North South Trail to the Ocean

[Tramper Al]

Choosing better weather this time, and wanting to get in my final NST section the day before (shotgun) deer season began, I headed back to Rhode Island.

In the morning, I completed a little 4 mile gap I had from New London Turnpike to Rt. 138 Meadowbrook GC. A good bit of this is road, but the roads are quiet enough except for Rt 138. I set this up by bicycle.

By mid day, I was walking north from the Burlingame State park HQ to set up my final 6 mile hike to the ocean. I took the shortcuts going up and walked every blaze coming down. The trip up and over the Charlestown Morraine, where I saw a few rocks that must have come all the way from the NH Presidentials, was particularly nice. Trailwork highlights in there include very nice bog bridges and a memorial covered bridge (I kid you not) over Perry Healy Brook. Coming out of the state park, I crossed the hazardous Rt. 1 and made the final mile's walk to the ocean at Blue Shutters Beach. I waded in a bit, enjoying the pounding surf and views of terminal morraines Block Island and Long Island.

All in all, the North South Trail was a nice hike. Adding to it the Massachusetts Midstate and the New Hampshire Wapack Trails, I can't help but have the feeling I have walked a good way, from the rolling monadnocks of southern NH to the sandy beach on Block Island Sound.

If you have the means, I highly recommend it.

 

[poison ivy]

Congratulations Tramper Al! I've been following your adventures on the N-S Trail for some time now adn they have proved to be quite inspirational. I hope to complete it one day myself... (so many trails, so little time!)

-Ivy

 

[John Satterlee]

Tramper Al,

Congratulations from here also.

The only way I knew how to get a patch was to get one after doing all the section hikes on the annual N/S Trail trek/school bus thing. You get the patch at the end of the last section.

Running into someone who had a patch is a miracle, seeing any other hikers on trails around here is rare enough in itself.

John

 

[Tramper Al]

Gratuitous NST Patch Update

Hey,

Thanks for the good wishes!

Today, thanks especially to Rhodewalker and Ginny L, I received my North South Trail completion patch. It is sweet. I will place it on my tiny hiking patch hall of fame shelf, next to the ones for the Wapack and Mid State Trails.

Long Live Long Distance Trails!

 

[frytz]

Hey,

Thanks for the good wishes!

Today, thanks especially to Rhodewalker and Ginny L, I received my North South Trail completion patch. It is sweet. I will place it on my tiny hiking patch hall of fame shelf, next to the ones for the Wapack and Mid State Trails.

Long Live Long Distance Trails!

They have those! Just kidding! I've been faithfully following your progress on all these trails! I am looking to be the first to complete the Highlands Trail in NY/NJ, if it is ever completed! I have done more of it than is blazed and have done sections that have been abandoned! It's a moving target! This spring, I retire completely, and finally, and will work on the Long Path (over 50% complete) and the AT (about 40% complete - and all the hard parts done except ME!).

Fred