Hike #1000; Warren Highlands
1/1/17 Phillipsburg to Harmony with Matthew Davis, Kralc Leahcim (Lerch), Scott Helbing, Jennifer Berndt, Russell Lord Byron Rapp, Justin Gurbisz, Tom Vorrius, Ted Wright, James Quinn, John Kosar, Dave Timpanero, Doug DeGroff, Pete G. Wilcox, Kenneth Lidman, Daniel Trump, Cindy Browning, Raj, Rajan, Kellie Kegan, Amanda Lance, Laura Allen Cunningham, Commando Tom Pettruci, Neil Washington, Kevin Gondek, Serious Sean Dougherty, Sean TheRed Reardon, Michele Valerio, Carolyn Gockel Gordon, Nina ?, Varsha Sarabudla, Captain Soup (David Campbell), Don Mayberry, and Rich Kowal.
When was the last time you just took off recklessly running to get somewhere? I just ran out my front door to get some stuff from my car. I was in no hurry to go anywhere, and it’s not really cold outside. I just felt the urge to sprint with youthful exuberance, simply because I love how it feels.
All too often we lose those feelings in life. It’s socially awkward to just explode with such energy, and we’ve come to fear the consequences of not only ridicule, but physical injury because we get so out of practice. People who stop running are often people who have lost something.
One of the things far too many people have become good at in life is talking themselves out of doing things. Unfortunately, I don’t have all of the answers to how people should deal with this. All I know is what has worked for me for nearly twenty years and 1000 hikes now.
If I had no one relying on me to be at a given place at a given time, I would often “talk myself out of” doing all of the hikes I do. Certainly, I have direction, I have purpose, and I have a love for what I am doing, but the thought of the effort necessary to take part is often enough to make me want to curl up and go back to sleep. As a result, I have created my own cure for this maddening nonsense thought process by making myself necessary.
It blows my mind to think how far this has come. The hikes started out by my combined yearning to share the places of love, but with the celebratory ambiance of a birthday party.
My needs for direction and control also were also met with my ability to choose how I managed the hikes myself. More importantly, the hikes allow me to experience the kind of life I want; I can’t talk myself out of doing one of them when I am taking the lead and people are relying on me to be somewhere at a certain time. It forces me to get out.
On WH Trail; photo by Pete G. Wilcox
I had been looking forward to the 1000th hike for a while, and I’d sort of worked it out that if I did a few night hikes and such, I could time it that New Years Day would be the 1000th.
Because of the level of uncertainty, I did not post anything about the hike too far in advance. Undoubtedly, it would be too late for some to make plans to join in the momentous occasion, and I knew that. I was alright without having a huge crowd out for it.
In the past, I’d posted the hike through my job, but this year had been a great deal of frustration. My transfer to the south due to a harassment issue which remains unresolved has been very taxing on me, and despite sending e mails over a week in advance, no one was giving me any word as to whether they wanted me to do the First Day Hike. In the past they’d given me the state van for shuttling and such, but this time I had no support and no one even contacted me about it. My volunteer work is frowned upon even more now by some both above and below me.
I’d posted the trip on mostly Warren Highlands Trail, which has gotten next to no state support lately. People are being harassed daily, and some are afraid to hike the trail as a result. Others are afraid to speak up with regard to the issues because the offenders will vandalize their homes.
So I decided this was my day to celebrate thousands of interconnected miles hiked.
I spoke with Mayor Steve Ellis prior to the hike to see if he’d speak to the group. I worked directly under Steve in the Northern Region Office for state parks for a time, and found him to be among the best of the best. He recently retired from state work to become Mayor of Phillipsburg.
Mayor Steve Ellis in Phillipsburg addressing the group
After meeting my group at the Van Nest-Hoff-Vanatta Farmstead, along the trail route in Harmony Township, we shuttled to the new parking area on South Main Street along the Morris Canal where we met with Steve Ellis who said a few words about the new trail plans.
I had to call up the police because the lot was covered over with cones, and I didn’t want us getting ticketed. They were really cooperative and we were good to go.
LV Bridge
We had about 35 participants, which isn’t at all bad. I couldn’t expect the crazy 88 like we had for the last Jersey Perimeter hike on such short notice. The number we had was great.
Mayor Ellis talked about the Morris Canal a bit, and told us to check out a few spots on the way. He spoke of the new townhouses that are going up and how the area will have a public river walk promenade as planned.
When he left, we traced the historic canal route as best we could along South Main Street, then west a little to Morris Canal Way, built over the canal. It then went across Andover Morris School lands, and we had to return to South Main Street. We stopped them by a little convenience store for food and drink, while Lerch and a few others climbed to the top of the old Lehigh Valley railroad’s deck girder bridge over the road.
After the stop, we all walked beneath the bridge, turned left, and then climbed up to the Lehigh Valley Railroad right of way. This will soon be a trail too. Steve Ellis has worked a deal out where the town will lease it from the railroad for this use.
We walked the right of way to the west for just a little bit, to a grade crossing. We did have to cross one crummy tie bridge that was in less than awesome shape. When we turned off of the rail bed we entered a swath of woods that used to be the Kent Yard, a large railroad interchange area between the Bel Del line (Pennsylvania Railroad) and Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Historic view at Kent Yard
The area used to be just huge. The track layout there was stifling. There was a turntable and round house, and I remember exploring back there with the Railroad Historians group to see buildings with rails still going into them.
Today, it is full of homeless camps in the warmer months, and lots of trash. On this occasion, we didn’t come across really any of that. A trailer that many homeless were living in had been been removed completely, and we met a couple who were back there playing frisbee with their dog. We continued along one of the rail graces, then weaved to the left to the lower end of the river side park where there is a paved bike path cul de sac, part of the Morris Canal greenway. We walked through the opening in the fence, then followed the trail north.
Historic view of Kent Yard
I wanted to bring the group up Mt. Parnassus, the rocky outcropping with the good view of Phillipsburg, Easton, and Morgan Hill, but there just wasn’t enough time to be doing that. There is just so much to see and do in Phillipsburg, and we still had a lot more to do on the Warren Highlands. The first part of the hike was the slowest going because of all of the stuff.
We paused at the top of Morris Canal Inclined Plane #11 West.
Historic image of Morris Canal Plane 11W
This was the top of one of 23 scotch turbine driving inclined planes that made Morris Canal the greatest climber of the world’s canals. Because of the repeat services of the railroad, the canal was obsolete and this was the first of the inclined planes to be abandoned.
Same view of Plane 11 top today.
I wasn’t planning on really doing any side trips or taking a long break, however there really is a lot to see there, including the old signal bridge at the approach to the bridge over the Delaware for Lehigh Valley Railroad. The bridge is proposed to become a trail, while the signal bridge’s fate is as of now unclear. Justin and Serious Sean went out to climb up it immediately.
Signal bridge today
It’s absolutely amazing to me how much a place can change over the years. My first time climbing that signal bridge was in 2001, and the trees are so tall that the view is obscured.
Signal bridge in 2001; photo by Rich Pace
When I saw Justin and Sean up there, at first I wasn’t going to do it. Then something clicked in me and I found myself climbing up the tower that I’d gone up so many times in the past. It was really something to have a look at it again, because it’s been a couple of years since I’ve gone up.
Signal Bridge in 2001
The trees are now growing up through the top of the signal bridge, and the vines are rather tough to get through without tripping. My shoe got caught through and my hands started to sweat for a moment.
Signal bridge today
The view from the top is what has changed the most. It used to be an unobscured view of the bridges over the river, and a great place to photograph trains going by. I had had a photo I took of a Norfolk Southern diesel going across framed, and had it hung on my wall for many years till the house burned down.
View from the signal bridge, 2001
The bridge is where my friend Ron Short had passed away back in early April 2006. Every time I look at the grate missing today I think of where he fell. It’s also hard to picture that in probably the not too distance future the bridge will be a trail.
View from the signal bridge today
The view east on the former Lehigh Valley Railroad right of way, which used to be so clear, is now pretty much just woods. It’s so strange to see and be able to picture.
View east today
I took my comparative pictures I wanted, then climbed back down. I wasn’t expecting many others to want to do it, but Ted was on his way up before I started heading down. After that, Varsha and Red Sean were on their way up.
Historic image of earlier railroad bridges in Easton
I gave everyone some of the history of the area beyond the canal, with regard to the bridges. There was once a double decker railroad bridge over the Delaware where there are now two. The covered double decker bridge was built in 1854, and replaced by two metal bridges in 1876.
Original covered double decker bridge at Easton-Phillipsburg
The two replacement bridges from the covered structure were also replaced at some point. The Lehigh Valley line replaced it’s bridge with a deck truss, with a fish belly bottom that’s still there today. I have read that the other Lehigh Valley line bridge remained in service the same time for a bit, but was later removed. The current bridge reportedly occupies the original double decker bridge piers.
The CNJ bridge is the heftiest one, with a strong and wide deck truss. Not sure the year of it’s construction, but it’s the third one to serve that line at the site.
Signal bridge
We all headed down hill to the Morris Canal Arch at the base of former Inclined Plane #11 West.
We descended carefully on the route of the plane down to the outlet arch, which was constructed around 1842 to protect the inclined plane from the swollen flood waters of the river.
There is a set of ladder rungs up a concrete addition building that went in years after the canal was abandoned which we went and climbed up. I always try to go up those ladders, while others go around, but this time I was amazing to see that much of the group followed me up it.
Morris Canal arch
Lerch had missed the signal bridge craziness because he engaged in his own, on the underside of the deck truss former Central Railroad of NJ bridge over the Delaware.
We checked out the Morris Canal arch, and my brother and his girlfriend Amanda joined. We walked from here along former Bel Del Railroad to Union Square and took a break at Free Bridge. We were hoping to get hot dogs at Jim’s Hot Dog Stand, but they were closed for new years day. We ended up just hanging out briefly, and then moving on along the designated Warren Highlands Trail route.
At the canal arch
The trail starts at Union Square, right at the free bridge on Northampton Street, and then follows along Main Street to the north. It passes under Rt 22 and continues through the north part of town on back streets for a bit.
We continued walking to River Road on the north side of town.
The group was really great. No one came through any state postings, just my own Metrotrails and friends outlets, so everyone was really cool. The next leg of the hike then would be my favorite giant pipe that goes underneath the industrial site to the Delaware River.
Pipe
There were so many people, I was nervous about if someone saw us go in, and question what we were doing. There’s nothing to say to stay out of course, but it sure is strange.
We made our way through the narrow section, down the slope, then into the high pipe all the way out to the Delaware. Everyone always loves this section. Once there, we dispersed to river side or just up river a bit.
Lerch was hilariously trying to put his fingers into Captain Soup’s dimples; each time Captain Soup swatted his hand away. “Come on! You’re better than this!” he pleaded much to my amusement.
We climbed over the concrete edge of the outlet pipe, and followed the Delaware River up stream on the nice path which leads by the outlet at the pump house. We made our way up the path and then went across the former Bel Del tracks at the grade crossing, and began the climb on Warren Highlands Trail to the top of Marble Hill.
We made a right turn before the top on the orange blazed Mine Trail, which leads to the mouth of the thirty foot deep Fulmer Iron Mine. We took a break here, and it’s where we got our group shot. Surprisingly, there was no ice.
Pipe
We continued on the Mine Trail back to the Warren Highlands Trail, which we followed the wrong way only shortly so I could show everyone the overlook of the Delaware River.
From there, we continued on the trail within view of the new Phillipsburg High School, and beyond through the somewhat overgrown section heading east.
The trail wasn’t really too bad, fortunately. I was a bit concerned that it would be an absolute mess through there, but it won’t need quite as much work as I’d thought there would be. Definitely some cutting.
Don in the mine
We headed to where the trail reaches the woods road before the power line crossing, and took a break there at the view.
We could see pretty far into Forks Township because it was such a nice clear day. We then moved on along the woods road section to where it turns to the right. I recall I had to shout out because the group ahead missed the turn.
We followed the trail on the hillside through the Marble Hill state park property, and soon reached the woods road that took us up to the fields with the great view over Lopatcong and Harmony Townships, where we took another break.
Shenanigans
It was a great place to stop, and we enjoyed lots of silliness. Red Sean was wrestling or something with Justin, which was quite funny.
After a bit, we were on our way headed down hill. The trail passes through where a farm house used to be, as well as barns. One of the last remaining structures was an historic double corn crib with overhead roof, but it collapsed just a few months ago. Don Mayberry climbed up into one of the other corn cribs and hung from the inside.
We passed here, as well as the spring and where the Harmony school house used to be, then descended on the former route of Kelly Lane, now sort of blocked off.
Justin has some red on him
I was surprised to see in this area that where the private land owners had painted out the blazes in the past, they were now going one step further.
The blazes were completely removed. I could see where I put turn markers in place, and now the tree just had a little change in the surface where the paint used to be, and there were a few trace amounts of teal paint there as well.
It angers me to see that people not only don’t want the trail there, they go to great lengths to destroy the work I’ve done. It makes it all that much worse that I have no support outside of the group.
Collapsed double corn crib
We made our way down hill from here and the blazes start back up on the fully state owned land. My carsonite post that showed where the trail had turned had also been removed again. I had put it back the last time I was there, and fully expected it to be taken out again. There were actually a few of them in this area, and all of them were gone.
We came out behind the people’s houses who encroach on state park land, and then turned to the left along a section of Belvidere Road. The trail follows the road just for a bit, then goes right into the county owned Geiger Tract.
Don in the corn crib
We headed into the fields, where the trail skirts the left side parallel with Belvidere Road. A couple of my carsonite posts were still in place here, and a large tree that had fallen over the trail route on the east side of the field had been cleared. We were able to follow it into the woods after cutting across the fields, and it wasn’t in too terrible shape. The trail cam that was put there the last time I went through I do not recall being there any more. We crossed the little crossing that Matt made on one of the work trips, and then skirted the edges of the Farmers Fairground fields heading to the east.
Exodus
We turned at the end of the fields onto Strykers Road, then came out to Rt 519. We turned right, the left onto the Fairway road which parallels the side of the golf course. Some of us just cut onto the golf cart path early to walk up because no one was around to care.
When we got to where the trail actually does cut into the woods, some guy started harassing the group from his house. He apparently told a few of them that it was private property. It was certainly the same guy that tried pulling that crap on me a while back.
In the Fox Farm tract
He asked Justin if he could read the sign, to which Justin replied “Yeah”. I turned back when I heard about this and hollered out that this is state park land and the golf course is encroaching. As soon as the guy saw me, he scurried into his house from his screened porch. Clearly he knows he has no right to tell people to stay out, and he’s probably the one painting out the blazes. I also started loudly saying stuff about putting up trail cams. We continued up the hill with no problem other than the fact that it was the most brutally steep climb on the trip. The turn blazes I put up could use some work, because Lerch and a couple of others went the wrong way on one of the other woods roads.
Delaware Water Gap view from Fox Farm tract
We made our way up hill in the former Shandor property, and came to where Bob Shandor Sr. had kept his chair. I found that the chair had been removed unfortunately. No sign of it over the slope. No clue what could have happened to it.
Roof stuff
It got easier from here, as we were leveled off until we got to the edge of the farm fields. This had been cropped over to where we couldn’t see the trail, and trail marker posts had been removed along the way. Fortunately, the crops were plowed and it was again easy to get across. A lot of us all crammed onto the bench I had put up there, which was actually the top of a life guard bench that I had sawed off rather than throw it into the dumpster at work. Tea Biscuit and several others climbed onto the roof of the little building to get a better view of the Delaware Water Gap, which looks amazing at this particular location.
The trail came out from here onto Fox Farm Road, which we followed up hill a little bit to Merrill Creek Reservoir. We entered that preserve at the Fox Farm lot, and followed the perimeter trail to the north for a bit. When we got to the levee on the west side, we descended on the trail route along the paved access road which goes gradually down hill to the underground pipeline connecting the reservoir to the Delaware River. The group nearly missed the turn off because it’s not blazed as of yet.
Tea Biscuit fell
The access road is at first paved, which made me think it would be very easy, but the thing was an unplowed sheet of ice. At the first switchback in the road, I took a bad spill. I stood up, walked some more, and took another hard fall. Right behind me, Tea Biscuit fell at exactly the same place, followed by Serious Sean and I don’t even know who else. Most of us just decided to go with it and slide the rest of the way down the icy part of the road, which ends when it reaches a small fenced building after the switch back.
From there, the trail just follows the grassy, mowed pipeline down hill to a branch of the Lopatcong Cree.
At the bottom, the trail goes left into the woods, and crosses a white wooden footbridge I constructed out of parts from the same old life guard stand I had taken the bench earlier from.
The bridge was in good shape except it was missing one board, which should be easy to replace. It was starting to get dark, so the fact that the bridge was so bright white was a benefit to us.
We went up hill on the other side, and then crossed over Harmony-Brass Castle Road. We followed the trail along the old farm roads parallel with the pipeline, and rejoined the pipeline when we got to the ruins of the old farm buildings.
Brittany brought cookies!
I texted my friend Brittany Audrey who lives right by the trail crossing at Ridge Rd to see if she wanted to join us for the final leg, but she had stuff going on. Fortunately, she was able to come out and give us all cookies!
When we got to the building area for the pipeline just before the road, she was standing there with a big container of them for us! That was an awesome stop, because a lot of us needed some food for that final leg.
We headed across Ridge Road, then down hill steeply on the new trail I had put in. The side hill is in good shape, but it is not blazed. I had a little trouble finding where I put it in at first, but when I found the two cuts of logs I went through with a chain saw, it was easy to stay on the rest of it.
There's James!
We headed to the pipeline, and rather than try to go through the clearing to Van Nest-Hoff-Vanatta, we opted to just go straight through the fields to Rt 519, then follow it to the right to the cars. It was a far easier way to do it than trying to follow any other way.
We had some trouble figuring out where to eat, because so many places were closed, but we finally got in at Quaker Steak, which I’d never eaten at, and it was great.
I’d have liked to have a big celebration or party somewhere, but it was just as well this way. I couldn’t have asked for a better 1000th hike. Really no drama, tons of fun, great people and great experiences.
In retrospect, this is most definitely one of my favorite hikes I have ever organized. It didn’t matter that it was so familiar to me. It was a great opportunity to share a complete vision of what I love about hiking, both in the event itself as well as the trail I personally laid out. For me, it felt like a complete piece; it was a walk down memory lane, and at the same time looking to the future of this great greenway.
As we move into our twentieth year of hikes, the celebrating is only just beginning!
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