The Eastham Hiking Club begins its 2017-18 schedule on Sept. 6. Below is the essential information for the group, which hikes the woods, dunes, beaches and dirt paths of Cape Cod from Yarmouth to Provincetown. Most of the hikes in the area from Wellfleet to Provincetown.
EHC hikes Wednesdays from the Wednesday after Labor Day until the Wednesday before Memorial Day. The Club is an informal group that is free and open to anyone. EHC hikes every Wednesday at 9 a.m. No signup is required, just show up.
Most hikes are 2 hours with some extending to 2½. Participants walk at a decent pace to get a fair amount of exercise. The normal hikes have from 35 to 70 hikers.
Below is the schedule through Oct. 25:
Sept 6, Wellfleet – Marconi Beach, Fresh Brook Carpool 8:25 Leaders: Don & Bob. Rt 6 R at Marconi light, continuing straight to Marconi Beach parking lot. Hike remains of Wellfleet’s old Fresh Brook Village along trails and back to ocean cliffs
Sept 13, Wellfleet - Great Island Carpool 8:20 Leader: Don & Bob
Rt 6 L at Wellfleet Center lights, L at Commercial St, go 3.2 mi. L into Great Island parking lot. Hike to site of Old Smith Tavern, Great Island and Cape Cod Bay beach.
Sept 20, Provincetown - Visitors Center, Ocean 5 shacks area ~ Carpool 8:10 Leader: Mark. Rt 6 to Provincetown R at first traffic light onto Race Point Rd. Visitors Center is 1.3 miles on right. Walk in the area of sand dunes, 5 dune shacks, and the ocean.
Sept 27, Wellfleet - Whitecrest, Duck Pond North. Carpool 8:25 Leader: Chuck. Rt. 6, R at LeCount Hollow Rd. Left onto Oceanview Drive. Parking on left at Whitecrest Beach lot
Hike on old trails and fire roads to Duck Pond and return.
Oct 4, Truro – Ryder Beach, Hopper House, Poor’s Hill 2 ¼ hours ~ Carpool 8:20 Leader: Chuck. Rte. 6, L on Prince Valley Rd (1.25 mi N of Truro town line), R at T, 1st L on Ryder Beach Road to end. Hike to old Meeting House site, to Poor's Hill, past the Hopper House landscape and return on bay beach.
Oct 11, Wellfleet - Newcomb Hollow 5 ponds Leader: Mark. Rt 6, R on LeCount Hollow Rd (PB Boulangerie). L on Ocean View Dr to end at Newcomb Hollow Beach. Pass 5 ponds (Round, Slough, Horseleech, Herring & Williams) View high cliffs. Return via woodland trails.
Oct 18, Orleans - Pochet Island, Leaders: Don & Bob. Main Street, Orleans, becomes Beach Rd. to Nauset Beach. Park at southern end of parking lot. Hike ORV trail to Pochet Island bridge & tour of island. Return on Nauset Beach (2 ½ hours).
Oct 25, Harwich – Sands Pond ~ Lorna Hutcheons Memorial. Leader: Don & Bob. Rt 6 Exit 10 S on Rt. 124. R at T at Church. Great Western Rd. to Sands Pond parking lot on right. Hike along Harwich ponds, herring run, marshland and cranberry bogs.
LEADER: Don Light 508-247-9887, VKLight@comcast.net. Co-leaders: Mark McGrath (508) 432-3775, Bob Rabenold (508) 255-6983, Chuck Thompson 508-255-8081. Emails: markmcgrath@verizon.net; robertojrabenold@gmail.com; ctorleans@yahoo.com. Email markmcgrath@verizon.net for bi-monthly schedules and/or weekly hike report with maps. Carpooling is optional; meet at Orleans (south of rotary) Stop & Shop, left lot off main entrance.