Breakheart Pond Loop
Posted By auntie on June 6, 2016
3-3/4 miles; Exeter and West Greenwich, RI
This hike started out normally enough until, about 1/4 mile in, I run into “Nature Boy,” out for a nude hike. How do I find these people? First it was the couple making the beast with 2 backs on the Ayers Gap trail, then the girl taking a selfie of her junk on the Duval Trail, and now this. Sheesh. Also started off with the intention of doing the entire Breakheart/Shelter Loop but changed my mind part way in. Just too much to do to take half a day in the woods today.
Beech Tree Blossom
The beech tree flowers have just about gone by, but the old monster tree by the Frosty Hollow Pond was just full of these.
Mountain Laurels
And the mountain laurels are almost there… a few more hot days, I’m thinking, and it will be showtime.
False Solomon Seal
There were a lot of ephemerals still in bloom today, too.
Falls on Unnamed Brook
I couldn’t find a name for this little brook, but its little waterfall was in full spate.
Obligatory Pink Lady Slipper shot
And a day in the Rhode Island woods at this time of year wouldn’t be complete without these little beauties.
Breakheart Pond Panorama (click to embigify)
Breakheart Pond, which I ended up circumnavigating, was really lovely today, too.
Witch-hazel cone galls
This is one surefire way to i.d. witch hazels… these little cone galls. They look like little witchs’ hats. They are formed by a tiny aphid.
[…] So this was the first thing I noticed on the West Trailhead Kiosk. Uh, oh, okay. Bears. Sweet. And my friend who grew up in Northern Florida reminded me that alligators are a thing up here. Did I mention the Florida Panther? They got those, too. Hoo boy. Worst problem I had hiking in Rhode Island was weird naked guys. […]
[…] That’s not to say I haven’t run into more than my share of weirdness (see here and here for example), but I wasn’t scared during these encounters. Amused, bemused, puzzled, and […]