This was not a hold hands with your honey promenade; not a Sunday-driver stroll. There were clues. The author of Weekend Walks in Rhode Island had laid it all out, “you will be scrambling up, down and around boulders…after struggling up a huge, angular rock mass…ease yourself down into the cleft.” Oh no, he didn’t pretend this one would be easy. We read his words and simply decided that it would be worth the effort. We scrambled, struggled, eased ourselves down, hoisted ourselves up-over and over and over. We traversed trails shaded by huge rhododendron and mountain laurel, (*note to self: must return to see them in bloom) trails atop a stony ridge, trails made of boulders and table rock, trails of soft moss, trails amidst gnarly roots and mud. While eyes truly needed to watch the trail, each step requiring thoughtful placement, we saw such beauty. We followed our guide’s route, which basically had 4 segments. The first, called “the magnificent mile” was the ups and downs and the weaving around immense boulders and rock masses, also known as the struggling. The second phase let up a bit as we found ourselves walking through a hardwood forest, among stone walls and rock piles; descending toward Asheville Pond. There was a moment when it hit me. Oh crap, after descent…. yeah…
The third section was about a mile walking along a road. The ascent. We saw the pond from a new perspective; saw a fishing/swimming hole, kayaks and boats. Not going to lie though, all I could really see was the incline of the road that seemed to go on forever. There was a moment of, I don’t know, maybe it was relief, when we saw the sign ahead marking our trail. We paused, perched on a moss cover boulder, for an apple and a cliff bar before the fourth and final leg of this journey. I chuckled nervously knowing this would challenge me more than that frickin’ incline. The 4th segment, you see, was backtracking “the magnificent mile.” I am still amazed that my legs made it up that last monstrous boulder mountain. In my head, with every step, I was singing, “what goes up, must come down. Spinnin’ wheel, got to go round…” Blood Sweat and Tears- appropriate for these 15,000 steps/70 flights. “Talkin’ bout your troubles, it’s a cryin’ sin. Ride a painted pony, let the spinnin’ wheel spin.”
Walk # 10 is Leg Day. I LOVED it. The end
