Highlights
July 2022 - Copicut Hill, Forest Activities
ACTIVITY ALERT - Become a peakbagger this Saturday, July 9.
Peakbagger: Someone who climbs to the top of a hill or mountain.
Many folks travel to New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine to bag Mount Washington, Mount Mansfield, Mount Katahdin and a host of others. We, here in our neck of the woods, on the mostly flat coastal plain of southeastern New England, also have peaks to bag ...although somewhat lower in elevation than those listed above.
July 9, Saturday, 8 a.m. meet at the intersection of Yellow Hill Road and Tower Road, Fall River. We will hike around Copicut Hill and ascend to its peak. Copicut Hill is the highest peak in southern Bristol County, at a height of 358'. The south and east sides of Copicut Hill are in the Buzzards Bay watershed and the north and west sides drain to Narragansett Bay.
Other notable coastal peaks: The highest point in Barnstable County, Pine Hill, Bourne, at 306'. In Plymouth County, Manomet Hill, Plymouth, at 381'.
Approximate length of walk 4 miles. Water and snack always good. Outdoors April to November insect repellent containing DEET or picaridin good to have with you. Rain cancels walk.
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ACTIVITY ALERT - Bagging Copicut Hill and next hike in August
Saturday, July 9th at 8 a.m., was sunny, breezy and the thermometer read a balmy 65 degrees. A perfect summer morning for a walk in the forest to reach the summit of Copicut Hill, the highest peak along the coast of Bristol County and while doing that, practicing some shinrin-yoku (forest-bathing), contacting and absorbing the fresh air and atmosphere of the forest.
At King Philip's Spring on the way to Copicut Hill. In 1675 King Philip and his followers, to avoid Colonel Benjamin Church and his militia, camped by this spring while preparing to cross the Taunton River at Winslow's Point and head northwest to join forces with the Nipmucks in central Massachusetts.
In southeastern Massachusetts the forest has been cut over, logged, multiple times. This is the largest and oldest white pine we've been able to find in the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve. Note the bark separates into distinct plates on ancient white pines. The tallest white pine in New England, the Jake Swamp Pine, is in the Mohawk Trail State Forest. Charlemont, Massachusetts. It is estimated to be over 500 years old and is presently 168+- feet tall. For height comparison locally, the Mount Hope Bridge connecting Bristol, R.I. to Portsmouth, R.I. has a clearance of 135' over Mount Hope Bay.
Rabbitfoot clover on the summit of Copicut Hill.
The Copicut Hill Fire tower atop the hill. For tower info go here: https://www.firelookout.org/lookouts/ma/fallriver.htm
Thanks to Liz and Barry for July walk photos.
August's walk will be August 13, Saturday. Location of walk and approximate length of walk will be emailed out in late July. Watch for it!
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INFO ALERT - You were born to be wild!
Return to the forest, your ancestral home - Part 1
Shinrin-yoku. Japanese: Taking in the forest atmosphere.
We, Homo sapiens, originated in tropical forests and our specialized adaptations to exploit biologically dense forest environments and our amazing plasticity to alter behavior in direct response to changing environmental conditions, enabled our species to rapidly spread throughout the world.
So, here we are today, self-domesticated creatures, most of us bereft of forest and living in an alien, urban environment. With the arrival of the pandemic, here in our neck of the woods, many folks sought escape back to nature. Outdoors to remaining bits and pieces of open space land to walk, hike, bird, mountain bike, trail run, fish, photograph flora/fauna and the natural environment, etc.
Other than walk/hike, here are a few suggestions for forest activities you might enjoy.
Sitting and walking slowly through whispering pines, luminous birch, stately oak and glossy-green prickly holly. Breathing deeply and revelling in all the forest offers. Taking in the forest atmosphere through all your senses ...alleviating stress, improving mental health, boosting the immune system, lowering blood pressure. For more, go here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19568835/
Blueberries and huckleberries are ripe right now in area woodlands. When picking them make sure you know what a blueberry/huckleberry looks like and only pick where they are abundant. Leave some, birds and other wildlife enjoy blueberries too.
Got a camera? Nature provides endless opportunities for photography. A fawn hiding in the forest waiting for its mother to return. The official state flower of Massachusetts, the mayflower aka trailing arbutus. A red fox pup playing with a piece of turkey wing probably leftover from dinner. A rainbow over a forest clearing. Pointing the way to a pot of gold?
For more info on pokeweed and poke salad go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana
Do you know Poke Salad Annie? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vkYVWA6yzY
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