Day 4 ; June 3rd 2008

Narragansett Trail

Start and Finish: Ryder Road, turn around: point Wyassup Rd

Couldn't do this last Saturday, as I was going to drop off a car and do a point to point hike to Tom Harvey Rd, but it got wicked rainy and thundered so we didn't and instead-

This was our first in and out, returning the same way as we went and it was great section of trail to do it twice, the best part of the Narragansett Trail so far. Lacking the high ledges of other sections, it also seemed to lack a lot of traffic and this was a true footpath with no ATV use evident at all. Starting from Ryder Rd the trail ascends quickly to a high ridge that seemed high enough to see the sea but I couldn't make it out. trees blocked a nice view of the valley below, high enough to see birds from above.

We came to a small brook and it reminded me of a certain stream I used to go-as a child- to on the old Pequot Trail, old meaning pre casino. Black water brook, black smelly mud, and hemlocks added to the sense. Buried under the world's largest casino, I know that I will never be able to go to that stream but this is the close. Real close.

Following this small stream we came to a dammed pond, didn't see and beaver but a lodge. The pond was full of birds. The trail followed the pond which seemed to be low in water height and then followed the stream again. The trail was barely a thread in between vegetation of various types. At one point the trail dived a bright deciduous wood on the left with dark pine forest on the right. An opening in a stone wall back into a single woods and a stream crossing on several rocks, along with a parallel stream seemed to be an old mill site? Suspicious piles of rocks seemed to add to this but barely.



The trail followed up and downs to Wyassup Rd, though I still haven';t figured out where the Narragansett Trail hits the paved road. I hit it last week at one place, I bushwhacked another today and last week parked at another where blue blazes disappeared.?

This is the last of the Narragansett Trail for us , I would have loved to continue on to Lantern Hill and then part of the Pequot Trail, except that Pequot Trail doesn't exist any more and the roads I would have to then use are horrible with casino traffic.

It was almost 80 when I finished at 10 AM.

Length of days hike: 6.2 round trip

East-west distance: about 5 miles

Next leg: Rtes 2 and 201 to Tom Harvey