretty offering from Audobon's Passport to the Trails. 


Here several trails wend their way through 860 acres of maple swamp, pine, brooks, rocky streams, and old birch forest; the birches are particularly pretty right now with their young golden green leaves. There is also a historic (1700's) farmhouse and nature center, which were closed when we went, but where we attended a fun maple sugaring event in late winter.

  

There are also more than a hundred 'mysterious' cairns, built by... well, there are a few theories, but I suspect the most obvious answer is correct. 

I decided I'd test my Vibram Five-Finger shoes, which I use for 'barefoot' running, to see how they bear up as a hiking shoe, and they were great. It's a totally different experience to be able to feel the ground as you walk, and so much better than regular walking shoes, considering my back issues. Even after 4.5 miles of rocky and hilly trail, my feet felt terrific. 

And I was thrilled to see my first scarlet tanager.

Distance: variable, as short as 1 mile... we did the entire blue trail, which was just over 4.5 miles. Make sure you grab a trail map at the information shelter before you set out. 


Difficulty: variable. The blue trail ranges from moderate to hard in places. Very rocky, rooty, and hilly, but not difficult if you're fit and like a good walk. 


Dogs: no

Sunday Hikes: Wild Kingdom

Sunday came early this week, on Monday afternoon to be exact, when we decided we’d do another trail in Audobon’s Passport to the Trails.

Fisherville Brook—a 937 acre refuge in Exeter, Rhode Island—is a must see. The trail wends its way through stately pine rocky forest down to a picturesque lake, swampland, and streams. 

Bird-life abounds and no wonder: the fields are full of birdhouses.

Funky apartment complex!

There’s a really interesting historic cemetery in one field:

Stay on the trail near the cemetery or beware the black racers in the grass: saw three in one spot and according to a friend’s research they “bite often and hard” when cornered. Luckily, these did not seem at all aggressive, and I was able to get close enough to take some shots:

Wild turkey

Tree Swallow

Riddup!

Difficulty: easy (a few little hills here and there), with boardwalks and bridges over swampy areas.

Distance: several loops to choose from, ranging from short to about 1.5 miles. We did about 3.5 miles in all.

Dogs: no

Sunday Hikes: Adventures at Cair Paravel

Yesterday, in an effort to fit in a hike before Easter lunch with family, I found myself at the Monastery in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Part of this former monastery now houses the Cumberland Public Library (history here). 


There's a pleasant, flat, easy walking/running/exercise path charmingly named the Peace Mile, but some more interesting trails when you leave the beaten path. Deep in the rocky, rolling woodland, we found the quarry and the massive blocks of rock hewn and discarded by the Trappist monks who quarried the stone and constructed the first building in 1902. 

We felt as if we had stepped straight into the ruins of Cair Paravel. 

There's a lot of evidence of human impact here, but it was certainly an interesting place to explore.

And at its edge, beyond an ugly yet quite interesting working quarry, we were rewarded with great views across to the city of Providence. 

Difficulty: easy to moderate

Distance: variable, lots of trails to choose from

Dog friendly: yes...

Sunday Hikes: Long Pond Woods

Since I hike nearly every weekend and I take a lot of pictures, I thought I might add a new Sunday Hikes component to the blog. 


Today I went birding at Long Pond Woods in Rockville (yes, its highly appropriate actual name), Rhode Island. This is listed in Audobon's 'Passport to the Trails' as a medium/difficult hike, and that's an accurate assessment. Parts of the trail are the bare rocky ridge-line high above Long Pond.

Other sections are steep and somewhat slippery in places. Wear suitable footwear. But it is absolutely worth it, and it's possibly the coolest, most enchanting place I've visited in Rhode Island to date.

Exciting rock formations. 

The biggest lichen I have ever seen.

Fabulous fungus!

We didn't see much bird life, but the woods were alive with their song and from the pond came the melodious honking of Canada geese. But this is an awesome place to see turkey vultures, which I love, and when you're high on the cliff-top, they are so close. Trying to photograph them as they circle right above you is a bit of a challenge as you can see...

   And if you travel back east along Route 138, make sure to visit the Richmond Antique Center, where I picked up this amusing vintage (1918) German postcard: