Long Walks on Cape Cod
Copyright 1998 Cape Cod Trails Conference
Introduction
The following guides to long walks on
Cape Cod were compiled
from actual experience in the field. All the guides are field
checked periodically. When a guide is revised, the date of
revision is noted next to the link on the home page. Some do
not change.
If you find a situation on the ground
that is at variance
with the guide, use common sense to figure out another route that
will enable you to continue. Typically, a path is blocked by
some town action, or a landowner has decided to extend his bound-
aries by posting "no trespassing" beyond his deeded property.
Nevertheless, you must obey any signs
that warn you not
to go further on that route. Some landowners do permit walking
across their property, and will usually have a sign indicating
same. Please respect these good people by staying on the path.
Most important, you may not cut
anything, build a fire, or
camp anywhere on Cape Cod unless it is expressly permitted by
signs or by an official brochure for the area you are in.
Local
people are always vigilant, and will call the police if you are
violating these rules.
Now for your own safety, plan what you
intend to do. Do not
wander off into the woods in T-shirt and shorts and nothing else.
The weather on Cape Cod can be hazardous any time of the year.
You can get lost easily in a little patch of woods, and wander
around without a clue as to how to get out.
If you are going for a hour long walk
in
a well-marked
nature center, fine, but use of these guides presumes a long walk
of three to six hours. Therefore you should wear sturdy shoes
or
boots, carry a small pack with water and perhaps a lunch, have
extra clothing on you to take off, or available in the pack, and
hang a compass around your neck.
The compass is an absolute
necessity. The human brain does
not respond to a magnetic field. On a cloudy day in the woods,
you will have no idea which direction to go without your handy
little friend. We recommend buying the inexpensive, plastic
orienteering compass.
It is true that on Cape Cod, you are
never far from a road
or the water. That's no help, though, if you decide to bail
out
along the way, and want to walk the shortest way back to your
starting point. Carrying the USGS maps will help you, even
though the scale is too small to use them as a reliable guide to
hiking. They will orient you to roads and natural features
on the route of the walk. The sketch maps that we have
provided
with each guide will do the same.
We have listed the appropriate USGS
topographical maps for
each walk. They can be purchased on Cape Cod at Eastern
Mountain
Sports in Hyannis, at the two National Seashore Visitors Centers
in Eastham and Provincetown, and by mail directly from USGS at
"mapping.usgs.gov". You can also print sections of each map from
linked web sites at that address. We are now compiling route maps
with a mapping GPS receiver, by placing waypoints on a magnified
topographical map.
Hazards of the weather are hypothermia,
and heat exhaustion.
Without getting clinical, hypothermia is caused by not being
adequately dressed for cold, wet weather. Heat exhaustion
results from too much exertion on a warm, humid day. Both are
easily preventable. Someone should carry a small first aid kit
for cuts and bruises. Anything else usually calls for getting
professional help. Fortunately, hikers rarely get into
serious
trouble.
On a positive note, hiking the hidden
areas of Cape Cod is a
marvelous experience. You see things that most residents do
not
even know about. You are close to nature and become a
volunteer
in the worthy cause of protecting and preserving our fragile
environment. And you get exercise and scenery for free!