Hike #867; Bound Brook to Far Hills

Hike #867; Bound Brook to Far Hills

7/23/15 Bound Brook to Far Hills with Lerch (Michael Clark), James Russel, Eric Gregorich, Jen Berndt, Erika Daniels, Dan Asnis, James Quinn, Chris "Cupcake" Kroschinski, Darlene Perez, and Ariel.

The group on Middle Brook Trail

Our next hike would be a point to point night trip between Far Hills and Bound Brook area.

Despite doing these things on Thursday night, we have still been pulling a pretty strong crowd of intrepid people. This would be some of the furthest east we'd have a night hike. The plan was originally to have a hike further east for the benefit of our friend Brandan, who's birthday celebration was to include some sort of a hike, but he and Dan L opted instead to go to NY City, and Lerch and I, who had been talking about doing the hike earlier on, just decided to keep the trip I came up with and go rather than try to head further east in horrid traffic.

After meeting near Far Hills Station, where we used on street parking, we headed to Bridgewater area and parked near the Target store. I had done a variation of this hike twice before, following the Middle Brook during daylight hours, so this time we'd try it backwards so that the more difficult sections would be finished first, and the easy paved sections would be done after dark.

We got a bit of a late start due to traffic holding people up, but then headed to Target. We went in for some supplies, then headed by foot down to Talmage Ave where there was an historic house on the corner. Honestly I forget what it was called! We went underneath Interstate 287, climbed around on the slanted concrete, then reached the bridge over the Middle Brook.

Middle Brook in Bound Brook

The Middle Brook has become a special place for me. I discovered the portion of the greenway there by accident back in 2008 while hiking Washington Valley Park in a loop with the rest of the group. I saw that a trail continued along the brook that was not put on the rest of the county park's map. When I looked it up, I found that there was an amazing longer greenway that stretched well beyond the park. I devised a hike that would connect this with the Bedminster trail system to the west, and other little park, focusing mainly on the route of the Middle Brook.

I organized the hike in early 2010, and Matt Davis ran the hike from Washington Valley on to Bound Brook. It ended up being a great trip, which Matt worked into a little documentary film, seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUTiJgKsZ8c

I ran the hike another time, this time focusing more closely on the main branch of the Middle Brook itself in late 2010, and in the same year I wrote an extensive article on the tributary during my tenure as the Trail Guide columnist for Black River Journal. I was the columnist there on hiking subjects for a couple of years.

My bio on Black River Journal site

The Middle Brook caught my attention further because it is steeped in history. The Continental Army under General George Washington camped at Middle Brook in 1777, and again in 1778-79, and it was the first place the stars and stripes were ever flown over the army. Washington chose the site on the edge of the First Watchung Mountain for strategic reasons. 8,298 men were camped at this point, a stunning number when we look at the landscape today. The mountains are volcanic Basalt uplifts similar to the Palisades formation, and create interesting topography. If that were not enough, the trails alone were interesting enough to justify writing. At the lower end, there were paved paths put atop flood protection berms. In Washington Valley Park, the tributary flows rapidly through the cleft in the First Watchung Ridge, creating deep pools and cascades. Further on, the Middle Brook Trail proper folows through a green swath that was developed when a sanitary sewer right of was was created between new homes that were allowed cluster development. This strategy gave public a trail, but pleased developers because they could still build.

My article in BRJ became popular enough that local governments asked BRJ for permission to reprint it. It was among my most popular printed articles I ever wrote.

We went to follow the Middle Brook on the berms from Bound Brook, but I was surprised to see new "no trespassing" signs at points on top! This looked as though it was meant to be a trail, but it was now closed off for access. I do not know why this happened, but it really messes things up for the article I had written, and it hurts the trail movement. This would be a good piece to fill in the gap for the Middle Brook. I must remind myself to get involved with this down the road and maybe ask some questions.

We followed this anyway, and soon came out at Union Avenue by the Shop Rite, where James and Jen met up with us. We got some drinks and continued on to the north, past the Shop Rite to the left. There was another paved path up there, which appeared to have been built for use as a trail, but was now apparently off limits. It seems stupid to do this. It's really a great thing for both stores and pedestrians trying to get to them.

Bound Brook building today

I was amazed when I looked to my right to see the large building standing there. This was some sort of apartment building that had been completely burnt out when I last hiked through in late 2010. We had thought for sure the entire thing would be demolished, but instead it ended up completely refurbished!

Bound Brook building 5 years ago

Back in 2010, Action Adam and I climbed into the top of this crazy burnt mess, which was by no means an easy task. I thought Lerch would have loved it if I'd known him back then. I was absolutely amazed. We continued on from here toward the Middle Brook's underpass of Rt 22.

Burnt out building in 2010

From here, we did the hike differently than I've ever done it. In the past, we walked parallel roads because there is no real greenway, but this time we opted to just walk up the creek. This was actually really cool.

We walked down to the creek, then crossed on stones below the drop next to the bridge. We could walk partially  under the 22 bridge on a shelf beneath, but then had to go in the ankle deep water. We continued up the stream, and I just walked in the middle. I was still wearing work uniform, so changed out of it quickly as we kept going.

Middle Brook 22 underpass

We continued up the creek, and there was old stone work on the right side wall. I doubt it was a dam, but could have been some sort of mill or something. It would be interesting to find out what used to exist in this area. Certainly, the Middle Brook would have been considered a serious resource here.

We soon reached the bridge for Thompson Ave as the creek entered Chimney Rock Gorge. We held up here for everyone to catch up, and Lerch climbed around on some construction platforms under the bridge. On the other side of the bridge, I found the remnants of the east abutment to the predecessor to this bridge, which probably dates back to the 1700s. Most of the original abutments were destroyed when the current concrete ones were built, but a tiny bit remains because the bridge today is oriented a bit differently.

Middle Brook

Dan was behind, so I had him climb out of the brook and up into a construction area to reach Chimney Rock Road a different way. The rest of us climbed up to the bridge and crossed to Chimney Rock Road. We turned right to follow the road north a bit.

I was also surprised to see that a stop sign post on a pivoting top was sitting on the road, probably the same one that was there when "Commando Tom" Petrucci did his first promo film for the group when hiking through in 2008. The area, with the Chimney Rock Quarry, looks so much different than it did not so many years ago at this point. You can see the movie here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XCx1beG11E

I think of all of the huge changes, compared to the things that are the same, and it makes me think of my grandfather, and when I was little how he would tell me what used to be where. I'm now old enough to say these things myself. Some of the railroads I remember walking as a child are no longer there. They have giant trees growing through them. The trees are so much taller than me today. Am I really that old? Thankfully, I don't feel it.

Buttermilk Falls at East Branch

We headed up the road, to where the Middle Brook breaks into two. The East Branch of the Middle Brook goes off to the right, while the main branch goes left. I didn't want to go that main branch at first because it'd mean a crappy narrow road walk. It's already difficult enough to cross busy Chimney Rock Road. We headed into the woods and crossed the brook on what looks like an old bridge remnant, a concrete pad thing. We then followed an informal trail up stream to the Buttermilk Falls, which is just before the newer East Branch Dam. This is a tall dam impounding East Branch Reservoir. It's possible to follow this branch up stream a ways too, but not as long a hike.

There were some kids sitting there, none of them jumping off the rocks into the water. I actually think they were kind of scared to. Lerch and I of course went for it right away. It was so refreshing.

Buttermilk Falls ane East Branch Dam

The area is absolutely beautiful, and everyone immediately began running around on the rocks. I cautioned them about going too fast, because for some reason rocks in the Pierdmont, the geological province the Watchungs are a part of, can somehow get more slippery I find than ones in the Highlands or Ridge and Valley provinces. I found out the hard way when I fell myself at this point and got cut up badly.

My arm injury from 2010

After several fun jumps, we crossed the creek and headed off trail up the hill. There were lots of Japanese Wine Berries which slowed down our ascent a bit. We ate and climbed and eventually reached the official trail at the top where we turned left.

Somerset County marks their trails horribly, using shapes for different sections, and the markers screwed into the trees in such a way that they pull off when the tree grows, or the tree dies and falls over. There are no turn blazes to show the right way to go, and the marking too infrequent. Even though I'd done this before, we still made a wrong turn.

We found a couple sitting at a slight overlook of the quarry and Bound Brook area, and I asked for directions. They obviously had little clue as to where we were trying to go too, but I figured it out based on talking to them. We headed along the trail and descended to another point on Chimney Rock Road, where we crossed, then crossed a bridge over Middle Brook, then turned right onto an old access road next to the dam of the Washington Valley Reservoir. At a hole in the chain link fence, we turned right on another trail by a spillway. On the other side, we climbed to another trail to follow the south side of Washington Valley Reservoir.

Washington Valley Reservoir

Cupcake, Darlene, and Ariel had parked and were trying to meet up with us but didn't see the correct trail on the other side, so had to get back in the car to meet us ahead. We waited on the shore for a bit to see if they would catch up, but ended up being for nothing. We did succeed in annoying some fishermen with silly sounds while waiting there. Erika mortified us in the meantime with ridicules pictures of men on her phone. She was definitely in rare form on this hike!

We headed back to the upper trail above the reservoir and continued to the parking area at Newmans Lane where we talked to some other patrons for a bit. I directed Cupcake to meet us to the west at Tullo Road where he shouldn't have a problem parking, and we continued across, now on the official Middle Brook Trail, which is marked with wooden posts with white inset circles on them.

Lerch would periodically take off running with James R's dog in a crazy burst of energy.

We followed the trail for a ways, still within the confines of Washington Valley Park, when Lerch, who was at the front, came upon a cyclist who was having trouble. He'd either fallen off his bike, or had placed it down. He was cramped up and sweating badly. The terrain at Washington Valley is difficult even for expert cyclists. His name was Nick D'Alessandro and he had become quite dehydrated and was out of water. Lerch gave him a bottle, and someone else gave him some sort of electrolite thing. Dan A gave him some Advil. We stopped and chatted with him for a while, until we were more sure he'd be alright. After having some gatorade courtesy of Lerch, he started getting much better. He probably was missing electrolites badly. When he seemed like he'd be okay, I directed him to keep to the left on the lower trail heading back to the parking lot. He e mailed me later on to thank me, as I'd left a business card in his pack. When Erika started showing him her crazy manly phone pictures, while shouting "VICTORY" and he didn't run away, I figured he might actually like this group! Hopefully he will join us in the near future.

We continued on out of Washington Valley, and Cupcake met up with us heading toward us on the trail.

The group near Tullo Farm

We headed out across Tullo Farm Road, and followed the Middle Brook Trail over it's many bridges and boardwalks heading west. There was one spot where we sort of lost the trail, because there was a bridge to nowhere with no trail built on the other side yet. Apparently it will be a section removing the trail from the pipeline right of way, because for now it goes over someone's back yard briefly just beyond.

We soon reached the little ponds that are at the beginning of the tributary, then headed off the trail Wishnow Way, which also goes right o Argonne Farm Lane.

Boot Toad

At the end of the trail, a little toad tried to climb up Lerch's boot. We followed Wishnow Way to Papen Road, then turned right on Brown Road (which was a little earlier than I wanted to) to reach Washington Valley Road. We followed the road to the left under Rt 78 to reach Pluckemin where we stopped for some pizza when we reached a place next to a store in a strip mall. There was a paved path that went north from this point that would be our next connection. This part of the hike with the road walk was different than any of the other times I'd done this hike.

After the tasty food, which probably pissed off the people inside because they must have been somewhat ready to close, we headed to the paved trail, which led us between developments easily to the back of another store area. We walked between buildings, and I remembered wiring some of it up when I worked for Vance Calvin at Works Data.

We headed up the road to the right, along Rt 202, and around a bank. I found a shopping cart there out in back of the place, so I grabbed it up and started going backwards through the drive thru. We then crossed over Hills Drive and onto the large parking lot of a Motorola business center. We kept to the left of it as far as we could go, but then came to a slope to Rt 202 we'd not easily get down. I had run with the cart all the way across the lot, with some burst of energy that came from who knows where.

I cut onto the grass north of a retention pond and was somehow able to keep pushing the cart over it. I now had my backpack in it and was enjoying the free back. We hit a parking lot on the other side, and I took off running like a madman again. I eventually hit the sidewalk along Robertson Drive, and waited for the others to catch up.

When the first of the group saw me, they told me to keep going because some guy had seen us and was on the phone. I didn't see any signs that we shouldn't be there except by the retention pond when it was too late, but oh well. We hurried up the road, which soon curved around to Schley Mountain Road. Here, there was an on ramp to the bridge over this road and entrance to the Bedminster Trail sytem. These pedestrian bridges dominate the view when driving through the area. They were perfect to close this hike with.

We crossed the bridge, headed down hill and along Rt 206 and 206briefly, then turned right. We made our way near other roads, went over a hill, then down along the North Branch of the Raritan to cross the Rt 202/206 bridge over it. Once on the other side, we were more or less in the woods, with the exception of the underpass for the AT&T access roads along the river.

Bedminster silliness

A lot of us put our packs into the cart, and must have looked like a bunch of partial nudists wandering shirtless through the woods. We had an easy time on the trail, but then came to ball fields right next to the police station. One officer even pulled out while we were walking. The cart made a good degree of noise, so I opted to leave it there, but then last minute ran back and got it again. We continued ahead through more woods and came up behind a school. We passed by, then followed the last bit of trail that was lighted with electric bollards. I left the cart somewhere in this vicinity, and we had to go through a fence from the fields to reach the road again.

We came to Somerville Road, then turned right on Main Street, and turned right. There were a line of police near the intersection just sitting there, but none of them approached us, not that we were doing anything wrong at this point anyway. We followed the road back to the cars at Far Hills without incident to complete the hike. James drove Dan and I back to the start.

This was really a very fun trip, and a good reintroduction to where I'd been, with plenty of little new places to explore and general silliness. Exactly the type of crazy fun I intend for these trips to be. An overall positive experience.