More Hikers Getting to the (High) Point in Rhode Island

It takes just minutes to reach the highest point in Rhode Island.

A trail leads from Route 101 through stands of pine to a small clearing. Off to one side, mostly obscured, is a granite rock that marks the spot. There is no sign, and there is no view.

But to hikers bent on conquering the highest point in every state, Jerimoth Hill was one of the toughest summits in the nation. The trail leading to the 812-foot high point in the northwest corner of the state cut through private property, and the owner didn’t like trespassers.

People said Henry Richardson would threaten hikers, call the police and had a security system installed to nab trespassers.

Although he eventually allowed access a few times a year, Jerimoth Hill remained an elusive quarry. Until now.

The trail has new owners, Jeff and Debbie Mosley, and they’re letting hikers in. “We didn’t see any harm to let people walk up to the highest point in the state,” Debbie Mosley said.

Thrilled hikers are telling friends who try to visit state high points -- people known in hiking circles as “highpointers.”

The Mosleys, who are in their 40s, bought the 4.6-acre property in June. They knew nothing about the tension surrounding the trail when they became interested in the red-shingled Colonial home and the land around it.

They found out soon enough.

The top of the hill is owned by Brown University, but the easiest way to it is through land that was owned by Richardson, a former music teacher who died in 2001.

Richardson’s dedication to keeping people off his land prompted the Highpointers Club to label Jerimoth Hill the nation’s least accessible high point -- more elusive than dangerous climbs such as 20,320-foot Mt. McKinley in Alaska.

Some of Richardson’s neighbors also disliked hikers. In 2002, a father and son were accused of stopping two of them at gunpoint, ordering them to lie facedown on a driveway and shooting over their heads. They pleaded no contest to charges including felony assault and were placed on probation.

Hearing the stories, many hikers delayed their trek to Rhode Island. Ross Garofalo of Manchester, N.H., waited three years before he came to Jerimoth Hill on May 29, one of the few dates of the year that hikers were allowed to use the path. But he and his wife had to be escorted by a Highpointers Club member and leave their dog in the car.

Some hikers found an alternate route. Chuck Bickes, who has reached the high point of all 50 states, found an online map through horse trails leading to the point. He bushwhacked his way through in 1995, but said he felt sneaky about it.

When the Mosleys bought the property, they were given the impression that hikers might be a problem -- traipsing on their property at odd hours, and making a ruckus along the way. They got a little angry when they saw a sign on the property soon after they moved in, posted by the highpointers group, that listed dates on which the public could use the trail, including the Fourth of July weekend.

The Mosleys called the organization and said no dice.

“But then we talked with one of our neighbors,” Debbie Mosley said, “and he told us, ‘You know, they’re really nice people, and they want to get to the highest point in the state.’ ”

The Mosleys met with some highpointers and changed their minds.

Now, the public is allowed access to the trail from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends. The Mosleys ask people to be courteous, respect that they’re on private property, and stick to the trail.

Jeff Mosley has even cleared the trail, so that now its entry is clearly marked.

Alan Flint, a graduate student who lives in Brookline, Mass., visited Jerimoth Hill in October 2002. He says he’s happy that others will now be able to reach Jerimoth Hill.

“I’m thinking about sending the owners a postcard telling them how great that all is,” he said.