Long and Ell Ponds Natural Area: January 4, 2009

It's the fourth of January and our first hike of the year. It was a balmy 35 degrees Fahrenheit, just a little breezy and the snow is still on the ground. From Woonsocket, we took I295S to I95S, exit 3B to Route 3S. This is by way of the directions Tracy found online from thebackpacker.com. Of course, this wasn't the most efficient way taking us through whatever town it was we passed through. Exit 2 would have sufficed as we found out as we passed the big signs to I95 after about 10 or 15 minutes on Route 3.

So, we took a right on Canonchet Road, took a left at the T-intersection about 3 miles later and followed it until it turned into dirt (well actually it was covered in snow but we could still tell it turned into dirt).

Here is the entrance:


Tracy doing "The Robot."





We got out of the Suzuki and geared up. Both Tracy and I wore our EMS thermal, water-whisking away undergarments. Tracy just picked up a new coat from Target for 27 bucks on the clearance rack, and I wore my old ski coat. I debated wearing my trusty ole' burnt orange jacket, but thought it would be too cold; a decision I regretted later. I was not sure what the layout of the trail was, but it turned out to be several steep ascents and descents. Our kind of trail. Here are a couple pictures of the first one-hundred or so meters.




Then we ran in to this sign:

It was hard to tell if this sign was warning us to put on orange gear, or that we did not need orange gear if we stuck to the Audubon trail. Since we were not really sure if we would be accidentally be on trails that wild eyed hunters would be using, and not wanting to be mistaken for deer or orcs, we went back to the car to put on our orange vests.

So, we continued on our way. Here we encounter one of the famous bridges that Tracy so loves.

Here are some stairs. I think that the stairs are funny because the rest of the trail has a lot of ups and downs. With that in mind, make sure you are in decent physical condition and have good footing for when it is snowy like it was today.


Here is the sign where you can chose which way to go.

We chose to head towards Ell Pond first. The trail doesn't lead directly to the pond, but it does lead to a nice view of it from the top of the hill and a big rock.




The ski coat got too hot.

End of the line.

Actually, just the end of the trail to Ell pond. Here we tackled the deep descent down to Hemlock Forest.

Unfortunately, the Kodak has been acting up lately. Tracy just bought new Kodak rechargeable batteries for the camera, but they just are not doing the trick. WE are going to have to get energized on our search for a new non-Kodak camera. Running out of juice after fifteen or so pics is just unsatisfactory.

The rest of the hike was a series of hills, rocky, and awesome. We can't wait to get back there in the spring, summer, and fall. This is a place that we would like to see in all four seasons. Plus, there are streams in the area to kayak on. The ponds might be fun for a paddle.