Hike #896; Easton Area Loop

 Hike # 896; Easton Loop

Hike #896; Easton Area Loop
11/19/15 Easton Area Loop with Lerch (Kralc Leahcim), James Quinn, Dan Asnis and Jillane Becker

This next hike would be a loop night hike, once again in the Easton area which I never tire of. There is always so much to see, such relaxing and easy trails to wander at night, and always people who can meet up. This time, I wanted everyone to have the opportunity to buy some cheap suits like I do for hiking.

I made the hike a loop, and it would start at my favorite thrift store chain, Family Thrift, in Easton PA area, actually more Wilson Township. Lerch, James, and Dan were all there when I arrived, some inside already. We looked through stuff for a good while, and didn’t hurry about getting anything because it was raining pretty bad.

Because of the rain, no one else was signing up. Dan purchased some sort of suit, and I think Lerch got one because he was walking around with something. I helped James pick out blue matching blazer and pants, and I found a sale three piece suit for only $2.60! I planned immediately to wear it on the coming Sunday hike.
We left the store, and walked the short distance behind it to the former Central Railroad of NJ. This was a branch that made it’s way gradually up hill away from the main line along the Lehigh to connect with Lehigh Valley Railroad’s Easton and Northern line, which was just to the east of the store.
The paved trail took us through developed area, and we made our way under Rt 33 pretty quickly. It then lost elevation, and when we got to the next underpass, tried climbing up, possibly to cross on the walking deck underneath.
I had loved this spot, and I told Lerch about it a while back. It reminded me of the walkway under the Norman Wood Bridge in central PA, over the Susquehanna, and I’d hiked it a few times. We used it to get across one one hike rather recently.
It was still raining, and so it was rather muddy climbing up to the top. James and Dan didn’t want to go over it, so just Lerch and I tried going up the girder to the top. That was easy enough because it was dry, but when we got up there I was surprised to find they had chain linked and gated the entire walkway.
I knew it was only a matter of time before that would happen. Locals were finding out about it, there were no “no trespassing” signs, and so it was getting too popular. I’m glad I was able to cross on it while it was still accessible. We could have probably climbed over if we wanted, but rather than do that we just climbed back to continue on the railroad right of way.

Culvert

We reached the old CNJ main line, and we continued walking to the east. We followed it as far as Chain Dam, where James had gotten a bit ahead. He came back to us, and we descended from the CNJ grade to the old trolley right of way which has a lovely old masonry culvert under the standard rail line. Both of these were now a trail, paved.
Chain Dam is where the slack water section of the Lehigh Canal began above Hugh Moore Park, and about where the Lehigh Canal crossed to the other side of the Lehigh River where it would remain from this point to above Glen Onoko in Lehigh Gorge.
We walked on from here along the trolley right of way, then cut back over again when we got to the ball fields to the east. We regained the former Central Railroad of NJ main line, still a paved path and now the D&L Trail, and followed it to the east, under the new Glendon Bridge and to the old Glendon Bridge, the through style truss. The approach down hill from this was reportedly designed by our friend John Discuillo.
We crossed the bridge, turned left, and continued on the pathway to the Lehigh Canal towpath.

Glendon Iron Works

We followed the trail where it turned away from the canal after a bit in order to see the ruins of the Glendon Iron Works. We could have stayed on the canal, but I knew Lerch hadn’t seen the ruins yet, and I figured he’d like them.
We continued back to the canal towpath, and beyond where it reaches it’s final slack water section before it’s eastern terminus, where it joined the Delaware Canal.
The rain had let up sometime between 33 and Glendon, and it was actually quite pleasant walking through the area. We turned away from the towpath after the Rt 611 underpass, then followed the road to the McDonalds where we met up with Jillane.
I went in to get mozzarella sticks, but they had none, so I ended up getting them at nearby Wawa. After a nice break, we walked across Easton through the circle, and then climbed the steep steps up to Lafayette College, with it’s lovely overlook. I never get tired of going up there, my favorite spot in Easton.

Easton from Lafayette college

After taking another break at the top, we turned through one of the buildings and followed the top of the slope on the hillside. We walked through the campuses, ending with the Fisher Campus with it’s amphitheater style steps and twin buildings. We passed between the last two, turned right and cut across the access road to the college, then descended steeply under the Rt 22 bridge to Bushkill Drive.
From here, we turned right across the road onto the old Lehigh Valley Railroad grade, which is now the Carl Sterner Arts Trail. The trail turns away from the railroad, then follows the roadway parallel with the cemetery and Rt 22, and eventually picks up the railroad bed again.
As we neared 13th street and turned right, I talked to Lerch about the times I’d been into the Simon Silk Mill. Once in 2006, the front gate was open and we went in to explore. Then again more recently, while having the same conversation it was open again, and we did the same. I was hoping for a third time when we walked by, but no such luck.
Instead, we simply walked around back and went in to explore.

Abandoned

We wandered through and checked out a building I had never been in before. Lerch and I made our way to a set of stairs, but they were busted up, so we continued through to find a better second set, which went into the basement. We actually didn’t hang out in the place for too long, or check out any other buildings even though I kind of wanted to, and instead returned to 13th Street, followed it north, and then turned left on Bushkill Drive to the next access to former Lehigh Valley Railroad at a former industry turned apartment complex.

Abandoned

Lerch and I went in to check out one of the old buildings, which was a mess, and he found a stand alone door to absolutely nowhere, in the middle of a hallway. This was fun because I’d gone by there so many times, and gone in there so many times, but there is always something more to see. Lerch ended up finding weird Australian model posters as well.

Hawt

We continued from here onto the railroad bed, which is sort of undeveloped as a trail at this point. The part right by the apartments is paved, but then the section to the north, to the main through trail route remains unimproved, which I rather like.
We continued on until we got to where the paved trail goes up hill to Upper Hackett Park and turned. We crossed their frisbee golf course and then headed down to Lower Hackett, crossing a bridge over Rt 22 near the bottom.
From here, the trail parallels Wood Ave before crossing and regaining the Easton and Northern Railroad right of way.
We passed the Taco Bell without stopping this time, and followed the trail out across Northampton Street and 25th Street, past the Wallgreens and to the former junction with the CNJ line we started on. We turned right and followed that back to the cars.

Hawtness

It was somewhat disappointing that more people didn’t want to come out, so I’ll just have to post a couple other hikes that start at the thrift store for their convenience. There is no shortage of trails in that area to do, especially on night hikes, and I will never get tired of exploring it.