pandemic, and now as vaccines become more widely available, we are reporting on how our local schools, businesses and communities are returning to a more "normal" future. There's never been more of a need for the kind of local, independent and unbiased journalism that The Day produces. Please support our work by subscribing today. 80-mile hike the length of R.I. ends with a splash Hikers cross a bridge along the Rhode Island North South Trail near the Arcadia Management Area. (Betsy Graham) Phil Plouffe celebrates the end of the hike with a plunge into the Atlantic Ocean at Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown. (Lisa Brownell)