Wet and wild: Hiking the other side of the Provincetown breakwater
PROVINCETOWN — I was cooling off my credit card in a bucket of water after a frenzy of holiday purchases when I noticed a small cloud forming. It rose above the container, and in a peculiar twist of financial evapotranspiration, penny-sized hail began to fall.
Once the storm was over, I examined the area around the bucket. Strangely, the frozen pellets had fallen in a pattern that spelled out the following message:
"I see people walking in that strange land beyond the Provincetown breakwater. What is it like over there?"
Oh no! This meant a return to a place that had nearly beaten me years ago. On that expedition, I hadn't bothered to check the tide table and ended up wandering along high water channels, unable to get out to the beach. The continuous detouring wasted tons of time and led to a frightening walk across the breakwater as dark fell.
This time I would try to get it right. I whistled for the Curious Prius and we headed for the Cape tip. Along the way, I was happy to learn that low tide was coming up, a crucial component of this adventure.
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We parked in the far West End at the beginning of the breakwater. While these parking spots are hard to come by during the summer, in the off-season there's usually plenty of room. I bid farewell to my trusty ride, and with some trepidation, walked about a half-mile along Province Lands Road in the direction of Herring Cove Beach.
That's where you'll find the well-marked entrance to the madness, with one of the scariest trail signs on Cape Cod. Placed there by the Cape Cod National Seashore, it reads "Caution," and then tells you why:
"The route to the beach is not a maintained trail. It crosses tidal channels up to 2 feet deep at high tide … Use caution near the overwash channel (breach) near Wood End, where water flow is more than 4 feet deep at high tide. In July, a careless beach-goer was swept out 100 yards and was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, Provincetown Harbormaster and seashore lifeguards."
That was enough for me. I turned around, headed back to the Prius, went home, had a nice pork chop for dinner and retired early. After all, my nickname in high school was "Careless Beach-Goer."
OK, I kept going. Ignoring the sign that said "Danger: Do Not Feed Coyotes," I walked down the slope onto the tidal plain, thanking the gods for the low tide. Before me was a vast dance floor, crisscrossed with channels and fringed by scraggly bluffs that looked like islands. I pushed on to the right, following a very informal trail.
Soon I was a tiny speck, out in the middle of a place where water carves new contours every day. I had to keep adjusting my trajectory to avoid getting my boots wet. It was reassuring to look back and see the Pilgrim Monument, and I hoped the gargoyles were watching out for me.
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I made it to the beach and that felt good. There, I encountered a very nice hiker who knew a little more about the place. "It's always changing," she said. I told her I was blown away by the fact that I could see three lighthouses: Long Point, Wood End and Race Point.
"You can see four," she said, pointing toward Truro. And there was Highland Light on the horizon!
With a spring in my step, I headed over to Wood End Light. I always expect Rapunzel to appear in the top window and let down her hair, or at least lower a tray of hors d'oeuvres, but it never happens.
Nearing the breakwater, I encountered a UFO also known as an Unidentified Fishy Object. It was flat, deceased and more than three feet long. At first, I thought it was a new kind of flounder, but then I realized it was a torpedo ray!
A 2021 Cape Cod Times story filled me in: "The western Atlantic torpedo ray can grow to 6 feet long and weigh 200 pounds. It lives in waters from 10 to 2,000 feet deep and is capable of generating a 220-volt electric shock to prey like squid, dogfish and medium-sized fish."
The theoretical scientist in me wondered if they could charge their own phones, and I began to write equations in the sand with a stick. But then I looked over at the giant breakwater and realized I had better get going.
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The Provincetown breakwater is more than a mile long and it's got to be the most treacherous component of any Cape hike. It also seems to take forever, and you've got to keep your eyes on the rocks in front of you for two reasons. One reason is that you don't want to break your leg and wait around for a sea rescue, and the other reason is, if you look up, you'll be horrified at how far you still have to go!
Channeling my inner goat, I made good time. What a joy to see the loyal Prius, proudly beeping out my accomplishment to the world and waiting to whisk me to Stop & Shop for a rendezvous with Buffalo chicken wings.
What do you want to know about Cape Cod? To ask a Curious Cape Cod question, email me at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. I'll do my best to figure things out!
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Provincetown breakwater hike best done at low tide
