Hike #939; Hope to Oxford

Hike #939; Hope to Oxford

5/26/16 Hope to Oxford with Kenneth Lidman, Commando Tom Petruccio, Julie Strohmaier, Jim "Uncle Soup" Campbell, Jason W. Briggs, Michele Valerio, James Quinn, and Alexis Kniazew.

For this next night hike, we had a real winner with only one minor hiccup in a route that I planned from the Lidman’s home in Hope down to Oxford. We’d cover some of my favorite spots, some new stuff, and have a few surprises!

Lidman tract hiking

We started literally by cutting across the yard and onto Delaware Road. The roads in the area are beautiful and not heavily used. There are so many I’ve wanted to use for night hikes anyway, so this worked out great.
When we arrived, it was cool that Julie and Commando Tom, neither of whom had been out for a while, were able to make it. Tom even showed up wearing his work suit, dress shoes and long white shirt. It looked terribly uncomfortable. Fortunately, I had enough crap in my car that I could pass along to him to make the hike much more comfortable. He wore a pair of crocks, some shorts, and I told him he could keep my D&L Trail shirt, since he’s now planner for Plainfield Twp PA.

Swayze mill site

While walking, we made the wrong turn at first, continuing on Delaware Road, and had to turn back to go on Swayze’s Mill Road. That took us by the ruins of the former Swayze Mill site. There was a grist mill here erected in 1787 by Joseph Swayze Jr.
Since everyone is of course wondering, yes, these are Patrick Swayze’s ancestors.
While we walked the road, Tom was noticing how the paving job was done, ignoring the center line altogether, and then when there were plants growing up through the asphalt. He had to text one of his employees to show as a laugh. He was commenting on how now he looks at everything different as a planner. A conversation ensued about perception, and Julie started in about the food industry and how that changes dining experiences.

Swayze Mill Pond Park

We soon reached Swayze Mill Pond Park and turned left. I had never incorporated this park into a hike before. The park is intended only for Hope Township residents, but this time it was okay because we were Ken’s guest, even though he hadn’t caught up with us yet. He got home, and was walking the road to catch us at the park.
We walked around the pond clockwise, saw some adorable ducks, as well as a turtle. It was a really pleasant and easy walk with some nice views.
Once we got back to the parking lot, there was a concession stand that was open. Perfect timing because we were able to get some drinks and snacks before moving on.

Honey Run

We got back on Swayze Mill Road and started following it to the southwest. There were some really nice farm and stream scenes along the road. The Honey Run closely paralleled for a bit.
We continued out to Rt 519, Hope Road, and turned right. There is a section of state land that touches the road and an old woods road that goes up over Jenny Jump Mountain to the rest of the trail system. I related the story to my cohorts about finding it. The entire situation he and I ended up in turned into an “in joke” that has lasted through other hikes and scenarios ever since.

The pond in 2002

It was July 23rd, 2002, and my brother and I were looking for the abandoned road over Jenny Jump Mountain that I had scouted with my former girlfriend Cathy. We just didn’t know how to connect it with 519. Here is an excerpt from that journal:
“Tea Biscuit and I soon came across a run downhouse just off the road, and though I was nervous about asking the tenants for directions, Iwas more fed up with being lost. No sooner did we arrive, there was an odd, very old manin front of the place whom I asked for directions. I recall him being a rather plump olderguy, with a thinner old guy with him who did not say much. Tea Biscuit commented afterwe left that he was bleeding from his ears! He directed us to the farm road past an oldpond; we thanked him and were on our way, slightly freaked out.Ascending through the fields, we passed the pond and entered the woods ascending a nold woods road, soon to reach the blazed Mountain Lake Trail. “

Bloody damned mess

Years later, in 2006 we were lost in Catasaqua PA, and Tea Biscuit commented that all we needed to do was find an old bleeding man, and we’ll be fine. Sure enough, we got the correct directions from an old man with a bad nose bleed.
I recall there was one more scenario where this played out, but I can’t remember it off the top of my head.
There was no finding the woods road this time at all. The last time I tried to do it was really rough bushwhacking, but it was doable, in I think 2013. When we got to where we should go up, it was nearly impenetrable. Still, I crawled on through and got all cut up. Uncle Soup and Jason I think went off another way, smartly. Jason ended up finding the good woods road, and my legs were torn to shreds.
The woods road was really actually good along the north side of the fields. I almost went the wrong way before realizing where to get on the woods road going up.
Michele was parked at Mountain Lake ready to meet us, and I directed her to the trails to get to us. When I was at the crest of the mountain, I called out her name and she heard me.

Mountain Lake

We joined at the top, and then followed the tea blazes of the Jenny Jump Trail, future Warren Highlands Trail route, along the top and then down to the west side of Mountain Lake. We reached the road and walked the shore a bit, but I realized we came out too far to the south and again had walked the wrong way. We backtracked and eventually got to the east side where James and Alexis were waiting for us. We stopped to see the nice view of the lake briefly before moving onward to the east, on Tamarack Road. A short distance down there used to be a trailer park, where my ex Cathy and I almost bought a trailer back in 2000.

Former trailer park

It was cool that Alexis made it back out, it’d been years since she’d been out as well. This trip was turning to something of a reunion, both with people and familiar old places.
The old trailer park was now property of NJ Natural Lands Trust, but not prominently signed. I want to use it for part of Warren Highlands Trail, and so needed to scout it. I knew there was an old trail that went up from the trailer park, but figured it’d be a mess. It wasn’t bad; we were able to find it and follow it rather easily, although it was a rather tough climb up, tougher than expected.
We hurried to the top so we could see it before dark. Jason and I got there first.

High Rock view

The American Flag had gone missing from the post up there, and I mentioned to my friend and former landlord Brian Megaro who is on the Mountain Lake fire company. I have an idea for making an event out of the replacement of the flag up there I plan to contact him about.
We had a really nice break admiring the view from the top. It’s really one of my favorite lesser known spots in Warren County.
We continued from here back down the way we came partially, but then I led everyone down the weird way I always used to go up High Rock before the state purchased the land on the other side. It’s not by any means trail, and is slow going, but we got there.
We turned right onto Free Union Road and followed it down to Rt 46. It’s my favorite stretch of 46 because it’s lightly used and so pretty. That time went by quick, even on the highway.
At Pequest Furnace Road, we turned right to the former Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad bed.

Historic view of Pequest Furnace

The Pequest Furnace used to stand at this intersection, a blast furnace along the route of both the Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western. I gave everyone a little history, then we took a good break with a dip in the Pequest River, right below the through girder style bridge the LHR line used to cross it. I was amazed that only Commando Tom and I were interested in going in. We stood in it talking for a while, and I sat down. It felt so good. We talked about how this really felt like the first of the Summer hikes. We’d had hot days before, but this was the first hot swimming night. It really feels like it’s going to be another great Summer.
Once we got out, we hiked the LHR line to the west. It was nice and easy, and we turned off of it when we got to the three arch Pequest Viaduct on the Lackawanna line. We climbed to the top of that under the southernmost arch, then followed the old Lackawanna line to the south and eventually across Pequest Road. We took to the paved trail section from there toward Oxford.

Shippen Manor

I never tire of this section of the railroad beds. It’s always nice and easy to walk, with nice sights and sounds.
As we approched Oxford, I pointed out where the railroad station used to be. We turned away from the railroad bed, which is built over by Lower Denmark Road now, onto the former route of Lower Denmark Road, and then headed up past the now cleared Oxwall building site. The Shippen Manor was well lit up as we neared the town. That building was constructed in 1754-55 and is the finest example of a colonial ironmasters house in NJ, if not the eastern US. We walked by the Oxford Furnace, originally built 1741, and then down toward the school where we were parked to complete the hike.
The night was a good reminder that everything changes, but it can still be outstanding.