Hike #940; Newark to Little Falls
5/29/16 Lenape Trail; Newark to Little Falls with Serious Sean Dougherty, Jim “Uncle Soup” Campbell, Dan Lurie, Brian Miller, Fritz Hafele, Gregg Hudis, Russell Lord Byron Rapp, Teun Ott, Brian Coen, Edward DiSalvo, Terri Allen, Monika Kwiecinska, Tamara Jennings, Cindy Browning,
Our next hike would be a point to point, and the fifth in the series of the September 11th National Memorial Trail. That series is really starting to become great because it’s out of the regular city stuff and onto some other trails.
The group in Belleville area
The trail is a more straightforward route, where if anyone just wanders ahead, they know to look for the standard blazes with turns and everything. I didn’t have to worry about it as much.
We also had a great benefit in the help of Tom Edmunds, Morris County Park Planner who operated a “slack wagon”, offering early outs to those who needed it, and water if anyone was thirsty. This worked out for Dan really well because he had prior commitments where he had to cut out.
Second River
Our end point was the Little Falls Shop Rite. I’d used t his when I did the Lenape Trail as a series back in 2007 I think it was, at Fred’s (Hafele) recommendation. We shuttled from that point out to the now abandoned grocery store (part of the A&P close outs) in Belleville a few blocks off of the trail route.
We walked just a few short blocks to Branch Brook Park, Newark, and I paused everyone at the same place we did the last time to give Morris Canal history where we crossed the Newark Light Rail, which was built in the canal. We then continued a short bit to the narrow portion of the park, where the yellow blazed Lenape Trail heads north.
The trail was much the same as it always was through the park until we got to the north end. The change in the trail is that it now follows the Second River farther east than it used to. It used to cross at Mill Street, then hug the north side, but now it follows the south side, then crosses further down into Belleville Park, the first reroute I had never done.
Tom E met us at the start of the hike to shuttle people, then met again at the Cherry Blossom visitor center to check up on everyone. He’d walk with us a little bit along the way, then head back.
Brian getting fresh!
We headed into Belleville Park and took a break at the north side where there are restrooms. These restrooms were pretty much never opened...except this time! We took a break there, and Brian, in rare form on this occasion, threw Tammy over his shoulder and carried her around after she said she didn’t know if she could handle it or something!
After the break was over, we followed the blazes to a post on the north side, then things got a little questionable as to where to go, at least for me. Fred kind of took the lead here, because he could follow it without even looking at the blazes, at least the old route anyway. I’d no clue where to go for that if it wasn’t marked good.
Lenape Trail on a utility line in Belleville
Most of this must have been about the same. Fred said that it used to go up one of the streets to the right, but was now out on another. Either way, we ended up by Belleville high school where we got a group shot with an overturned car out in the front of it!
As we walked the road just before that, Tom E just shot out of the alley between buildings offering water! It was a real laugh! No one expected him to just show up out of nowhere like that! Very funny. While waiting, Serious Sean and I burst into singing and playing the Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend The Night Together”, because I had been playing it in my car, and we shuttled to the start together.
Burger King...drive through?
From Belleville high school, the trail followed a utility line swath to the north, northwest. One of the reroutes was apparently at the north side of this, where instead of continuing on the swath, the trail turned right around Ernest Street to Harrison Street.
There was a Burger King there, and since a lot of the group was going on and on about ice cream, we figured they could get some there. This was a totally weird Burger King (Nutley, NJ) because it looked like it was a former garage. It was very good though, and the people inside didn’t mind us too much. Serious Sean and I did a number of songs while we were in there including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Free Fallin”, Eagles “Hotel California”, Tom Petty’s “American Girl”, and even Stealers Wheel “Stuck In The Middle With You”.
Serious entertainment fit for a King
There were probably other renditions of songs that came out while we were there, but that’s all I can remember off the top of my head right now. It was a really fun time.
Lord Byron was taking video for a documentary he’s working on for much of the hike, and I’m sure he got some really entertaining footage along the way, including here.
When everybody was satisfied with their food, we continued on our way, back to the Lenape Trail’s new route, which goes through Booth Park and further along the Third River, and then out toward the Nutley High School. We followed the river again, and soon Tom E showed up in the middle of the trail to check on everyone again.
Third River at Booth Park
We remained along the trail at Third River for a little while, and then the trail turned to the left to cross. It passed near the high school, and then the historic Vreeland House, now the home of a local Woman’s Club.
Vreeland House
The Vreeland House was once thought to be a bit older, and to be a house that was seized by British during the American Revolution, but now it’s believed that it must have been somewhere else.
Regardless, the historic home is still colonial, and was probably built in 1751 when the property was inherited by Hendrick Vreeland.
We lost the trail blazes in this area somehow, and ended up walking up the road a block out of the way. Fortunately, we found our way back to it, and it turned to go down Church Street in Nutley.
The next surprise we came across was the Nutley Historical Society’s museum.
Nutley Museum
We happened to be walking through on the trail on a day that the museum was opened. When the trail was rerouted, it must have been routed in such a way as to go right by the museum, which was a great idea. We threw a few dollars into their donation pot, and they were generous to have cookies out for people! What a great stop!
The museum was in an historic school house built in 1874-75 to replace an earlier wooden structure that had burned down. It was nice and cool inside, which made me wonder why there were some that opted not to go inside at all! Somewhere along the way we lost Shayna and German, and they opted to just walk the direct roads back to the car. Too bad because they missed out on the best stuff!
In Nutley Museum
The volunteers at the museum were very knowledgeable. They took lots of time to talk to us and relate the history. I had so many questions, I just couldn’t go into it at this time. One of them pointed out Martha Stewart in one of their old yearbooks, that she had gone to school there!
They also had some interesting stuff on Camp Nutley, a short lived military camp when it was deemed necessary on the route to the George Washington Bridge. There were lots of interesting stores to go with all of the artifacts. We looked around two stories of the building before heading out on our way to the west.
At the end of Church Street, the Lenape Trail picked up it’s earlier route along the swath heading to the north, the utility right of way. We continued north, then got back on roads for a short bit. We followed Watching to Sadler to Pilch, and Pilch Street was where we crossed the Garden State Parkway on the Morris Canal hike. I pointed out the spot to everyone there.
Closed bridge?
We reached the Demarest School and headed south to get to the Clark’s Pond Park. I think that was off of Bassida Street. A guy in his yard there said to me that “They collapsed the bridge down there, you’re going to have to go to the left down and across”. It turns out the bridge wasn’t gone at all, just had a hole in it. We continued across to the park, and I waited for everyone to get over this rough spot by laying down in the brook to cool off. It felt so good. We continued out across an open area (not in view of the pond at all) and then continued on some streets toward Brookdale Park. While we walked road sections, I saw a guy watering his lawn. I asked him if he could blast me with his hose. Somewhat surprised, he looked at me and started shooting my lower legs. I laughed and said “That’s not going to do anything! Just blast me with it I don’t care!”. So he let it rip and I got soaked. It was wonderful.
While walking a road further ahead, a couple pulled along side of us, and a girl asked what we were doing. I explained the hikes to her as she drove along side of us. She was genuinely interested, so I told her to just pull over and come on out. Her boyfriend in the other seat was smiling big. I said “Look at him! He’s ready to go right now!”. They both laughed. Maybe we’ll get some new members out of them.
We soon made our way from the roads into Brookdale Park, which has lots of paths all through it. Tom E was there waiting for us in the middle of the trail, and Dan had to cut out.
Bro-skis
Tammy also had something else going on later on, so even though she didn’t want to go, she left too.
“How can I ever hike with another group after this?” she was asking. I suppose we set the bar rather high with our antics!
While we were taking a break, we heard music, and around the corner came an ice cream truck! Of course, we had to flag it down and get more ice cream like a bunch of kids. In fact, we had to get a good group photo along with the ice cream truck after it parked.
We continued north through Brookdale Park, past the tennis area, and then across Bellevue Ave. I talked to Fred about how I answered a payphone call the last time we hiked through there.
I think we went up Glenside Terrace about a block from there to get to the path into Yantacaw Brook Park. We skirted around a pretty pond, and then made our way toward Mountain Avenue Station on the NJ Transit, a handsome old stone station still in use. A few people would drop off here and there from the trip, and the final spot that Tom E would meet people would be on the north side of the Mills Reservation.
We took a side trip to check out the Iris gardens from the road on Upper Mountain Ave, which is where the trail used to go. When they started charging to go through the Iris Gardens, it was rerouted to the south.
Old gun emplacement
We headed up from Laurel Place at a dead end, crossed over Highland Ave, and then entered woods on a nice footpath. The hike got really nice from here on out on mostly foot paths.
We climbed rather steeply up hill to a junction of other trails, many I’ve never done, and then turned left along the top of the Watchung Ridge. Up there, there was a concrete base we have always thought was a water tower, but Fred told us that it turns out it was once a gun emplacement! I’d no idea anything like that was up there before. We met some guys up on a rock checking out a meager view along the trail, but I told them there was a far better one ahead. They followed us.
Mills Reservation view
When we got to the good view, we took a long break. We could see some of the NYC skyline from up there, as well as Newark from an angle than many don’t see it from.
I was getting far too hot. I wore the dark blue scrubs Justin had given me the week before, and I should have recognized this was shorts weather.
Justin on the cliff
The things don’t breathe all that well, and they are pretty much completely water resistant. They get wet, but they are dry in no time at all. I suppose for some weather they’d be quite perfect.
The basalt cliffs out in this area were really blocky and look very interesting. Justin got right out to the edge, and we commented on how many beer bottles must end up on the yard of the house directly across from us, within throw distance. I’d imagine they have a serious litter problem in an area like this.
The other three guys we’d met were not really in shape for hiking, but enjoyed the view there. We started on our way down along Lenape Trail, which descended slightly to the south, then hooks around to the west again.
Mills Reservation
Fred went to take a short cut to the north, because the Lenape Trail takes such a circuitous route through the park, but he ended up meeting up with us anyway because he had to help direct lost hikers through; maybe it was the guys we had gotten to that overlook, I don’t know!
The trail followed along the bottom of the ridge to the west a bit, and eventually came out to cross Normal Ave. I regrouped everyone there again, because those who wanted the early out would have to turn right on the road a short distance to get to the parking area where Tom E had parked the slack wagon at. A few more took that option and the rest of use continued on the trail ahead, toward Cedar Grove Reservoir.
We could see the reservoir, but there was always a fence blocking the way so we could not be closer to it. It was a nice trail gradually down hill heading to the west. It emerged from a rocky section onto a utility clearing or something, to Ridge Road.
Lenape Trail west of Ridge Road
We had to walk south on Ridge Road a little bit, the trail route. Fred and some others continued on the power line clearing because it was a bit more direct, but the woods section is so beautiful I didn’t want to miss it. It now had some more bridges and such that were not there before over wet areas. We continued through woods at first on wetlands parallel with Ridge Road, but then away following a high berm that looked to possibly be part of an old spillway, possibly made for the reservoir.
Former Caldwell Branch of the Erie Railroad
It was easy to lose the trail at one point. Unofficial mountain biker trails were off in all directions it seemed. We missed one turn, but then caught it and went down and up a slope. We waited there as to be sure to find everyone.
When everyone in our part of the group caught up, we continued along, down along another wetland, then on a gradual descent down to the old railroad bed, formerly the Caldwell Branch of the Erie Railroad, and now the West Essex Greenway. The Lenape Trail turns left to follow the rail bed west, but we turned east, to the right to get to our end point. We’d pick up the Lenape Trail at this point on our June trip.
We stayed on the railroad bed as far as Lindsley Road, Rt 612, and turned left.
Tickle
We walked the road for a little while, heading down hill, and I forget how it happened, but Brian went after Serious Sean and tickled him in the road. It was absolutely hilarious.
Just after the intersection with Jacobus Avenue, we turned right onto another utility clearing. This took us out through a swath of trees and to the Morris Canal Greenway. We turned right on this route and followed it out across Long Hill Road at Lower Notch Road. We continued a bit further north from here and it took us to Stewart Avenue. I was going to continue straight on the canal and climb down where the aqueduct used to be adjacent to the Shop Rite in Little Falls, but then I figured we were right by the end and didn’t want to deal with the potential mess of weeds.
Morris Canal in Little Falls
We soon reached the parking lot to the Shop Rite, and I found a cart to push my pack in for a little while to the other side of the store.
We made our way back to the cars, and we’d been talking about Taco Bell quite a lot because it’s right next to the Shop Rite.
Cindy offered to drive us back, and first said she wasn’t going to stop at Taco Bell, but somehow she was convinced otherwise and we went and got a delicious feast.
This was another one of those great fun days I can’t wait to emulate again and again.
We continue to bring in more fun people, and those who have been joining us continue to come out for more fun. This series, like the others, promises only to get more interesting as we move along!
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