The Hermit Cave

This past Saturday I went on a hike; not alone, but with my family (my parents and my sister Keara, who just started the 2nd grade). We drove an hour to get to the location, though we live in the middle of the largest wildlife management area in Rhode Island. Our drive found us in Connecticut, traveling through historic Thompson, a town I automatically fell in love with. The large houses with their thick columns and rolling lawns of green grass instantly captured my heart. It’s a town I hope to visit again one day and explore. It was a gorgeous day, with a light wind and a shining sun (no wonder we witnessed a wedding party walking into their reception).

At first, we drove by our desired location not once, but twice. The path that we wanted to enter is unmarked on the side of the road, swallowed by briars and brush. Instead we entered at the main sign “Air Line Trail”. Before travelling, we read the sign that mentioned a deadly train wreck over one hundred years ago. The wreck, though interesting, wasn’t the thing that captured our attention about the area when we were searching the internet for interesting hiking locations in and around Rhode Island. So, leaving the sign we walked across a very busy road on a corner to the other entrance of the path we truly desired.

The entirety of the trail encompasses almost miles, but on this particular day we covered about three miles.

The path itself covers land that a train track used to run over. The main path is smooth, relatively flat Earth with a spattering of rocks lining the sides. About ¼ mile down the path you reach a trestle and look up towards the sky through cracks and gaps that have occurred over time. When we were there we found two painted rocks from Last Green Valley Rocks underneath, the spotting of these excited my sister, mother, and I because we have been participating in a similar group in Rhode Island (South County Rocks). It is a movement to help spread kindness and beauty in our communities.

We walked up the embankment to see if the bridge was passable, but sadly it wasn’t. Boards were missing and the ones that remained were rotted with grass and moss growing over them. It appeared to be a foe continuance of land, one that you would see in a video game as a trap for your character. Despite the condition, it still appears to be a beautiful structure and part of the interesting history involved with the trail itself. (It may be passable, but with protective parents around the adventure was not advisable so perhaps next time).

We continued walking, in search of the Hermit Cave that was supposed to be fifty feet from the trestle. We found ourselves walking in circles because we were using our phones GPS to find the location. Abandoning electronics worked to our advantage however, and we located the cave by looking at the terrain. It is located down a path to the right of the trestle near some boulders that appeared to have been cut in the past. The cave has a small opening that you must crawl through if you wish to enter (not advisable to wear your brand-new sweatshirt). The cave is dark and a rush of cold air envelopes you, you find the space inside to be large. Four people can fit inside comfortably and if you’re under five foot seven you can stand without a problem. The Hermit Cave is formed by square rocks piled in a strategic manner. Spiders crawl along the roof and sides (not recommended for those with arachnophobia). The stone over the center of the man-made dome is a rust color, the veins slightly lighter than the rest. To the eyes it appears damp, but when touched is found to be smooth and dry. It doesn’t seem to be placed as solidly as the rest of the rocks and you wonder if the inhabitant of the cave once moved the rock to let in light, or let out smoke. Creativity takes over: who lived here? Why did they pick this location? Are there more caves hidden under these mounds? If you’re a writer, a character begins to take shape in your mind, if an artist you begin sketching. Photographers snap pictures, searching for the best angle to capture the history that is presented in the chamber.

No one is sure who built the cave/chamber, but the land once belonged to a farmer. Perhaps it was a root cellar? However, the structure that was formed is not typical for colonial buildings. Another theory is that the Vikings that landed in Newport came here and built this cave along with others scattered around New England while they were lost. A more reasonable argument is that the building was created by Native people as a ceremonial sauna. The people using it would light a fire in the center using hot rocks and then enter. Evidence for most of these arguments though is lacking. It is more fun to let creative minds wander and create new answers. Maybe one day there will be an answer to the questions, but today is not that day.

After enjoying the cave, we continued down the main path and then entered another trail marked by blue markers on trees. The tristate markers were found on this path, it traversed up hills and over land covered in stone (it’s no mystery where the creators of Hermit’s Cave got the material for the chamber). Walking, with phone put away, it is easy to travel back in time and imagine what it was once like for the original inhabitants of the land (both native people and the farmer that used to own the property). Trees and wild blueberry bushes grow, squirrels run, birds fly chirping songs. When on this trail, you’re far enough from the main road that you can’t hear cars, but as you loop back to the main trail the sounds of motorcycles zooming by becomes more noticeable.

This is a hike I would gladly go on again. The area is enjoyable, just the parking and proximity to a busy road is not desirable. The people in the area seem friendly and say “Hi” as you pass and the cave offers fuel for the creative mind.