Dan's Papers - August 1, 2008

Last week on our journey along the Paumanok Path (PP), we made our way to the Springs/Amagansett Trail, traversing the rolling hills of the Peconic Land Trust's Stony Hill Preserve, a short distance south of Red Dirt Road. This week we will continue another 7 miles to Napeague Meadow Road.

Following the yellow dot blazes of the Springs/Amagansett Trail, we approach a large glacial erratic where the trail leads to the right. Follow the white painted rectangles of the PP and yellow dot blazes for a short distance. At a sharp left turn, we leave the Springs/Amagansett Trail and continue east on the PP along a wide dirt woods road. After a 10-minute walk, a left turn leads to the Archery Trail that travels through land recently purchased by the Peconic Land Trust. A right turn takes the hiker up and then around the ridge of the Baker Kettlehole. We are now following a gently winding trail with a 10-foot high wire link fence, with signs and cameras that tower over the right side of the trail.

As we cross over Old Stone Highway by Eastwood Court, the trail soon enters a kettle hole -that isn't a kettle hole - and skirts to the right of another depression, that also isn't a kettle hole. During colonial times, three huge clay pits were dug here. The clay was shaped into bricks and fired in kilns nearby. Cross a gated driveway to the Bell Estate where the trail takes you up and around a similar depression.

Cross Albert's Landing Road diagonally to the right. The trail widens and straightens, but the tread on this almost woods road is undisturbed and covered in leaf litter, and the oak, beech and occasional holly combine to form a woods-like environment in a residential area. Be alert for a sharp turn at the junction of three trails. Cut across Cross Highway to Devon. Pass a trail branching to the left heading to Fresh Pond Town Park, where there are restrooms and a picnic area. The trail takes a steep turn to the left, around a field, and then a quick right turn takes you between two rocks and across Fresh Pond Road. After a few minutes, the trail passes by the Isaac Conkling Grave (1747, age 32). Cut across a residential road. A narrow trail parallels, and then a left turn brings you onto Cross Highway to Devon, just beyond a paved section of that road. A short walk brings you across Abraham's Landing Road. There is a Private Property sign as you approach Cross Highway by Devonshire Lane. If you stay on the trail, you are not trespassing.

Cross Highway continues as a dirt road running south until it reaches Cranberry Hole Road. Cut diagonally across the intersection. Take a short trail down to the Old Montauk Highway, originally used as a wagon route across the isthmus of Napeague. It is wide, covered in pine needles, some grass. Note the cranberries, inkberries, high bush blueberry, sphagnum moss and other wetland plants alongside this trail; during wet periods, this trail is partially submerged. After a while, we reach higher ground where the trail tread is pure sand with bearberry, heather, and reindeer lichen growing along side it. We are now walking through the inner dunes of Napeague State Park. Where the trail runs along the railroad tracks, there are blazes on the metal rail. It would be easy to continue by following the tracks, so be alert for the left turn, after a short distance. The trail here is soft mushy sand, but after a while, you find yourself on a winding narrow trail through a pitch pine woods. The roots and needles make for a very comfortable trail tread. As you cross over two small bridges be alert for a blue-blazed trail that diverges from the PP and then rejoins it. There are lots of mosquitoes and ticks here, the route is obvious, but the trail is sparsely blazed. A bit less than 2 miles after the turn by the tracks, and before reaching Napeague Meadow Road, the trail reaches an access road to an electric sub-station. Turn left, leaving the PP, and follow that driveway a short distance to an excellent parking area on the wide Napeague Meadow Road shoulder.