The Hockomock Swamp – Beautiful And Dangerous

One of the experiences that I didn’t include in my recent – you know, the one on things to do in Easton before you die – is a canoe trip through the Hockomock Swamp.

A canoe trip through the Hockomock Swamp belongs on everyone's Easton Bucket List.

For sure, a canoe trip through the Hockomock Swamp should take place in parts of not only Easton but other towns as well.  Yet, the journey could start and end here, and you wouldn’t have to leave Easton to experience the exceptional wonder and beauty of “The Hockomock.” 

The Hockomock Swamp is a place of majesty and mystery. 

athletic teams compete in the Hockomock League. 

The Hockomock Swamp is the largest freshwater swamp in Massachusetts.  It comprises almost 17,000 acres spread across parts of Easton, Bridgewater, Norton, Raynham, Taunton, and West Bridgewater.   Indeed, many people miss that Easton and Taunton share a border – and that is because the border is mostly in the swamp, in an area that is difficult through which to walk, wade, boat, or travel in any manner. 

Hockomock is, in the language of the Wampanoag (the first people of this area),  “place where spirits dwell.”  Now, for sure, through the years, there have been many, many reports of weird and unnatural occurrences in the swamp, including ghosts, a Bigfoot-type character, and even a flying animal that resembled the winged dinosaur called the pterodactyl.

But as for the “spirits” thing, it was because of good spirits as well as bad that the "Wamps" named the swamp Hockomock.   Good spirits were responsible for the populations of deer, turkey, fish, and other animals that helped sustain them.  As well, during the 1600s, the swamp was a blessing for the natives in that during a time in which they warred with colonists, the marshy and densely wooded areas afforded them protection and a place from where their warriors could launch attacks. 

Where in Easton do you find the Hockomock?  Think, broadly, south of Rte. 106/Foundry Street.  Along Foundry Street, between Five Corners and the intersection of Rte. 138/Turnpike Street and Rte. 106, if you travel south into the woods you get into the swamp.   For part of the stretch, the swamp abuts Rte. 106; along other stretches, it starts behind houses – and businesses, and (yes, I did have to look that up to find the correct and full title of the school). 

Also west of the intersection of 106 and 138, and south of the road and before you get to the West Bridgewater line, there is a thick portion of the swamp which is in Easton. 

Easton native, Doug Watts, a nature writer now living in Maine, writes beautifully about many subjects and many places, including the Hockomock Swamp and other natural areas in Easton; his writing can be found here at his blog Tispaquin's Revenge.

Now, please – and here is a word to wise, not so wise, and plain foolish:  Don’t go into the swamp unless you know where you are going, and what you are doing. 

It surely is beautiful – but it can also be dangerous, even deadly.   Getting lost in the swamp is easy to do; finding your way out can be nearly impossible.  Perhaps the most difficult places in the swamp to discern the difference between “that way” and “this way” are the expansive and dense patches of white cedar trees (the Hockomock is a “white cedar swamp") – where looking north, south, east, or west provides all the same view. 

It being a swamp, it is wet, and that means it is easy to get wet if you are in there.  For about nine of the 12 months of the year, being wet and lost in the swamp at night can subject you to hypothermia and a world of trouble. 

Sinkholes and quicksand are in the Hockomock Swamp. 

Every once in a while, the news carries a story of someone lost in the swamp.  Consider the first paragraph of a story titled, “Missing man, dog found OK in swamp,” that was published in Monday’s Boston Globe:

A West Bridgewater man lost while looking for his missing dog was found safe deep in Hockomock Swamp over the weekend in an elaborate search effort involving dozens of rescuers in treacherous terrain.

This story ended happily.   But, check this out – the guy goes into the swamp looking for his dog at about 5 p.m. on Saturday.   He gets lost.   At 9 p.m. he is somewhere in the wilderness – reunited with his dog – and on his cell phone talking with his wife; he tells her that he thinks he can make it out.  Then the phone goes dead. 

So the search commences, and around midnight, a State Police helicopter using an infrared camera locates the man and dog who were deep into marshland. 

Now get this – and this speaks to the natural character of the area: firefighters went into the marsh to make the rescue, but had to turn back because they were sinking in all the mud and soaked vegetation.

At 3:15 a.m., the man and dog were rescued by East Bridgewater firefighters using a hovercraft.  A hovercraft?   I told you the Hockomock Swamp was a special place. 

What helped the lost duo was that the man was able to build a fire while he and his pup were waiting to be rescued.

I still plan a canoe trip through the Hockomock Swamp.  It is an experience not to be missed.  And, late April into early June is the best time to venture in a canoe along the waterways of the Hockomock because the trees are sprouting, temperatures are cool to mild, the water is high, and there aren't many bugs.

But I am not going in to the Hockomock without a knowledgeable and capable guide. 

I highly recommend to anyone embarking on this adventure to do the same.