Hike #314 11/4/7
11/4/7 Swartzwood State Park-Sparta with "Amish Paul" and Wyatt Hassler, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Brian Rapp, Christina Manley, Ray Schwegler, Christine ?, Chris ?, and Leonard ?.
The business of hiking
This trip would be in Sussex County, utilizing routes I had used on two past hikes as well as some totally new stuff to me. I met my group at Sparta, on Station Road at Station Park in the morning and we shuttled cars to the southwest side of Swartzwood State Park on Rt 521 West Shore Drive.
South end of Swartzwood State Park
Swartswood State Park near Kean's Mill
Historic marker
Swartzwood Lake near Kean's Mill
Swartzwood Lake near Kean's Mill
Private dock on Swartzwood Lake
Road on the north shore of Swartzwood Lake
Swartzwood Lake
At the showers at Swartzwood Lake
Near the camp sites at Swartzwood State Park
Dove Island Road
Paulins Kill Lake
Paulins Kill Lake
Paulins Kill Lake
Swamp land north of Rt 622
Paulins Kill Valley Trail at Swartzwood
Telegraph office at Swartzwood
Falls just off Paulins Kill Valley Trail
Paulins Kill Valley Trail
Along Paulins Kill Valley Trail
Paulins Kill Valley Trail
Paulins Kill Valley Trail
Abandoned house just off Paulins Kill Valley Trail
The evil pony
Paulins Kill Valley Trail
Evil pony
Sheeps
Sheeps
The group
Brian and DJ Ray
Paulins Kill Valley Trail
An old whistle marker
Paulins Kill Valley Trail
Original marker noting sixty seven miles out of Jersey City
Paulins Kill Valley Trail
We found giant puff ball mushrooms near Warbasse
Former DL&W Franklin Branch bridge site from NYS&W rail bed near Warbasse
Sixty four miles to Jersey City!
Creek crossing on Paulins Kill Valley Trail
Close to Sparta Junction
Sparta Junction area
View near Sparta Junction
Sparta Junction
Sparta Junction
Along the former NYS&W tracks in Sparta
Sparta NJ
Old Sparta Station
In Sparta
Joining me were "Amish Paul" and Wyatt Hassler, DJ Ray Cortds, Brian Rapp, Christina Manley, "Major Tom" Conroy, Ray Schwegler, and newcomers Chris ?, and Christine ?, and Leanard ?. This was a business themed hike, and I wore my blue pin striped suit; Major Tom also wore a jacket and tie, Wyatt wore a tie, and DJ Ray and Brian both wore sports jackets and sunglasses! Quite funny looking it was! We began walking a loop trail near an old mill in from a parking area at the southwest side of the lake where the water let out as a tributary to Trout Brook and the Paulins Kill River. We walked the trail up hill and high above the shore of the lake, switchbacking and looping around to alongside the creek below the dam. The trail led us right back down to the parking area where we started where we were joined by newcomer Roberty Leanard who was running behind. When he saw we were all wearing business attire, he quickly got with it and put a tie on! I knew he'd fit in fine. We had to walk West Shore Road for a while because trails did'nt exist all the way around, and we turned right on Rt 622 when we reached the village of Swartzwood. I chatted with some people about what we were doing here, and some of us went into a general store to get some nourishment. A short distance down the road we entered the state park land again on a trail. The trail led us to the camp sites and became a dirt road. We walked to the shower house and DJ Ray, Wyatt, and I took showere before we moved on. We followed the access road out to the Swartzwood park office where I pointed out my latest Skylands Magazine Article which had a picture of Brian in it, and we continued across the grassy large yard to the rest of the Swartzwood Trails. We followed a trail to the left, then another side trail to the right, and I made a wrong turn somewhere, but amended it. We ended up on the north shore of Duck Pond wandering through to Dove Island Road, and turning left back out to Rt 622. We followed the road down hill across Paulins Kill Lake and up to the former New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railroad (1881-1962). We began following the rail bed, now Paulins Kill Valley Trail, northeast. We passed the site of the former Swartzwood Juntion where the Lehigh and New England Railroad (1886-1962) broke off to the left, and continued heading more in a northeast to east bound direction. We stopped for a break next to a fenced in area with a pony, which was just as mean as our last visit, trying to bite our hands when we pet it as it had tried to do to Tea Biscuit years earlier. After the break we continued along the rail bed, and we passed by a gym DJ Ray belonged to, which he got a kick out of, because he had no idea that the trail was back there. We continued along to cross Rt 206, and DJ Ray and Christina got some beers which they graciously shared. We continued on and reached Warbasse Junction site, where the NYS&W Railroad crossed and connected with the Sussex Railroad on it's way to Branchville, as well as the Franklin Branch. We continued on and soon crossed another road from where the rail bed was not so well developed. It could not easily be used by horses from here, the bridge being merely metal beams. We continued on and eventually reached Sparta Junction where there was a connection between the NYS&W Railroad and the Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad which was still active at this point. The NYS&W straight ahead was also still used, but now the track I had hiked along previously was all fenced in. We had to walk around the fence to the south out to what I think was county route 648. We walked the active tracks eastward across the busy Rt 15, along a pond to our left, and then past some seemingly abandoned buildings to Sparta where the old railroad station still stood. It was already dark, and I waited for everyone to catch up as this was where we would descend from the railroad to Station Road. We all made it down and back to Station Park well. Most of us headed over to DJ Ray's house to have pizza afterwards and meet his parents, as well as his carniverous pet African frogs. Quite a good day.
Giant puff ball mushrooms!
1.) Along the mill trail in Swartzwood State Park2.) Ray Schwegler and Major Tom on the mill trail3.) Keen's Mill historic marker4.) At the southwest side of Swartzwood Lake5.) View of Swartzwood Lake6.) A private dock on Swartzwood Lake7.) Along the road on the north shore of Swartzwood Lake8.) View of the lake9.) Wyatt with the shower sign at Swartzwood State Park10.) Major Tom and Ray S in Swartzwood State Park near the campsites11.) On Dove Island Road12.) Rt 622 bridge over Paulins Kill Lake13-14.) Paulins Kill Lake15.) View of swamp land north of Rt 62216.) View of Paulins Kill Valley Trail, former NYS&W railroad17.) Swartzwood Junction site, old telegraph office18.) Little waterfall somewhere near Plotts Road19.) Along the rail bed near Plotts Road20.) View along a power line on the NYS&W rail bed21.) Entering a cut on the rail bed22.) In the railroad cut23.) Abandoned house along the rail bed24.) Wyatt petting the evil pony25.) Taking a break near the pony pen26.) DJ Ray with the pony27.) A sheep28.) Trying the pet the antisocial sheep29-30.) Group shots31.) Brian and DJ Ray32.) Wyatt on the rail bed33.) An old whistle marker34.) Heading east on the former NYS&W35.) 67 miles out of Jersey City!36.) Heading towards Warbasse37.) Brian with a giant puffball mushroom he found!38.) Brian and Wyatt with the giant mushrooms!39.) Video of Wyatt kicking mushrooms near Warbasse40.) The Paulins Kill River and former Franklin Branch RR bridge site41.) 64 miles out of Jersey City!42.) Old railroad bridge east of Warbasse43.) Nearing Sparta Junction on the rail bed44.) Approaching Sparta Junction45.) Meadows at Sparta Junction46.) At Sparta Junction area, where the tracks were fenced in47.) Wyatt laying in the road near Sparta48.) On the tracks nearing Sparta49.) Some sort of abandoned building at Sparta near the station50.) At old Sparta Station51.) At the end at Station Park52-53.) DJ Ray's rare African frogs54.) DJ Ray dancing on his video game thing
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