A beautiful place with an unfortunate name When most people hear the word carbuncle they think of an inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue. Sort of a huge and nasty boil, certainly something quite unpleasant. However carbuncle also has an archaic meaning, a gemstone, especially a garnet. Since garnets are indeed found in this area I suspect that the second meaning inspired the name. The pond and surrounding area are truly beautiful and the trail around the pond is actually listed in Ken Weber’s famous book of great hikes in Rhode Island. Even though the hike isn’t very difficult, with only moderate elevation to deal with, it does have lots of cool things to look at. The pond itself is peaceful and serene. A great fishing around that doesn’t allow motors so it’s always nice and quiet. Most of the woods around the pond are old pines so the trails are covered in pines needles that makes the walking nice and soft and gushy. At one time this pond had a popular beach but the beavers decided to dam up the river so the water level rose and covered the beach. The beavers and their dams and lodges are still there but the beach and road to the beach are now underwater. A long abandoned railroad goes through he area and the trail goes along the huge trestle in places. There is also a cool, old, rusted and rickety railroad bridge over the Moosup River that you can walk over. Definitely cool stuff. These are deep woods so lots of hunters prowl the area, so wearing bright orange is a must. Most hunters I have met are polite and very reasonable but you still have to take precautions to keep from getting your arse blown off. The area also has an incredible amount of ticks. We were hiking here with the temp in the high 40’s and I still had to pick several of the blood sucking, disease carrying vermin off me at the end of the hike. This is certainly an interesting hike that has a lot to offer. Water, woods, history and lots of cool old rusty things. Not the easiest place to find but well worth the effort, especially in the winter when all the nasty ticks are gone.
