A punk in the Punkhorn: Hiking Brewster's giant green gem

Those dang spring peepers were interrupting my evening nap, so I ran out into the backyard and began hurling insults toward the marsh. "Take your mating ritual elsewhere, you jerky chirpy frogs!" I yelled.

The cacophony died down for a moment and then began to rise again. But now it was different: the left side of the marsh was singing a word that sounded like "punk" and the right side of the marsh was calling out "horn." How dare they call me a punkhorn!

Then I realized my amphibious amigos were making a hiking suggestion, and they were spot on. I hadn't been to the awesome Punkhorn Parklands in years, and it was high time for a return to the vast green gem of Brewster.

I whistled for the Curious Prius (odometer now at 207K miles) and soon we were sailing south. We needed to make an important stop before we hit the Punkhorn to confer with the sage of Brewster, Debra Demarais, about the tick situation.

We came to rest at In the Weeds Flower Farm on Route 6A, where Deb's farmstand is one of the great roadside attractions of Cape Cod. Fresh eggs, flowers and starter kits of French pussy willows were in stock, and the wise and wonderful Deb was holding court in the kitchen with her friend Patsy.

An epic gabfest ensued

An epic gabfest ensued, touching on vital topics like chickens, otters and skinny-dipping. And, of course, ticks. Deb and her four Australian shepherds are intrepid explorers of the wild and their battles against the mini-vampires is the stuff of legend.

"The ticks are as bad as I've ever seen," reported Deb, who then presented me with grisly proof: a sheet of paper adorned with eleven ticks under clear tape, a bloodsucking souvenir of a recent walk. She insisted I take the paper with me (yikes!) and said when I got back from the Punkhorn I had to strip off all my clothes and ask my wife to take a good look (for ticks, that is).

Vowing to stay off the narrow, leg-brushing trails that ticks love, the Prius and I then zoomed to the end of Run Hill Road and into the Punkhorn Parklands parking lot. I've read different size estimates of this enormous playland, so let's just say we're talking about 800-plus acres of open space, crisscrossed by miles of trails.

First up was the Eagle Point trail system, a mellow mile or so with fantastic views of Upper Mill Pond. I climbed up to Eagle Point, hoping to see one of the ravishing raptors that are now regularly seen around the Cape. I tried my helpless bunny dance, but none appeared.

Then it was on to the meat of the matter, the Seymour Pond Trail, a 2.65-mile round trip venture through wetlands and forest. This is where the mysterious, remote vibe of the Punkhorn kicked in — where you think you hear banjo music and expect to stumble across some cheerful fellows distilling liquor, unaware that Prohibition was repealed.

Sadly, that didn't happen, but it was a beautiful hike, and arriving at the shore of Seymour Pond was a fine reward. I was thoroughly warmed by the walk, so I tested the water, but it still held winter's chill. Next time I might pack my hiking mankini and take a dip.

I arrived home, filled with spring joy and eager to share my Punkhorn adventure. But now I remember that I left Deb's tick paper in the Prius. So I've got to go get rid of that thing before the zombies awake!

Eric Williams, when not solving Curious Cape Cod mysteries, writes about a variety of ways to enjoy the Cape, the weather, wildlife and other subjects. Contact him at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X: @capecast.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Hiking Cape Cod: Exploring the vast Punkhorn Parklands in Brewster