Tefft Hill Reconnaissance Mission (and Hike)
Posted By auntie on August 30, 2017
6 miles; Exeter and Richmond, RI
I guess I could have also titled this post “Tefft Hill Mushroom Hunt,” but that quest proved completely fruitless, at least as far as Black Trumpets were concerned. Besides, I mainly wanted to see what the state has been up to under Route 95, and was delighted by what I discovered.
Still Closed
Firstly, the trail that runs under Route 95 from the state garage on Route 3/Nooseneck Hill Road and into Arcadia is still quite closed to all traffic (I presume they’re including foot traffic), but between you and me, there was no one working there today, so I ventured boldly past the sign.
A Spiffy New Tunnel
Part of me expected that the state would just close off this access trail, citing liability issues or whatever. Instead, I found a beautiful new tunnel, and you can see it goes all the way through to the garage area. It’s always nice when your worst expectations AREN’T fulfilled! Wonder how long it will be before it gets tagged?
Roaring Brook Pond
From the access trail, I decided to take a chance on an unblazed mountain bike trail that ran north parallel to 95 for a stretch. It was fun if you could ignore the road noise. Lots of ups and downs and twists and turns, just as you would expect from a mountain bike trail. It hooked back up, ultimately, with Tefft Hill Trail, and from there I took the yellow-blazed Arcadia Trail instead of turning down the Roaring Brook Handicapped Access Boardwalk. Somehow I thought there was a side trail off the Arcadia Trail that turned west towards Browning Mill Pond. There wasn’t. But it was a perfect hiking day and I was looking for mushrooms, so it was not a big deal.
Cauliflower Mushroom, Sparassis crispa
I did find an edible mushroom, but since I’m not entirely familiar with this species, I decided to pass on it. Also, too, it looked a little overripe and buggy.
Reflections on Browning Mill Pond
I haven’t been on the trail that circumnavigates Browning Mill Pond in ages. It’s a short but thoroughly delightful trail. The photo above is from the dam.
New England Aster
Alas, summer’s goodbye flowers are in bloom. Even more than the Joe Pye Weed and the Goldenrod, I know it’s almost over when I see New England Asters.
Distant Heron
I took this photo because there was a Great Blue Heron on the far shore, but I won’t insult you all by circling the invisible bird and pointing an arrow to it. It was nonetheless a very pretty photo, and I decided to post it anyway.
Click on the image, above, for details about this hike and to download the GPS track.
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