Our winter hike tradition goes back before my time in scouts, which is at about ten years. The first winter hike I ever went on was around Browning Mill Pond, and about that long ago. It was cold that day. Seriously cold. Our hot chocolate was barely room temperature when we were done. I didn't check the temperature, but I've never been that cold on a hike, before or since. Cub hike or otherwise. This year five scouts and a sister braved the weather.
Browning Mill Pond is absolutely stunning in the winter. There was a fair amount of snow on the ground to give us a workout but not enough to ruin the fun. There was no wildlife to see but small rodent tracks were in evidence. We went clockwise around the pond. The path was well marked and fairly easy to follow despite the snow. Most of the way around is a covered picnic area where we paused for snacks.
Along the way we met up with a Rhode Island hiking club called "Walks and Rambles", apparently named after the Ken Weber series of books. We had a nice chat and went on our way.
There is an optional leg of the hike to make it a bit longer, but after a quick discussion the scouts decided to head on to the hot chocolate, still piping hot I have to say. A boy's enthusiasm for an activity can be quickly diminished when it goes just a little bit too long, so off to the parking lot we did go.
A good time was had by our group, but it's too bad we don't get more participation. If you prepare, a little cold is no barrier to fun. I'll leave you with the best advice we got that day:
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