One of the Best Date-Hikes on the SouthCoast

We found ourselves feeling a little stir-crazy after a full week of staying pretty isolated from the world except for a visit or two to the supermarket. I mean, I haven't put on makeup or worn anything other than stretchy yoga pants and sweatshirts since last Tuesday. We are really doing well in self-quarantine and staying socially distant from everyone, except ourselves.

My husband found this hiking trail over the summer and asked if I wanted to check it out with him. I immediately said yes. It felt like he was almost asking me to go out on a date with him. You know, alone, without the kids. I wondered if I should actually "do" my hair? I decided nah, never mind – it's just a hike in the woods.

The trail is only a quick five minutes from us in Acushnet. It's called Shoolman Preserve on Perry Hill Road in Rochester and is open to the public, all are welcome. It's both a Mattapoisett and Rochester Land Trust space. The hike through is made up of really wide paths, which I love and prefer over being swatted in the face with a thorny branch.

It's about three miles total if you walk all the way through, but you could cut it down to a simple two miles by taking a shortcut out. There is a lot of scenery and the trust has done a nice job making sure the wood planks are in good condition and not broken or falling apart. As you can see from my photos, the hike is not a difficult one and has some great scenery along the way.

My husband and I joked that it wasn't our normal "date night out" but it was the perfect way to have a little bit of alone time without the kids during this challenging quarantine time we are all sharing under the same roof.