Hike #970; Wind Gap to Easton

Hike #970; Wind Gap to Easton

9/22/16 Wind Gap to Easton with Jim "Uncle Soup" Campbell, Jessica Anne Schwartz, Sean TheRed Reardon, Joe ?, Sandy Westermann, Sue Bennett, and Dan Asnis

My next hike would be a point to point night hike between Wind Gap and Easton, utilizing mostly familiar trails to me, as well as a couple other things that might be cool.
In my first week back from backpacking vacation to work, I found myself faced with all sorts of craziness, so I needed a hike more than ever. I put together a route using some of the railroad beds I loved as well as the cool development trails north of Easton in Forks Township, and Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center.

LNE Nazareth Branch

We met at the supermarket in northern Easton, Giant Food Store, and then shuttled to the Ashley Furniture store area of Wind Gap, then walked Rt 512 to the west for a bit to reach the Nazareth Branch of the Lehigh and New England Railroad.
This was a line I’d been following since 2006, done twice prior to it being turned into a trail, and this would be my second or third time on the trail section. The branch was short lived, having been built in 1898 and abandoned in 1939. The rest of the Lehigh and New England main line lasted until 1962ish.
Sean brought his friend Joe with him, who had his guitar with him, and he was learning to play “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals. We had a very nice walk to the south on the railroad bed, and Sandy let us sample her delicious home made Jersey Lightning Applejack.

On the old Nazareth Branch

The railroad bed continues to where it’s for years been part of the Sobers Run Loop Trail in Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center. Rather than continue on the rail bed when we got there, we turned left across Sober’s Run, then right on the other foot path section of Sober’s Run Loop Trail to the south. We followed this trail to where it crosses over Jacobsburg Road and State Park Road. The town of Jacobsburg has long since disappeared, and only foundations remain. We didn’t spend a lot of time looking around here, just continued on the trail heading to the southeast, then south through the park lands.

Old quarry

We turned off of the official trail because I wanted to show everyone the old quarry, as well as the overlook into the valley of the Bushkill Creek. We went over the edge on the slate slopes, which is a pretty cool area. We then made our way along the access road back to the official trails, which led us down to the parking area and the Bushkill Creek. From here, we got on the Henry’s Woods Trail heading along the creek down stream. The creek has nice little steps and such down into it, and I took the opportunity to go over and lay in it. I believe only Red Sean opted to do the same. I thought it felt great, but no one else was into it.

Quarry view

I overshot the turn I wanted to make through Henry’s Woods to the former Bolton Gun Factory area. We instead walk the road through this short bit. We had to walk some roads anyway.
We walked south on Schoeneck Road, then turned left on Filetown Road. I’ve walked this route several times for hikes, using it as a connecting route between the old Easton and Northern Railroad right of way and Jacobsburg State Park. This time, after crossing Rt 33, we turned right on Sullivan Trail, then left on Clyde Street to reach the slope ahead, down to the Forks Township Rail Trail. I had never tried to bushwhack down this way to it, but it proved to be somewhat stupid. There was a steep wall that we had to go down, and if anyone else had gone ahead of me they’d have gone off a vertical drop. We had to go out and around a bit more to safely get down to the railroad bed and head south.

Pool

We soon reached Belfast Junction where one line went to the right toward Nazareth, and the Easton and Northern line went sort of straight or left through to Stockertown. The trail goes directly behind a bar and grill place, which I went into with Tea Biscuit the day we did a 32 mile day, I think in 2003, so we went in to get snacks and drinks.
They had a pool table, and so Red Sean prompted us to play a couple of games with him. This went on a little longer than anticipated, and I forget how many games were actually played. I’m no good at it any more, although I used to play in the loft at Common Sense For Animals for many years.

Pool

We did the partner thing, and I kept letting Uncle Soup or someone take most of my shots. I was just happy to be out.
The games kept going on for a while, but then I was reminded that we still had a long way to go, so we did have to get going. We left the bar and continued on down the trail to the south.
The trail abruptly ends in Stockertown because there are active tracks to the south, so we had to get out and around. I was originally planning on walking the parallel road route because the bridge would potentially still be out, but thinking about it I cannot remember going that way. All of a sudden, I have an image of going to the south and then out through to a development after sort of skirting a back yard in the dark. We had crossed over the now abandoned bridge to where it gets washed out and then made our way to Tatamy the odd way through fields.

Uncle Soup!

I recall walking through some development roads from there, and then down into Tatamy on the back roads to pick up the trail.
The stuff Sean had given me, as well as a little from Sandy, had certainly impaired Sean and I. We must have floated on through to the south along the rail trail on the Easton and Northern line, but I was still cognoscente enough to notice the turn we needed to make on Penn’s Grant Path. Here, a side trail goes off to cross Bushkill Creek, and reach Bushkill Drive. A brief right into a development on Kesslerville Road after turning left on Bushkill Drive leads to more of the trails we needed to take.

Uncle Soup!

I recall Sean and I layed down on the grass somewhere right there, and were ready to fall asleep. Actually, I think we did fall asleep. Uncle Soup told me we had to get up, still had a ways to go. He was right, and up we got. The trail led along the back of the development from Kesslerville, and we turned right on the trail intersection which followed an old farm lane route down to a utility right of way. We then turned left on another trail that followed this. I remember this clearly, how nice it was being out that at that time. It’s really a beautiful little section to walk through at night.
We crossed Wagon Wheel Drive and continued along the right of way, then turned hard right to cross Meco Drive, heading south at this point.
This section led south and across Zucksville Road. I sat down on a bench feeling totally tired. I was again told I needed to get up. We were almost to the end and I tried telling everyone how to get there, but they wanted me to move. I got up, and we headed south through the park, and a paved path to the left crosses Marigold Drive and leads out behind the Giant Supermarket, then terminates at the northeastern side of the store where we were parked.
I was far too tired to drive, as was Sean, so we slept in the grass for a little while. Everyone left except I guess Sean, Joe and I. I don’t recall if Joe got in my car, but he must have!
It was really a good time, but one of the messiest times. I was glad to be out and I suppose I needed a night like this to get my mind off of the rest of the garbage going on, but Sean and I agreed we certainly need to let up!
I’ll probably try another variation of this trip in the near future because overall it’s a great trip, and there are so many versions of it that could be done, and they’re all worth it.