Lady of the Wild Woods

Cliff Walk in Newport, RI

Newport is a quaint coastal town that hosts an annual Jazz Festival every summer. The downtown area is rich is history with colorful 18th century homes and cedar-sided 17th century homes lining the streets of the historic district. Along the coast are huge mansions, many of which still house individuals, while others are delegated historic landmarks with museums, including the Vanderbilt mansion, The Breakers. The trail along the coast, known as the Cliff Walk, is a jaunt between ridiculous wealth on the one side and a beautiful seascape on the other. I’d been to Newport before but never did the Cliff Walk, probably because it contains the word “cliff” which unconsciously stokes my fear of heights. I’ve actively been working on overcoming that fear over the last year, so I decided to give it a go. All Trails lists the trail as moderate, which struck me as odd, but having done it now, I realize why. Some parts of the trail are paved, but some are just huge coastal rocks that you walk over. Plus the entire trail out and back totals seven miles. With all the side explorations, it was more like eight.

While the ginormous mansions were mind-blowing with their conspicuous consumption and their ridiculous wealth of the one percent, it was the uniqueness of the trail itself that was so intriguing.

Golden lichen decorates the rocks along the Cliff Walk, and we saw more the next day, when we cycled around Block Island. I hadn’t really noticed the yellows before, but I’m not much of a beach person, so maybe that’s why. To me it was striking see, because it was so prevalent.

The power of the ocean was evident as we walked the trail, salty air coating our lips, and the pungent scent of brine stinging our noses. It was the dance of the waves, as they pummeled against the rocks, spraying water droplets in all directions, and the powerful sounds of the water moving over and around the enormous stones that was the most moving experience.

Listen to the crackling sound of the water through the rocks.
It was windy but not super cold. Overall it was a gorgeous March day!

The Ocean has its silent caves,
Deep, quiet, and alone;
Though there be fury on the waves,
Beneath them there is none.

The awful spirits of the deep
Hold their communion there;
And there are those for whom we weep,
The young, the bright, the fair.

Calmly the wearied seamen rest
Beneath their own blue sea.
The ocean solitudes are blest,
For there is purity.

The earth has guilt, the earth has care,
Unquiet are its graves;
But peaceful sleep is ever there,
Beneath the dark blue waves.
— NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

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