The Monastery, Cumberland, RI - Portion of the Beauregard Trail

  Not all who wander -- are lost. I love to take walks in the woods, often with no particular destination in mind. I've hiked a few mountains, nothing over 3,000 feet (yet) To be honest; I think I've been bitten by the hiking bug, but with a baby on the way  -- major excursions will have to wait until at least next spring.

However, there are plenty of shorter trails, that are just as enjoyable. For you see; I'm not in it to bag a certain anount of peaks, or set any endurance record. I'm in it, to enjoy the outdoors and hopefully explore some new places.

 Fall is in the air! After a major storm rolled though the Northeast last night; a cold front settled upon the Blackstone Valley (where I reside) I awoke to a cool, cloudy morning; which gave way to a picture perfect pre - autumn afternoon.

 I started today's blog; with the idea of delving into the Monastery grounds, where today's short hike took place. However; the Monastery deserves much more time and research, to really do it justice, so today's blog will focus just on the short hike we took. A more extensive review of the history and its current condition - will be forthcoming.

For people not familiar with The Monastery -- in order to not go into much detail, I'll try to give a short overview.

 The Monastery is a parcel of aproximatley 530 acres; and the former site of the  Monastery of Our Lady of the Valley, which was occupied by the monks of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, commonly known as Trappists. The Cumberland Public Library; is now situated
 on this site, along with trails and public open space.

The below photo is a an overview of the grounds and the trails - I will be going over additional trails and historical sites located here -- in the near future.

Now, onto the hike! We parked at the lot closest to library, which is a newer addition to the existing Monastery building. Here is a view of the existing Monastery structure and the new Library.

 As you can see, there weren't too many clouds in the sky - temps were in the low 70's and very low humidity. (which was a welcomed reprieve, from the oppressive weather we've recently had)

  After a short stroll; through a paved area..... (see below)

  We picked up the Beauregard Trail ( picture below) at the ending or beginning (depending on which way your going) of the Nine Men's Misery Trail (I will dedicate an entire blog to that -- don't worry!)

 The trail is quite wide and composed of hard packed gravel - there are no obstructions to worry about. This is the most popular loop on the grounds and runs  about 1.5 miles in total - we completed aprox. 1/4 mile -- give, or take.

 Tropical Storm Irene; barreled through the area, a year ago and caused some damage -- as seen in the picture below. All blow-downs have been cleared -- and are of no concern.

This particular portion of the trail, meanders through predominately oak and hickory woodlands -- we came across some ferns, soaking in some late summer sun.

  This area has been an oasis and an escape for me - since I was a small boy. I hope you enjoyed this short foray in the woods, a much as I have --I look forward to sharing with you, all the other nooks and crannies of this jewel!