The beautiful pond in the photo is Green Fall pond. Once again,  Green Fall claims a spot in my top three most awesome hikes in RI. Actually, while we get on the trail in RI near Camp Yawgoog ( the Boy Scout reservation) we hike much of it in CT.

I love the way the river just slides over the smooth rock. This is a good spot to pause, drink some water, and acknowledge how lucky you are to be here.

Here’s another view of the pond, from a huge, lichen-covered rock. I love lichen.

Several things set this hike apart from most others in our tiny, and largely flat state: it’s varied and interesting throughout, except for the very last bit which involves about a mile on a dirt road. We try to get this over with as quickly as possible, and the faster we walk, the more we get our heart rates up, which is always good.

It is also quite demanding in some sections. There’s a rock scramble involving much grunting and the occasional curse, a slippery, narrow passage through a stunning gorge, and a kind of gnarly river crossing on a few unstable, slippery logs.

Above, you can see my blaze-clad companions negotiating the maze of slippery roots in the gorge.

Here’s that bridge I mentioned…..We all made it without getting soaked.

Another view of the crossing, with our fearless leader half way over it.

The sides of the gorge are rather steep, and covered with mosses and ferns, which were still green on this December morning.

This boulder was sporting the wild version of a “Chia Pet.”

It had been a rough week, and I was feeling really tired and stressed out when I started this hike. After less than an hour, my worries had vanished as they always do in the great outdoors.