Perhaps spring has properly settled in. To be fair I should write instead that perhaps we have returned to temperatures and weather conditions that are closer to the typically expected conditions for this time of year. Ealier in the month, and for most of April, I feel confident in saying temperatures were well below normal with cloudy/rainy days well above normal. Taking a peek at weatherspark.com we find:
Average Weather in May in Warwick Rhode Island, United States Daily high temperatures increase by 9°F, from 63°F to 72°F, rarely falling below 53°F or exceeding 83°F.
It has been considerably cooler and wetter. But although next week isn’t shaping up to be as nice as these past few days I think it has become properly nice at last. With the weather being nice it would be a shame not to go out and explore at least a little bit. Even if the place being explored is one we have all been many times before: Breakheart Pond in the Arcadia Management Area.
Arcadia is a multi-use recreation area which, among other things, means hunting and fishing are allowed. We donned our hunter-orange vests again. Over the couple of hours we were out we saw over 20 people and only a smattering of them were wearing significant amounts of orange. Some just did not know it was hunting season (turkeys I believe). We did hear quite a few gunshots throughout our time outside but they were never close. The boomed intruded on what was a lovely Saturday morning as temperatures rose into the low 70s under an almost cloudless sky.
Our plan was to walk around Breakheart Pond. I am pretty sure we followed a lollipop path using the John B. Hudson, Hicks, Breakheart Trails. The walk is through forest. Unlike our walk in the Tillinghast Pond forest which took us through definitely different ecosystems, the area around Breakheart Pond feels like one great forest. No dead zones in this, mostly oak I think, forest.
Many of the trails are well marked but bring a map because there are many old woods roads and un-marked trails in the area. We had a nice paper map but you can also find online printable maps1 or use what a mapping app provides.
This is an easy walk that has a surprising amount of total ascent and descent, about 250 feet over the hill just south of Breakheart Pond.But you barely notice. We moved through the forest full of birdsong stepping over a couple small rivulets that Mom doesn’t think we have ever seen before. But the spots where it has been muddy in the past must be permanently muddy as we encountered mud this time too. Just step with care or deal with some moisture.
At the start of the hike we encountered just two women who were clearly new to the area. We were able to give them some advice on which trails to follow. They struck out on the “white” trail which is a bit more rugged and certainly muddier than the “yellow” trail. Both trails lead to the pond so you can make a narrow oval loop with them if you prefer. When we reached the pond itself, easily as large as Tillinghast Pond, we found many cars in the parking lot. Some people were paddling kayaks and canoes, or rowing a boat, on the pond. No doubt others were hiking somewhere and we saw a few of them.
A couple streams were more rivulets than proper streams but we did cross some larger streams like this one. M --May 16, 2020 at 10:26 AM. 260 Arcadia Rd, Exeter, RI, United States
Ken rocking his orange vest on a lovely spring morning. Photo by Judy. --May 16, 2020 at 10:27 AM. 260 Arcadia Rd, Exeter, RI, United States
We had thought we would make a slightly bigger loop and so struck out north on the Breakheart Trail. When we came to a junction, perhaps a third of a mile from the northern tip of the pond, we decided to start returning towards the pond. The path felt more like a very minor forest road and within a couple hundred feet we passed by a metal garbage barrel that was full. This seems like a peculiar place for such an item. There is nothing nearby. In fact, very soon after passing the barrel the road becomes very muddy and brush-laden. I am pretty sure we were not that far, as the crow flies, from intersecting the Hicks Trail but we decided to keep our feet dry and so retraced our steps back to the junction with the Hicks Trail.
There is a man-made stream in my parent’s back yard. The inspiration for that water feature comes from this stream doesn’t have a name but it is a nice swift water way. --May 16, 2020 at 10:24 AM. 260 Arcadia Rd, Exeter, RI, United States
The bulk of the not-wearing-orange people we would encounter were in this area around the pond. I suppose the pond is the standout feature although I think that outside the immediate area by the roaring outflow and parking lot your views of the water aren’t that great. We found ourselves some boulders to settle upon and have a quick lunch before climbing out of the lowland where the pond lays. During this last stretch of walking we met a young couple carrying what appeared to be huge backpacks. As we got closer they turned into huge bed-like objects strapped to their backs. They told us that they were part of their rock-climbing gear. If you fell off the rock you would land on the cushion of the large, thick, foam pad. None of us have ever seen anything like that before. We weren’t sure where they would go rock climbing but perhaps they were just going to find a big boulder and practice falling off of it. Strange.
All in all this was a nice morning ramble through the woods. It would be easy to make a bigger loop and spend moe time in the area of Breakheart Pond. Perhaps next time we will do just that.
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