Dan's Papers - July 13, 2007 - Take a hike with Ken Kindler

In North Sea, there is access to the Paumanok Path (PP) from the Barrel Hill trails. In an effort to develop a new hike to lead for the Southampton Trails Preservation Society I decided to see what these new trails and the PP connection could offer.

The directions to this trailhead are as follows: heading east on CR 39, turn left on North Sea Road - at the intersection with the Gulf and Mobile gas stations, and 7-11 - immediately bear right onto Majors Path, continue past the North Sea Mecox Road intersection. After 1.4 miles turn right onto Edge Of Woods Road, pass the Long Springs Road intersection on the right. After 0.9 miles just before where the power lines pass overhead, you will see the trailhead on the left side of the road. A metal Southampton Town Trail marker designates the trailhead. The trail is blazed with black owl plastic markers. On the right side of the road, there is room for two cars to park on the shoulder. There is no sign indicating that this is a trail parking area and there are no hiker signs cautioning approaching drivers that this is a trail access area.

The trail has been recently mowed and is free of brush and grass. Heading north, the trail traverses a narrow corridor with a driveway on the right and a house on the left. The ground is scarred by construction equipment. There are piles of wood, large trimmed branches have been dragged into the woods from the neighboring residences and there are even some beech trees that are partially excavated. After a short distance, the woods are less disturbed and widen into a canopy with oak above and blueberry below. At the first intersection with the red owl loop trail, Southampton Town has installed a hitching post monument for Buzz Schwenk. The plaque reads, "Buzz's Bridle Path, dedicated to Edwin 'Buzz' Schwenk by the Southampton Town Board in recognition of his commitment to Community Preservation. Spring 2007." Curiously, the nearby parking area is not large enough to accommodate a horse trailer. One wonders about access to this trail if transporting a horse.

The plastic, brownish owl blazes at "Buzz Junction" are supposed to be red, so I refer to it as a red owl loop. The black owl trail cuts across the loop. After a short distance, it intersects it again. Turn right onto the red trail, continuing north. Stay on the red trail for about one half mile. Just beyond where the red trail runs around a fallen tree, forming a bench to rest on, there is an intersection with a blue owl loop trail - turn right. If you were to turn left and then right onto the blue trail, you would pass a geodetic survey marker dated 1932, and, eventually, after walking down a steep slope, you would end up where you would have been had you turned right. You are on the blue trail for a short distance until you reach a "T" intersection, where you continue onto the yellow access trail to the PP. This trail needs to be mowed and the blazing needs to be tweaked. The surveyors' ribbon and blotches of red spray paint used to mark the trail before it was cut augment the blazing. Cross a well-worn woods road and then arrive at the PP - Montauk Point to the right and Brookhaven's Rocky Point to the left. The PP blazes are white-painted rectangles. Note the Split Rock Gun Club "No Trespassing" signs. The gun club land is nearby, but if you stay on the PP, you are not trespassing. At the next "T" intersection, the turn blaze has been painted over. This is Split Rock Road, a wide dirt road that has been chopped up by vehicles. Continue walking this straight sandy path north about one mile to the next turn blaze, where you will find Split Rock. Split Rock, is a large glacial erratic. It's a great place to sit and have lunch, providing an excellent vantage point for watching the woods below.

Unfortunately, the rock has been defiled by spray paint and is surrounded by garbage.

Continuing east, the PP can be followed across Great Hill Road, over a knob and kettle topography with tantalizing glimpses (between houses) of the Peconic Bay with Nassau Point and Robins Island in the distance. The PP continues to run almost straight north from here weaving its way between backyards almost to Noyac Road.

Despite the closeness of residential development, these trails offer a very pleasant escape into nature.

Ken Kindler is a Trails and Open Space Advocate working to help the trails groups and land managers care for our "Natural Island." If you would like to learn more about our trails or help care for them, visit the Hiking Long Island website at www.hike-li.org.