Between the (ice) sheets

Hiking the lumpiest land in Cape Cod

Cape Cod is not a place that most of us associate with grueling hiking. In theory, you put up with the grueling summer traffic on Route 6 and the grueling seafood prices at the various fish shacks so that you can experience a special brand of briny serenity. It’s counter-intuitive, if not downright contrarian, to go to the Cape searching for a hike that will leave the back of your shirt soaked and your socks caked with dirt. And if you are looking for this type of adventure between Sandwich and P-Town, your pickings are going to be slimmer than the fried clam strips you burned $40 on last September. For the most part, the Cape is either flat or gently rolling—a placid dreamscape that’s ideal for meditative wandering throughout the year. But there are two big exceptions.