Ben Utter Trail, Arcadia

Some work day back in June.

My wife and boys arrived at my work with the idea of doing a hike. For once, it wasn't my idea. Her favorite was one of her first. The Ben Utter trail in Arcadia. I navigated a path from Narragansett to route 165. I dropped my car off in the church parking lot and transferred to her van. We took unpaved Frosty Hallow trail to Plain Road.

I learned when I did the Shelter trail a few weeks earlier that Plain road was barred a fair ways from our trail head. I also learned that Plain road was in unusually bad shape. My wife is not in the habit of slowing down on bad roads. We stopped where Plain road did and was preparing to walk the rest of the way, when a lady in an SUV drove around the barrier. We decided to follow. Plain road got worse and had to slow a little. We found the trail head parked next to the SUV.

The camera stayed home so no pictures yet again. We followed the trail as usual and I took the opportunity to do some scout requirements for my ten year old. We hiked to stepping stone falls, had a snack, then went by the abandoned shelter on our way back. It felt good to be in the woods.

W made it back in reasonable time and drove home. The transmission work only cost me $100, so I count myself as lucky.