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Date Climbed
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Rhode Island's County
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I made plans to visit the highpoints of Rhode Island, Connecticut and perhaps some other states for the July 4th weekend of 2000. My visit was to coincide with one of the few open dates allowed for visitors to the actual rock that signifies Rhode Island's apex. The landowners at the time were legendarily unfriendly, yet agreed to a few open dates so as to not get unsolicited visitors other times of the year. They have moved on and apparently the new landowners are more accommodating.
I flew into Manchester, New Hampshire because the ticket was cheap, and got my rental car. I arrived late, but had not bothered to prebook a hotel room. I had no luck finding anything available anywhere, so I slept in my car in the parking lot of a Days Inn in Fall River, Massachusetts. I got a couple hours of sleep, then awoke early the next morining to start picking off the counties of Rhode Island. I started in nearby Bristol County.
Rhode Island is the smallest of the 50 states in area. You count as a resident of Rhode Island as long as you have one foot inside the state at all times. Coming from Maricopa County in Arizona to a state that's 1/9 as big in area, it was kind of amusing. It shouldn't be surprising that the five counties are even tinier. Actually, the counties exist in name only; the state took over the various functions and as a result the counties exist only as lines on a map, nothing more. Anyway, Bristol County...
Mount Hope is located near Brown University. I did not know Brown was in Rhode Island until today. The hill extends into a bay near the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University. Since I was up with the roosters, I arrived at the highpoint area at 5:45 a.m. It does not appear that this little hill is open to the public for hiking judging by the fences and "no parking" signs, but I went in anyway. However, it also appears people hike here all the time, judging by some holes in the fencing I saw.
From the north, I went through an opening in the fence and walked up an old road to another fence, which had a huge breach in it. Once past that fence, I followed a faint path through the grass and brush to the summit. I thought there might be views overlooking the bay but I was mistaken. So I hiked back to my car. 15 minutes round trip, still barely 6 a.m. One down, four to go.
This hill is just a few miles from Mount Hope across a bridge spanning the bay. It's located in a residential area along a spine of a hill. From highway RI-138, I took Pocasset Road to its end near some homes, and parked. It's a very short walk to the rocky "summit". There is a man-made dike/reservoir just south of the highpoint. Pretty heavy tree cover with no views, except of trees and homes. Two down, still early.
This was a very easy highpoint accessible from the highway (RI-3) near Interstate-84. However, despite the fact that it's a hill, the top is very flat and there are many homes and businesses in the area, so finding the exact highpoint (if its still exists) is difficult, so this was one I had to "grid" for awhile. I drove around the perimeter, got out to scout whenever it felt right, and walked into the heart of the hill for a few minutes. Frankly, I can't be sure I "got" the "right" point. I am pretty sure I did. After a few minutes of stepping here and there, I was on my way, five miles north to my next objective, the Bald Hills.
From Plain Meeting House Road (sound very Puritan, doesn't it?), I found a dirt road/driveway to the flattish summit of Bald Hill. Again, houses, trees and other development has rendered the true highpoint difficult to locate, but I found some good candidate areas which I visited, mainly entering the trees, going up and deciding it wasn't going up much more. Four down, one to go. And finally...
Ah, The famous Jerimoth Hill. A trivially easy bump just a stone's throw from the road (an underhanded throw, even). But historically, the landowner was quite unhappy with people visiting this site, usually without permission, so some open dates had been established to allow for people to gain this highpoint legally and without threat of legal or physical harm (seriously). July 2nd was one such date, so I made sure to plan my trip so that I could be here on this day. I showed up around 9:30 am, and chatted with Peter Anderson, who was acting as liaison on this day. There were a few others there, and I eventually sauntered up the driveway and to the rock that marks Rhode Island's apex. It seemed too easy. After a photo and more standing around visiting with like-minded highpointers, I finally started on my way into Connecticut.
So there it is: all five Rhode Island county summits, in ascending order of height, all in three hours. It is a pretty state, however, and I enjoyed it. But now, on to Connecticut and its octet of counties.
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(c) 2000, 2012 Scott Surgent. For entertainment purposes only. This report is not meant to replace maps, compass, gps and other common sense hiking/navigation items. Neither I nor the webhost can be held responsible for unfortunate situations that may arise based on these trip reports. Conditions (physical and legal) change over time! Some of these hikes are major mountaineering or backpacking endeavors that require skill, proper gear, proper fitness and general experience. |