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The cast of "The Doll's House" presented at the library by The Naked Stage last Saturday.

On a recent and particularly uninviting Saturday morning, a small group of seven people gathered at 10 a.m. at Napeague Harbor Road to participate in a 3-mile poetry hike in the magnificent walking dunes. The event was sponsored by the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society, and we brought with us our own poetry or some by well-known poets. The wind was blowing, it was cold, the sky was “darkling,” and it was just plain wonderful, the three men and four women agreed. This was the ninth poetry hike that Leeanne Thiel and Laurie Adler have conducted for the society and only the second we have attended. The point here is that we who live in this setting have not only beaches to swim from and waters to fish in, but so much more to experience in this magical place. And, sometimes we forget what has drawn so many of us or our kin here.

As this is South Fork Trails Weekend, an annual celebration sponsored by the East Hampton and Southampton trails preservation societies and the Long Island Greenbelt Conference, we thought some readers will be interested in exploring the pleasures of hiking that await them in several settings. Herewith, a condensed menu:

On Saturday, October 31, Bill Nicholas, Jerri Wellman and Nick Bryan will lead a 4-mile hike on the Buckskill/Old Montauk Highway loop at 10 a.m. Meet on Old Montauk Highway, north of Route 27, about 100 yards west of Rugosa restaurant in Wainscott. Call 917-226-4145 for more information.

That same day, also at 10 a.m., Richard Poveromo will lead a 9-mile hike in the Longshanks/Mashomack Preserve. Hikers should meet at the Mashomack parking lot on Shelter Island. Call Mr. Poveromo at 283-4591 for more information. On the day of the hike, call 917-584-7280.

On Sunday, November 1, at 10 a.m., there will be a Long Pond Greenbelt Moveable Feast hike of 4 miles. Glorian Berk, who can be reached at 283-2638, will be the leader. Reservations should be made by Wednesday, October 28, for lunch. Meet at the Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center at 1061 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.

That afternoon, from 3 to 5 p.m., Annette Hinkle and Tony Garo will lead a tour of haunted houses in Sag Harbor. Call 725-5861 for more information. Meet at the windmill on Long Wharf.

Check with hike leaders for more info. You’ll meet some great people, will feel healthy and have fun, too!

***

Did you know that Montauk has its very own rock group? We saw them on the counter of Jim Martell’s stationery shop. Jim was born in Southampton and grew up in Montauk when his parents settled here in 1956. He returned to the hamlet in 1976 after college and four years in the Air Force.

We succumbed to the temptation of handling some of the rock specimens Jim offered as he spoke about a long history of collecting inspired by finding an unusual rock which was from a meteorite. “This interest,” reports this soft-spoken man, “forces you to look closely at things.” As his bedtime reading is devoted to geology, he has much to share with people who visit his shop, connect with the specimens and often discuss a particular rock they have discovered. They talk of the form, color and the minerals that can be identified. Jim was particularly eager to share some of his favorite discoveries, such as a glacial pudding stone, a composite of the glacier as it moved down, and a stone composed of pig iron, from which cannon balls were made. He was pleased to show us a volcanic plug—an unusual find in this area.

We spent a fascinating half hour with this enthusiastic man who clearly is happy to impart his knowledge to an interested visitor. We learned that, “Different forces go into different geological formations in different areas” of Montauk. For example, tidal currents leave the rocks near the Association houses well rounded; the beach in Ditch Plain is redolent with “violent rock.” We heard about the amazing story of the formation of Long Island Sound. Curious? Just check it out with Jim Martell, Montauk’s resident geology enthusiast.

We’ve learned that Carol Morrison has taken up winter residence in Connecticut near her niece. It is strange to contemplate having an election out here without Carol’s presence. She will be missed, which reminds us to remind readers to vote on Tuesday, Election Day.

Music for Montauk will offer its second program, piano works by classical pianist Milos Repicky, on Saturday, November 7, at the library at 5:30 p.m.

The Friends of the Montauk Library are once again offering their “Do As You Like” bus trip to New York City on Saturday, December 5. It’s quite a bargain at $25 for a round trip. You need to sign up and pay at the library when you do. The pickup will be at 8:30 a.m. at the post office and the bus leaves the city at 5 p.m.