Long and Ell Pond

Yesterday I thought I was taking a a nice four mile hike to see the Rhododendron in bloom but found that I had missed that by about two weeks. What I ended up attending however was a bull frog croaking contest.

Long and Ell ponds are located in south western RI. (Take exit 2, go north to rt 3, left, then right on Canonchet Road. Follow Canonchet for hmmm, 3 miles. Just before you cross a small bridge you will see a dirt parking lot on your left. Pull in there and take the Narragansett trail North. The trail travels along some nice granite outcroppings. In the winter you can see into the valley off to your right. Once the leaves come out, the woods are very dense. There are a couple of descents and climbs, sometimes through now dead hemlock forests, and then through a Rhododendron swamp complete with 12 foot tall specimens. Climbing up out the swamp, which separates Ell and Long Ponds there is crossroads with the left trail leading to Ell, the right goes south along a ridge above Long pond. Taking the south trail for a mile you will come to a 30 foot high rock, which you must climb to the top of for one of the best spots in interior Rhode Island. It was there I found myself high above the pond and in the front row of the Bull frog contest.

At one point I counted 6, very deep, very loud bull frogs competing, but in some rounds there would be croaks from previously quiet areas. Sometimes there would be complete silence for several minutes, then off to my left there would come a loud, deep croak which was answered by another at the South end of the pond. Then from over in the cove there would be another. Once, and only once there was a croak from just under the rock. It was so loud, and so close I jumped.

Now if these guys can jump as grandly as they can croak then the frogs in Calaveras County better watch out.