2016 Fall Gathering Activities

Home , Arcadia Management Area, Ell Pond (Rhode Island), Trustom Pond

**Please note that this list of activities will continue to be updated and amended as the summer progresses – please check back at outdoors.org/fallgathering for new FG activities!

Saturday, October 15:

8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Young Members (20s & 30s) Bike Ride: Bike ride the entire Washington Secondary Trail, RI’s longest trail, weaving through woods, lakes, rivers, and old mill towns. A very pretty 38 miles round trip. Relatively flat. Moderate difficulty, 12-14 MPH. Heavy sustained rain and/or lightning will cancel trip. Blaze orange, and helmets required. The full 38 miles will be around 3-4 hours with a lunch stop. Leader: Chris Josephson [email protected] ; Co-leader TBD

8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Newport Cliffwalk: Hike 7-8 mile hike, mostly flat, easy Walk but some rocky outer sections and returning to the Harbor. 4 hours including lunch. Not a difficult walk, but the rocky section requires a bit of scrambling. Will carpool from Alton Jones, approx. 50 minutes one way with $4 toll each way over bridge. Leader: Sid Wax. Co-leader Karen Rudio.

1:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Naturalist walk/workshop on the trails at Alton Jones. Easy walk, slow pace. Learn more about the local species of flora from a naturalist. Leader: Patty D’Ambra (401) 949-3374.

9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. River kayaking on a future Wild and Scenic River. Meet at Wood River Access on Rt. 165 in the Arcadia Management Area, Exeter; take-out at the Wyoming Fishing Access, Richmond. 7 miles with lunch stop. Experienced paddlers only. Pace will be calm and reflective. Very sinuous moving river with obstacles to avoid, some class 1 rapids. Will need to organize shuttle between take- out and put-in. Heavy rain will cancel. Bring your own boat, paddle, and life jacket; water, snacks and lunch. Boats over 12 feet in length may have a tough time. Kayaks are available for to rent for a donation of $20 per person to WPWA, includes paddle and life jackets. Arrangements need to be made by Friday night. All participants MUST wear their life jackets at all times in the boats. Registration required ahead of time. Leader: Denise Poyer, [email protected].

9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Narragansett Coastal Bike Ride: Carpool from Alton Jones to West Kingston train station for the start of the ride (about 20 minutes.) The ride will start on a bike path for approximately 10 miles, then will follow the road to Narragansett Towers, Scarborough Beach, Point Judith Light House and Fisherman’s Memorial Park. Bring your bike, water, lunch and camera. Total distance 25 miles, mostly flat, moderate pace. Leaders: Steve Harrington and Herrick Spencer (401) 723-1974, [email protected].

9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Ell Pond-Long Pond: One of Rhode Island’s showcase hikes, with a bit of hand over hand on some rocks and a huff and puff here and there. Approximately 10 miles, plan 2 hours. Bring water and snacks. Hiking boots required. BLAZE ORANGE required. Wetness cancels. Car spot. John Stevens (401) 295-4203, Co-Leader

9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Rock Climbing: Ross Pond, Killingly CT, a nearby crag (35min drive max), with rappelling as an add-on. Location offers a host of climbs, from beginner to advanced. Basic gear(helmet, harness, and some random shoes) provided, BUT please bring equipment if you have it. Preregistration required. Include your experience. Maximum 12 participants. Weather dependent. Leader: Ken Hamel, [email protected]. Co-leader Joe Vaglio.

10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Hike in Tillinghast Pond Nature Preserve: leave Alton Jones at 10:00 for a 5 to 8 mile (weather dependent) hike in a beautiful Nature Conservancy Preserve in West Greenwich, a 15 minute drive away. This hike is rated as easy to moderate because of the brisk pace and distance. The terrain is varied with some small hills but mostly typical single-track woodland trails. The Preserve is a gem in the Nature Conservancy’s crown with beautiful pond views, stream crossings, pine cathedrals, remnants of an old farm and a historic cemetery. Proper hiking boots/shoes would be appropriate. Please wear 200 sq.in of orange as hunting season has begun. The hike will take from 2.5 to 3.5 hours to complete. We can carpool to the trailhead or I can give directions. Leader Marcie Madsen contact info tel# 401-524-4933.

1:00 p.m. Hike and Winery Tour: Summit the high point in Rhode Island, Jerimoth Hill, elevation 812 feet. The hike itself will be 15 minutes, and is only ¼ mile. We will carpool for a 30 minute drive. The hike is easy and flat. Event will be rain or shine. Blaze orange required. After the walk, there is an optional visit to Rhode Island’s only covered bridge and a visit to a local winery for a tasting. Leader: Christine Satterwhite.

1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge: Hike a closed lagoon in South Kingstown, one of nine coastal lagoons in southern Rhode Island. With a surface area of 800 acres, it is the only undeveloped salt pond in the state. Numerous trails lead through a variety of habitats – grassland, forest, shrub, salt pond, shore, Trails are very easy and everyone can easily walk on them. Variety of well-marked trails, 0.5 to 1.6 miles RT. Lots of bird activity especially during Fall migratory season. 20 minute drive. Bring binoculars, water, snacks. Leader: Mary Fasano, (401) 649-0825.

Parker Woodland is a great local hike and is very near Alton Jones. Pretty easy and flat with streams and large rocks. With snacks approximately 2.5 hours.

Hike Browning Woods Trail in South Kingstown. Approximately a 3-mile lollipop loop and, depending on the size of the group, maybe we can coordinate a lunch afterwards at the Rathskeller Restaurant right up the road. Leader: Cesare Mitrano

Ninigret Pond flatwater paddle: Start at the Ninigret Wildlife Refuge in Charleston, RI and paddle into Ninigret Pond. Ninigret Pond is a shallow pond about 3 1/2 miles long and 3/4 mile wide at the widest point. This is a great place for bird viewing and exploring along the ocean side. We will land on East

Beach, a long barrier beach and walk over to enjoy the ocean view. We have lunch and paddle back to our launch site. This paddle is about 6 miles round trip. The beach is the longest unbroken empty beach in the area which is rare in NE. The ride from the Gathering to the launch is about 25 miles and a 37 minute drive.

The Narrows flatwater paddle: The Narrows is a stretch of tidal river that connects the ocean with Pettaquamscutt Cove and River. It is notable for the rough water that occurs at the mouth when the surf and tide interact. In the summer the small point of public beach is crowded with people and children playing in the water, floating with the tidal current. We will be there on an out going tide and will only go the the point of the beach which is a safe landing. We have several launch point in the river that we can use, to be decided later. The paddle from the farthest launch to the beach is only 2 miles. So there is plenty of time to explore the wildlife refuge area if the tide does not get too low. Driving time from W. Alton Jones campus to a launch location is about 25 miles and 30 minutes.

Wickford Harbor flatwater paddle: This harbor is a small complex area of islands and salt flats encompassing about a square mile. The historical town of Wickford is located next to the nicely protected harbor. This paddle will launch from the local park Wilson Park into Mill Cove. Up the cove was the old Hamilton Mill which was a weaving mill up into the 1970's, now a condo complex. Paddling is easy in the harbor with several small island to paddle around. Depending on the weather the paddle can be extended into Narragansett Bay. This paddle may be combined with the longer sea kayaking paddle which will exit the harbor and head south for a longer paddle. Driving time from W. Alton Jones campus to Wilson Park is about 1/2 hour and 18 miles.

Wickford Harbor to Rome Point sea kayaking: Launching at Wilson Park, the same as the flatwater paddlers, the paddle leaves the harbor and proceeds south to the John H Chafee Nature Preserve at Rome Point. This point of land had houses which were destroyed in the 1938 hurricane, now a nice point of land with the Bay on the south side and Bissel Cove on the north side. The Cove is quite tidal and flats appear at low tide. It is possible that we will paddle farther south to the Plum Lighthouse next to the new Jamestown Bridge. The light house, like most lighthouses in the Narragansett Bay area are not functional except for historical purposes. Many like the one the entrance of Wickford harbor are now private homes. This paddle is about 8 miles if Plum Lighthouse is included. The travel time from the Campus is about 1/2 hour and 18 miles.

Dutch Island sea kayaking: Dutch Island is less than a mile off the coast in Narragansett Bay and next to Jamestown Island. Historically the island has been a fortification since the Civil War, active and inactive as wars came and went. Currently it is a wildlife refuge. The main fortifications after the Civil War were constructed in 1898 for the Spanish-American War. The huge main batteries Mitchell and Hale are almost completely overgrown but still accessable. A paddle around the island and in Dutch Island Harbor rounds out the trip. The paddle will be dependent on the weather and skill level of participants since this is a channel crossing. Wind from the south comes up the Bay with no obstructions and if over 15 knots has white caps and waves. The launch is from the University of Rhode Island Oceanographic

Campus, the most popular kayak launch in the Bay. Travel time from the W. Alton Jones campus is 35 minutes and 22 miles.

Goddard Park and Greenwich Bay sea kayaking: Goddard Park is one of the largest State parks on the southern shore of Greenwich Bay. For this paddle we launch at the beach (out of season) and paddle either across the Bay to Warwick City park or Oakland Beach. The crossing of the Bay is only one mile. If the weather is good we may cross the channel in Narragansett Bay Patience and Prudence Islands northern ends. Sometimes the crossing is rough and sometimes flat calm. Both the northern parts of the Islands are wildlife areas which offer a quiet sheltered area. An alternate for this trip is going up the Potowomut River just around the point of the Park. A round trip to Patience and Prudence is between 11 and 12 miles. The other alternatives are between 5 and 7 miles. All bay kayaking is weather dependent. The travel time from the W. Alton Jones Campus is 30 minutes and 20 miles.

9:00 p.m. Moonlight Walk: October 15 will be a full moon: We will be walking on dirt farm roads past open fields and through RI woodlands. One hour walk on the Alton Jones campus, approximately 2 miles. Easy walking at a slow pace (1.5-2 mph.) Mainly dirt roads, mostly flat with a couple of hills. Rain will cancel. Headlamp or flashlight suggested. Blaze orange required. Leaders: John Halloran and Marge Parsons.

Sunday, October 16:

9:15 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Arcadia Management Area 5-mile brisk paced hike in the morning starting at 9:15. We’ll drive 10 minutes to the JB Hudson trailhead in the Arcadia Management Area, the largest tract of state owned/maintained land in the state. Varied terrain, mostly flat with nice pond views of Breakheart Pond. Please wear orange as hunting season has begun. The hike should take under 2 hours. Leader Marcie Madsen, contact info tel# 401-524-4933.

9:30 a.m. – 12:00: Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge: Hike a closed lagoon in South Kingstown, one of nine coastal lagoons in southern Rhode Island. With a surface area of 800 acres, it is the only undeveloped salt pond in the state. Numerous trails lead through a variety of habitats – grassland, forest, shrub, salt pond, shore, Trails are very easy and everyone can easily walk on them. Variety of well-marked trails, 0.5 to 1.6 miles RT. Lots of bird activity especially during Fall migratory season. 20 minute drive. Bring binoculars, water, snacks. Leader: Mary Fasano, (401) 649-0825.

9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Newport Cliffwalk: Hike 7-8 mile hike, mostly flat, easy Walk but some rocky outer sections and returning to the Harbor. 4 hours including lunch. Not a difficult walk, but the rocky section requires a bit of scrambling. Will carpool from Alton Jones, approx. 45 minutes one way with $4 toll each way over bridge. Leader: Sid Wax. Co-leader Karen Rudio..

1:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Naturalist walk/ Workshop on Alton Jones hiking paths. Easy walk, slow pace. Learn about the local flora and fauna from naturalist leader Patty D’Ambra (401) 949-3374.