This week I made a stop at the Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge in Smithfield, Rhode Island. (Most of my travels and research are within the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor). The pictures of this trail looked to beautiful to pass up.
The Ledges are located at the main Audubon Headquarters in Rhode Island at 12 Sanderson Road. The main information building is closed now do to Covid but all the trails are open.
This area is home to 100 acres of woodlands and rock outcropping. But it’s also connected to a larger network of forestry in this area. One of my favorite things about this area are the large glacial boulders and old stone agricultural walls the settlers laid down.
As this is an Audubon Wildlife Refuge there are no dogs allowed, leashed or otherwise, and it’s home to such wild babies as the red fox, tree frogs, deer, turkey, etc. I noticed the birds were singing away.
Unfortunately, I also noticed how noisy it was with human sounds. It is abutting a major route and busy plaza, if you can block out the moments when those noises arise you’re golden. The trails themselves are well maintained and I even found a bench out there, (which I took advantage of because with the gradual inclines my thighs were burning)!
When I got far enough in and all was quiet I really looked around and noticed how creepy this forest seemed. I don’t think a squatch would chance staying in there long without being seen, (even though the food was in abundance). But, when you go to a preserve like this one and there is no hunting allowed, it’s a pretty safe place for them to literally grab a meal. Almost a fast food stop for squatches!
And while I am always looking at an area thinking, would a squatch come here? I was pleasantly surprised of two things while researching the history of the land, (which incidentally was never a mill nor does it really have ledges either) one, this property had stayed farm land up until the Audubon acquired it, this area could have possibly always been a food source for them. If, as I believe, they follow the river and green corridors along for sustenance and ease of travel they could potentially come right through here. One trail, the blue trail, takes you right to the high tension wires, another pathway for a squatch to travel. I myself only came across one unusual thing out there. These oddly piled rocks against a tree, but anyone could have stacked those.
And secondly, imagine my surprise when I found an encounter that happened here in 2016. Here is this girl’s encounter in her own words.
“I went here last Sunday, alone. I felt like eyes were on me the entire time. I stood on the tall clearing near the end of the orange trail and called out, “show yourself” then I took some photos. What I got sent chills down my spine and I haven’t slept since I found this thing in my picture!
On the blue trail, there was this log structure built up around the base of the tree. Upon further inspection, there was I found an empty toilet paper roll inside and some other old trash. Maybe there IS a man living in there? But that is no man I caught in my photo! The entire walk just felt very unsettling all the way through, I’m never going back there alone!
So first, i want to point out how brave she was because she was feeling unsafe but she still investigated the little shelter she saw, wether it was man made or not, she went over bravely and investigated and she was able to separate that the structure was most likely man made, but the feelings and other picture to her was not.
Now I’m aware that her above picture is hard to really tell for certain if it’s a Bigfoot or not, and that it may very well be a case of pareidolia, but I wasn’t there, we weren’t there, so the perspective is different. Her experience and feeling out there is one I’ve had several times, very unsettling to know when you’re not alone.
Overall, I enjoyed the walk, if nothing else I definitely got some good exercise, and hey, maybe I got to walk in Bigfoot’s footsteps this time…
Oh and PS don’t believe the pond sign, I walked forever and did it see a dang thing!
All pictures are my own except for the two stated above…
Sasysquatchgirl 