Heaven underfoot

by Paul Kandarian

Heaven’s not what awaits us when we close our eyes for the last time. Heaven just may be what’s right there in front of us when we open them every day.

That’s overstatement perhaps, but here’s the thing: if you wake up, 1) that’s a win right there and 2) it gives you a chance to drink in the new day, be it good, bad or ugly. Why? See number 1. Where I’m going with this is simple: I love to walk in the great outdoors, and that doesn’t mean hiking up and down kneestraining mountains up north. I love hikes flat and lovely, and no better area for my money (read: free) exists than right here in the South Coast.

One glorious walk I just found came courtesy of my lady, who loves walking herself and who introduced me to the newest portion of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail, an ongoing work-in-progress that gets more spectacular with every new piece. The most recently opened part runs about two miles over a paved path and expansive boardwalk, from Depot Street off Route 6 in Mattapoisett to the Fairhaven line.

Simply put, it is just stunning, and the best way to see that is of course to walk it, but I encourage you to find aerial footage online to fully appreciate the sprawling beauty this new walk encompasses.

The west end of the trail, from Mattapoisett Neck Road to Reservation Road, opened in July 2022. The chunk between Reservation Road and the end of Goodspeed Island road opened this past spring, a gorgeous span that crosses the Mattapoisett River estuary, salt marshes and Reservation Beach at the head of Mattapoisett Harbor.

Biking is an option, but be wary of the electric bikes, which frankly baffle me: if it’s exercise you seek, pedal. Just sitting on a motorized scooter and blasting down a trail where so many people are walking is a recipe for disaster. But then again, I’m a walking purist – or an old fart if you prefer – I like the quiet plodding of feet over the whir of wheels.

That aside, this is truly an amazing piece in the local conservation landscape and kudos to all for creating this ongoing recreational jewel. And hats or helmets off to the Friends of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail for its latest initiative, “Bikes for All,” in which the nonprofit refurbishes donated bikes and has, since 2021, distributed more than 100 bikes, helmets, and (thankfully) bike bells! You hear the bell, get the hell… outta the way! Works for me.

I love being surprised by great walks like that, and recently found others on a day I was doing a short acting job in Tiverton and finally figured out a way to walk the Sakonnet River Bridge. I’d driven over it countless times and saw the walking path over it. I gotta tell ya, it is a spectacular site and a little unnerving, walking a path immediately adjacent to the thundering traffic whizzing by, but so worth it.

The path is on the north side of the bridge, a short walk of about seven tenths of a mile, with two spots that jut out to give you a place to stand and survey the stunning view of the river where it meets Mount Hope Bay. It’s not a long, strenuous walk, but is unique and just a beautiful spot to enjoy the natural beauty of a spot juxtaposed by the rushing crush of cars and trucks. Another one I found that day wasn’t necessarily a path, but rather just a longsweeping sidewalk in a part of Portsmouth I’d never seen before, Island Park, with its rocky beach and expansive ocean views. Long ago, there was an amusement park here until the hurricane of ‘38 whipped it into ruin and killed 18 people. It still has the look of an old-school beach neighborhood like so many in Rhode Island, with restaurants and bars and small businesses that look like they've been there forever.

And farther down Rhode Island roads is Rocky Point State Park, a place near and dear to my heart; as a lad, I’d come here with family when it was an amusement park famous for its chairlift over the midway, the giant arch from the 1964 World’s Fair, a gigantic saltwater pool, and a variety of rides and attractions that made the place a Rhode Island institution.

It eventually shut down –its huge shore dinner hall falling into disrepair and coyotes and rats infesting the massive holding until the state took it over, cleaned it up and made it one of the best parks in New England, its 120 acres open to the public to walk, drink in those spectacular ocean views, and reminisce.

Are these walks heaven? Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but since I’m no believer in the long-held myth of the biblical place, I’m keeping my baby blues open and my feet moving to take in the heavens right here on Earth.