Posted By auntie on October 10, 2015

6.8 miles; richmond, ri

better than half of this was road walking, and part of that was along very busy route 138. but the part that was actually in carolina north was great. the beech foliage is especially brilliant right now.

virginia creeper and berries

i was struck by the contrast of these blue berries against the red virginia creeper foliage. by the way, these berries are toxic to humans. so no sampling!

this leg started on buttonwoods road in richmond and then continued for almost 4 miles along roads—from buttonwoods road to carolina nooseneck road to route 138 to meadowbrook road. but after that, blessedly, it entered the woods, and shortly after that, the carolina north wildlife management area.

buttonwoods road navy

i know i’ve posted these before, but they’re so cute. they’re in a little pond on the corner of buttonwoods road and carolina nooseneck road.

farm silage

carolina nooseneck road also boasts a pretty farm, and this is a way of storing silage (i’m guessing) that i haven’t seen before. i like it because it looks as though it’s fully enclosed in plastic, so you wouldn’t get run-off from the fermenting silage and into local streams like you do with the traditional method of storage.

juniper berries

and more blue berries, this time on juniperus virginiana, or what is commonly, although mistakenly, called red cedar. mr. google informs me that these are not berries, but modified cones. they look like berries to me… and although gin is flavored with juniper berries, they aren’t this variety, they are juniperus communis berries that are used. and one more word of warning, there are varieties of juniper whose berries are, again, toxic to humans. so when in doubt, i guess, don’t eat the blue berries you find in the woods. uh, unless they’re blueberries. confused? me too.

hen-of-the-woods post-hike breakfast

best part of the hike for me? i finally found some hen-of-the-woods! yay me! i had enough to share, too. i didn’t get any photos of the mushrooms in situ, but i thought i’d include this shot of my post-hike breakfast of poached egg, sautéed hen-of-the-woods mushroom, and fresh farmer’s market bread. deeeee-lish!

i have not added this hike to my hikefinder. you can find info on the north-south trail here.

Categories: Rhode Island, RI North South Trail, Walks and Hikes
Tags: 7–10 miles, RI, Richmond RI