Hike #1121; Greenwich to Wilson

Hike #1121; Greenwich to Wilson

4/21/18 Lopatcong to Wilson with Jack Lowry, Sarah Jones, Daniel Trump, Ken Zaruni, Celeste Fondaco Martin, Justin Gurbisz, Tom Vorrius, Robin Deitz, Joe Pinto, Sue Bennett, James Quinn, and Stephen Argentina

Our next hike would be the return to the Saturday night hikes because of my screwy work schedule. I was hoping to avoid this stuff from the previous year, but there’s nothing I can do, so I bite the bullet and we simply have hikes closer, covering whatever new stuff I can.

Pohat pathways

I went over my maps, and I knew that the Phillipsburg/Easton stuff is always really popular. Steve Ellis, the Mayor, asked me specifically if I would consider doing one of my night hikes through Phillipsburg to sort of echo the success of what was going on in Waterloo Village with their similar ones, on the Morris Canal.
I started working out a hike that would take us onto the Morris Canal from Plane 9 West area to the western terminus of the canal, and then looked at a route through Easton.

Pohat paths

I wanted to do some totally new stuff, because that would keep it interesting for me, but I could throw in the other good old stuff as well. The Morris Canal section was pretty easy to plan and straightforward. In Easton, I could use some stuff I’d used before, but I also looked at a golf course to the west.
After the previous Winter, I’d realized that golf courses are just great for hiking, especially if we hit them after dark.

Pohat paths

I found a good way of throwing that into the mix. After I have the main body of a hike all worked out, the toughest part is to figure out beginning and end points where we won’t get in trouble for parking after dark.
For this hike, I found a commuter parking lot just off of Rt 33 and William Penn Highway. This would be our end point.
I got out of work, my first Saturday on for the Spring season, and hurried west on 78 to 33 north, and just barely made it on time to the meeting point.

Pohat paths

There was really a good showing for a night hike, but mostly because it was a Saturday. It’s best to do those Saturday nights because people don’t have work the next day.
We got into my van and I think one other car and then shuttled to the east across Phillipsburg, and then parked at Bourbon Street Wine and Spirits near the Shop Rite. I decided to head in and grab something to drink, and we waited for Stephen to show.

Pohat paths

Once he showed up and dashed across the parking lot to meet up with us like an antelope, we started walking to the northeast a bit.
We went across a wide grassy field area and then crossed over Dumont Road. On the other side, a paved trail led off into the perimeter of a little development.
It was interesting to wander through there because I drove my Camaro around it while it was still under construction, dodging protruding man hole covers and such during late night shenanigans.

View on Morris Canal Greenway

The paved path ran along the backs of houses with a line of trees separating it from Greenwich Street. We continued along the path to the northeast to where another one went to the left. We turned left here and soon crossed over Hamilton Drive, but I soon realized that was not the way I had intended to go. We turned back, and then continued to the northeast on the path. While we walked, we were near people’s back doors, and people were staring at us. I got the feeling that people were suspicious, even though they were trails.

Morris Canal Plane 9W

The path remained close to houses, and there were kids playing in a swath of woods when we moved off a bit further away from Greenwich Street. Jack was playing his guitar as we went by, and so we certainly did look like a different kind of group.
We continued to a path intersection, and continued to the right. This weaved us around more houses and eventually back out to Hamilton Drive. We turned right here.

Plane 9W

Just as we were reaching the intersection with Washington Valley Drive to turn left, two police cars were coming to make the same corner going west. They seemed to be in a hurry. I figured someone had probably called the cops on us walking back there because they thought it was “suspicious” or something. It’s not usual that two patrol cars would show up just to cruise through and have a look around.
Because they had gone by, I wanted to hurry on and get to the next section of path.
We followed Washington Valley Drive north to a right turn on Lincoln Drive. Just after turning, just a tiny distance we turned left again onto another development trail. This one was a bit unnerving because unlike the other ones, it said it was for residents and guests only. I figured it might have meant the playground or something, and so we continued walking down it. This one skirted houses on the left, and more open fields on the right. It took us to the north to Gary Road and emerged between two houses. I waited for everyone to catch up here.

Plane 9 historic image

Once everyone caught up, we turned right on Gary Road to the east just a short distance, and then turned to the left into a wide retention pond pit or something.
We continued pretty much to the north from here and headed out to Wyndham Farm Blvd. We followed that to the left just a short distance, and then turned to the right on Thomas Carling Drive.
I seem to recall people standing out in their lawns or on the phone. I would say hello going by, but was greeted with a really weird and unwelcoming look. Sometimes when we come walking people turn around and change their trajectory altogether.
Thomas Carling took us to the north to a gate, where we entered the field edges which is the route of the Morris Canal Greenway. From the field, we could turn left following the former canal.
The canal itself was plowed in here, and it’s delineated only by trail markers and tree line.

Plane 9W today

The path led us to the top of the former Inclined Plane #9 West. This was the longest, tallest inclined plane on the Morris Canal.
The Morris Canal was the greatest climber of the world’s canals because it implemented inclined plane technology. These were short portage railroads that dragged boats up hill in a cradle to upper levels. They were all powered by Scotch Turbines after the canal was refit in 1842, and prior to that used overshot water wheels.
There were twenty three of these inclined planes on the 102 mile route across the state, but few of them are in good condition.
Plane 9 was restored privately by James E. Lee, and he later sold the site to Warren County as a heritage site, and retained life rights to live there.
When open, we can tour the turbine chamber, which still is in place, but I didn’t want to bother anyone to try to open anything up for us this time. We had a long way to go. I got a couple of photos for my then/now series of stuff, and I went over the history of what the plane was about.

Sleepers and rails

We went over to the former power house site, which is just a foundation, but the subterranean workings are still intact. There’s now a big grate over the top of it to keep people from falling in. We had a look around, and then continued walking down the plane to the west. There were some mock ups of how the rails were secured on the old exposed sleeper stones along the way down. The driveway descends apparently following the old towpath, and so we continued walking down hill.

Plane 9W

Warren County puts a lot of effort into preserving the canal, and it is home to five of the twenty three inclined planes. Six of these planes can be visited, and four of them are at least partially in county ownership.
As we headed down the road, I told everyone I wanted to bring them to the “spring”.
My grandfather first told me about Jim Lee, and I remember him introducing me to him at one of the canal days in Hugh Moore Park in Easton PA. He was quite a character, and the spring really proves it.

spring

My grandfather told me that Mr. Lee had a sign out on the highway, Rt 519, that said there was a spring up the driveway. Thirsty travelers would come up the driveway following signs, and then see a routed wooden sign to the right reading “SPRING”. When they’d go over to inspect it, surrounded by some lined bricks they came across a big metal coil spring. Lee would come out of the house laughing with pitchers of water to offer his bewildered guests.
As sort of an homage to Mr. Lee, the spring stays there to celebrate his silly sense of humor. I love it.
We headed down hill from here to the base of the former inclined plane. The abutments to the predecessor to the Rt 519 bridge were still in place over the Pohatcong Creek. It and the canal became one from this point for a bit. Everyone goofed off on the bridge for a little bit.
We crossed over Rt 519 direct, and then got on the canal towpath heading to the west. We had to step over the galvanized railing to get on the nice clear path. We then continued to follow the route back and forth between being on the towpath and being in the old canal prism itself.

Historic image of Plane 9W

The path leads behind one house, with the creek now finding it’s route to the right of the path. We continued out to where the former weir used to be for the creek to spill over.

Base of Plane 9W today

The weir site is now a good interpretive site, with signs and wooden bridges and steps to get people through. We headed down and up,a nd then followed the towpath out to cross Stryker’s Road.

Pohatcong bridge

On the other side of Strykers Road, the towpath and canal prism have both been restored by Warren County, and it looks really pretty nice. We continued.
There was one giant blow down from the recent storms, but other than that, the path was pretty clear and easy to follow.
We continued until we got out to the fill for Rt 22. From there, in the past we often head up and then go up to the Phillipsburg Mall to safely cross, but this time there really wasn’t that much traffic. Still, I wanted to try something new.

Plane 9W

We headed down hill to the right, and made our way to the edge of the creek. The creek has two culverts for the water to pass through in case of floding.

Old 519 predecessor bridge

It’s been suggested in the past that the safe passage of 22 could be by rehabilitating the underpass to allow for pedestrians.
This time, the water was way too high. We couldn’t get through it easily. Even if we could on a dryer day, it would never be a good route for pedestrians unless they made the overhead clearance greater. It’s been suggested that a machine open it up deeper, but then the creek will just flow into it worse. I think a bigger tunnel or a bridge is needed. We had to turn back up to the canal.

The canal path

We climbed steeply up the slope to the edge of Rt 22. This wouldn’t be too tough to cross. There were no cars coming, so I just casually walked over it. Some of the others waited longer, and had to hang out for the next line of cars to go by.
The toughest part was Celeste with Benny. The dog was afraid to go through the galvanized gates or something it looked like from my angle, but eventually they got through and we were on our way.
We headed to the left a bit, then to the right down into a newly developed area.

Towpath

The new housing development, town houses or something, incorporated part of the old canal and towpath into their retention pond system. It isn’t really that authentic, but at least we got a trail out of the deal.
We followed the path along, and at the end of it, we turned to the right to head out to Lock Street, which follows closely to the canal.
The canal is on private land parallel with Lock Street, and kind of overgrown.

Canal greenway

Even if this section is never acquired for the trail, at least there’s Lock Street, and it gets very light traffic. I think we only saw a couple of cars the entire time we were walking this section.
We continued along, and I stopped everyone at a slanted driveway to the left.
The driveway was the original Inclined Plane #10 West. This was a different one than the others, because it was completely rebuilt at another location rather than upgraded on what was already there.

Weir site on the canal

The original one would have had the overshot water wheel, but we didn’t see any remnants of any power generation. We continued walking, and just past, where Lock Street crosses over the creek, there is a little grassy area next to the tail race tunnel of the later Plane 10.
I’ve never been back into the turbine chamber of this one, bu it’s on my “to do” list. We took a quick break here next to the interpretive sign.

View on the canal

Justin got up on top of the green trusses of the road bridge while we were there, and spurred some weird looks by passersby.
We continued on from here along Lock Street, and soon the slope of the 1842 Plane #10 was in view to the left of us.
Plane #10 is now also a Warren County Heritage Area, just like Plane 9. This plane was bought and cared for by James E. Lee Jr, the son of the original Lee who restored Plane 9.

Canal

Mr. Lee still lives at the place with life rights the same as his father had. He often comes out and gives us historic dissertation on the canal when we bring groups through.
This time, I saw him up at the house look out his window, but I didn’t want to bother him
We continued walking further down Lock Street, and traffic was a bit busier. There’s a beautiful old colonial house on the right side, and we came to the intersection with Chestnut Street to the right.

Big tree on the canal

We continued ahead, and soon came to the site of Lock #8 West. This is one of the few that still has the original lock tender’s house in place, though it’s much changed in style.

Blow down

We walked down the road a bit further from here, and then came to the site of Lock #9 West. This one too has a lock tender’s house still in place, also much changed, but original.
I paused at this second lock tender’s house to try to set up a then and now photo composition. This area is really tough to tell about, because the road has overtaken the canal. Lock Street was always parallel with the canal, but now it’s way wider.

Lock #9 West

I was trying to line up the photo with the only thing that really looked like a reference point: a house with a peaked roof to the left which appeared in historic images.

Site of Lock #9 West

Newcomer Joe Pinto was awesome. He got right with it with everything we were doing, and he even had saved the historic photos to set up his own similar shots to what I was taking. he and I walked back and forth and tried to figure out how the photo should be taken.

Crossing 22

Joe came from Kentucky or something, a really far distance, but while he was out he decided to come out for this hike because he’s fascinated with the old canals and rail lines.
As we were taking the photos, I remembered my first time hiking through on this section of the canal, how my brother Tea Biscuit and and friends Bill Bill Jacqmein and Damien Mohan were stopped by a little old lady who told us she remembered the canal boats going by. I’d wished I’d talked to her more. That was in March of 2003.

Crossing 22

We made our way further along Lock Street to South Main Street and turned right briefly. To the rigth from there, the canal towpath can be seen easily along side the creek. I had another historic photo I wanted to get a then and now composition of, so we walked the section of the former towpath out for just a bit.
I managed to line it up in a way that I figured looks just about perfect, but the trees are so thick it looks totally different.

Historic image at Greens Bridge

Once I felt I had gotten the shot I needed, we backtracked back out to South Main Street. There were a couple guys fishing wondering what we were up to.

Looking to Greens Bridge today

We passed by the old burned out mill building and could see plainly the giant stone viaduct of the Centrail Railroad of New Jersey. Below it, former Morris Canal Lock #10 West once existed. The canal was one with the Lopatcong Creek at this point.

Greens Bridge then

The Lehigh Valley Railroad, once a competitor, built it’s bridge immediately parallel with the CNJ bridge. It was replaced later, but the original bridge abutments still stand.

Greens Bridge now

The current bridge has concrete abutments adjacent to the originals. We headed past the former lock site, across the road bridge over the creek, and beneath the rail bridges.

Retention pond canal section

I brought everyone down along the edge of the one pier, and showed them how the wooden base of the former towpath is still in the water beside the bridge, and how the masonry of the piers bear the wear marks of one hundred years of tow ropes wearing against them.
I had to set up yet another then and now composition, and we moved on along where the canal once passed to the west.
Just ahead, we came across a spot we could stop for lunch: Canal Side Pizza and Subs.

The group

I really like that new businesses are marketing upon the canal. The greenway trail still has a long way to go, but having the business associated with it could entice the trail users to go in and use it like we did.
The pizza was actually pretty good. I seem to recall they had shore size slices rather than the little ones.
We had a very nice little break before moving on along the canal. The next section was rather recently completed with surfacing and new fences around the parking area.

Plane 10 W

Since the last time we hiked through, they had unveiled these wooden cut outs of mules and a mule driver parallel with the former canal. The idea is that people driving over on South Main will look over and see the profiles of the activity as it would have looked back in canal days. They also have the profile of one of the boats built in the same area. Stephen and Justin climbed up on and rode the mule statues a little bit, which didn’t seem possible because they were two dimensional wooden things. Ouch.

Retention canal

The trail took us along South Main Street for a while, then cut to the left out to Sawmill Street.
The last time we did this hike, there was nothing beyond that point, but this time the new trail has been delineated all the way to the former aqueduct site.
This aqueduct once carried a road from South Main Street beneath the canal and then out to the Delaware River at the confluence with the Lopatcong Creek. As I understand, this is the only remaining aqueduct constructed to carry a transportation route beneath the canal.

By plane 10

The old aqueduct is now filled in save for the very top of the arch, but it is a very substantial structure. Maybe one day it can be excavated and showcased a little better.
The path to the former aqueduct was now a crushed stone like the rest of it, which was nice to see. Mayor Steve Ellis is planning on the next leg of it as well, and it looks like it’ll be nice. We continued walking to the right, where the trail wasn’t quite done.

Bridge

We had to step over a wire thing to the left of a gate, but we got over. We crossed over the access road to the railroad, and then continued walking on Morris Canal Way, which was built over the former canal. Fences that had been in place around the school yard when we got to Andover-Morris School seemed to be removed, I suspect for the greenway. There was also an historic marker on a piece of marble regarding the Andover Iron Furnace Concrete Faced Loading Ramp.

By Plane 10

The once twenty acre Andover Ironworks property now barely has anything remaining of it. It appears that the loading area is the sole remnant.
Iron processed at this site was once taken to Trenton and used to make railroad rails. It also provided munitions for the Civil War.
We continued on past the Andover-Morris School, and then walked a section of South Main Street to the former Lehigh Valley Railroad underpass. Once past that, we turned left on Sitgreaves Street.

Plane 10W

Just a little bit after turning, we cut hard left up the steep embankment and made our way up to the old Lehigh Valley Railroad right of way. I usually follow this because it ran somewhat parallel with the canal, which is totally obliterated and not possible to walk for a time.
Once we were all up, we started following the old rail line to the west. It was clear enough for walking for a little while, but then got to be a little bad when we got to the bridge across McKeen Street. We had to take our time going over that.

Ham

Once everyone was over, we continued on the rail bed which was totally clear ahead. There was a lot of stuff going on around town, with a couple of parties we could see in back yards along the way parallel with the rail bed. I could hear them commenting about us.

Ham

We continued out to the grade crossing with Stockton Street and turned left. There were people playing ball on the clearer part of the rail bed in this section.
I was also surprised to see that people were riding ATVs from the woods right out onto the streets of Phillipsburg.
We turned to the left down Stockton Street and headed directly into the woods ahead, into what used to be the Kent Yard, the rail yard that was the connection between the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Lock #8 site and tender's house

We headed straight and picked up a wide right of way, then followed it to the right for a while. This eventually came to where we could see the fences for Delaware River Park. We cut hard left there, and weaved around the southern end fo the park, then came out over by the former Bel Del (Pennsylvania) Railroad. A hole in the chain link fence took us through to the paved pathway at a little cul de sac, and we were able to easily walk north.

Jammmeeess

We could see Mt. Parnassus tower over us, and the cut through it that the connecting railroad used. Just beyond, we picked up the Morris Canal towpath again. The paved pathway pretty much follows it from here all the way to the top of Inclined Plane #11 West.
We continued to the top of the plane, and I pointed out some more historic sites. It was getting dark so we didn’t try to climb Mt. Parnassus this time.

Lock #9 and tender's house

From the top of the inclined plane, we descended to the Bel Del tracks. We then turned right for just a bit, and I pointed out where the bridge was that carried the canal plane beneath the railroad.
We cut to the right when we could see the Morris Canal arch, a giant stone archway that was created to protect the canal plane from the flooding of the Delaware River. It’s amazing the arch still survives today.

Greens Bridge

We got out on the arch, and it was just getting dark. We had beautiful views of the Delaware, and the former Lehigh and Hudson River Railway bridge over the river ahead. I gave a little more history on how there was once a wooden dam that provided just enough slack water that boats could be ferried from either the Delaware Canal or the Lehigh Canal on the Pennsylvania side and join the Morris Canal eastward. This section however was first to be abandoned. Plane 11 was obsolete soon after the advent of the railroad.

Pizza!

We left the arch and made our way back to the Bel Del tracks north. This took us out to the outfitter place and the bar in the building made to look like a railroad station, even though it’s not.
Robin had parked a car just ahead from here, and was to cut out early. The rest of us continued on from here across the Northampton Street Free Bridge.
We got across, then turned to the right down the steps closer to the Delaware. From there, we turned left and followed the pathway up stream for a bit. We passed an amphitheater, and then came out to Rt 611. We walked that beneath the toll bridge, then turned to the left on the other side on Bushkill Drive, just after crossing over the Bushkill Creek where a building is sort of built on top of it.
We followed Bushkill Drive for a bit, until we reached teh long steps that lead up into Lafayette College. We all went up them, and took a break at the big statue at the top, where we look out to the other statue in Easton Circle. There was a security guy pulled up behind us, so I was ready to go.

Muulles

Like we had so many other times in the past, we turned to the left and followed the slope atop the hill at the campus.
We cut down hill through the Fisher Campus, over the ampitheater, and I slid down the railings like I always do.
Once we got below there, we passed the AC units or whatever on the way down behind the buildings, and crossed the access road on the way to reach Rt 22. We then headed down below the Rt 33 bridge, and crossed Bushkill Drive again to pick up the Karl Stirner Arts Trail, which follows on and off the former Lehigh Valley Railroad.

Muuuule

We turned to the right to follow the trail, and then turned left across Bushkill Creek on the bridge to the cemetery. We cut to the right on the other side, and followed the trail to the north with different art items adorning the edge of the trail along the way.
As we continued, the old railroad bed crossed Bushkill Creek and joined the trail we were walking. We continued on this to the area of the old Simon Silk Mill. It was crazy to see the place all buttoned up on all the windows. Just two years ago, the building was a wreck and we were all climbing thruogh it and exploring.

Muuuules

When we reached 13th Street, we all turned to the right, to the north. We followed it out to the intersection with Bushkill Drive and turned left. The road is wide there and easy to be walking without problem.
We continued to an old industrial site that had been re-purposed as sort of luxury apartments, and continued around the building to the right for a bit. This took us out to the former Easton and Northern Railroad, part of the Lehigh Valley Railroad system. We followed it parallel with Bushkill Creek up stream.

Canal boat mockup

The rail bed soon reached the new cut over trail through Hackett Parks. This was the route I had planned. We followed it up hill rather steeply to the fields at the top, then cut a corner to the right a bit.

The part buried old aqueduct

We continued to where the trail crosses Hackett Ave on an old road route down hill, and followed it through the dark on a switchback to the pedestrian bridge over Rt 22.

Plaque at Andover Iron Works site

We crossed, passed through Lower Hackett Park, and then followed the paved trail taht leads to the east a bit. It soon crossed over Wood Avenue and started to ascend a bit.

Former Lehigh Valley Railroad

We were making pretty good time here. This section of trail soon picked up the former Easton and Northern Railroad bed as it neared the crossing of Northampton Street.
This area was so much different than it had been back when I started these hikes. The Wonderbread place used to be where we came out to Northampton Street, but the entire complex that was there is now totally gone.

Bridge on the old LV line

There’s now some sort of medical facility I think it is. We crossed over, and I can’t remember if we stopped at Taco Bell this time. Usually I do, but I don’t think anyone else wanted to. We continued on the rail bed past the old Dixie Cup Factory.
We crossed over the 25th Street just ahead, where there used to be a railraod bridge. It was still there the first time we hiked it, but was torn out some time after 2002. The path continues around the Wallgreens, and then crosses William Penn Highway.

Dark walkin

We walked a little ways further on the trail from here, and then turned to the right on another paved path leading to the right. This soon picks up the right of way of the old Central Railroad of New Jersey line that connected to the Easton and Northern. Where the path starts, it’s actually a bit north of where the actual junction would have been. That site was obliterated by development it seems. It regains the rail bed by the time it reaches the next crossing, which was Milford Street. We continued ahead and crossed Greenwood Avenue.

View of Lehigh and Hudson River Railway bridge from Morris Canal Arch

We continued further, and the trail crossed over Mine Lane Road, and then paralleled Fairview Park. We continued from here just out to Stones Crossing Road, the next street. We turned right here to head north a bit, then turned left on Nicholas Street. We were only on this little suburban residential street about a block to Edamay Street where we went right. We worked out way out to William Penn Highway where we turned left, and were able to walk through the business parking lots on the north side of the road.

Easton view from Lafayette College

We followed this to Friendly Food Mart, which was closed, and then I had everyone wait up at the edge of a grassy area. This was where we’d start doing some weird stuff.
My plan from here was to follow along the grass next to some trees to the north. We would cut across the east side of a big yard, and then emerge on the east end of the Northampton Country Club.
We got there no problem, and then continued to the west a bit. This was a lovely, relaxing route. We soon crossed over Bethman Road and continued to follow the green.

Yolk pilot

We continued slightly up hill, and near the south side of the course, to then cross over Chipman Road. Beyond that one, we would come close to their lodge area or restaurant or whatever it was.
Just around the point before we reached the course, Jack and Sarah decided to Uber out or something.
We quietly continued to the south side of the lodge building, and made our way past some dumpsters. I put my beer bottle on top of that because I guess it wouldn’t open or something, and we continued on across a bit more of the green to the west. We went by some tennis courts or something, and then came to the Country Club Road where we turned to the left. We regrouped aain when we got to some lawyer place.
When we were leaving, I saw my beer bottle had been put on their doorstep. I was befuddled and asked how it got there. Justin then said to me “That’s where it goes...”. I wasn’t about to go over there and pick it back up, so we hurried on out to William Penn Highway and walked to the west beneath Route 33. Just beyond, the park and ride is on the right side, but there was an annoyingly high fence around it that forced us to go around further than we’d have liked to in order to get to our cars. In retrospect, I should have had everyone park on the extreme south side of the lot rather than right at the entrance.
This hike went really pretty well, and I was happy to have a couple of substantial new places I’d never walked before added in with the stuff I knew and loved. Pretty much anything in Phillipsburg and Easton is guarunteed to be a pretty good trip, and I’ll be sure to do plenty more.

HAM