Hike #998; Warbasse to White Lake

Hike #998; 911 Trail Part 11:Warbasse to White Lake

12/26/16 Warbasse to White Lake with Kralc Leahcim (Lerch), Brian Coen, Gregg Hudis, Alyssa Lidman, Kenneth Lidman, Wilma Vargas, Justin Gurbisz, Lynn Van Nosdall, and ?.

Our next hike would be the eleventh in the 911 Trail series, and the most lightly attended one probabably because we had it the Monday right after Christmas. Still, it was a great day to be out.
We met in the morning at White Lake Natural Resource Area, at the main parking area. This isn’t the 911 Trail route, but I wanted to showcase some connections and it was a good opportunity to do so. We shuttled from that point to our start point, Warbasse Junction, where the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railroad, built in 1881, crossed the Sussex Railroad, former Sussex Branch of the Lackawanna. The former is now Paulins Kill Valley Trail, and the other is Sussex Branch Trail.

Abandoned

We started walking from there to the west along the right of way, and pretty soon took a little break to check out an abandoned office barn building to the right that I don’t think I’d noticed before.
We went over, and Lerch and I got into the thing. It was a huge mess. The second floor had a section still standing, but there was no way to get up to it because the entire lower level of the steps had collapsed down into the basement. The lower floor level was also collapsed into the basement, so jumping up to reach the stairs, which we’ve done in buildings in the past, was not an option.

Abandoned

The one side of the building had a filing cabinet just sort of teetering ready to fall back into the lower leve. If we had attended to climb it likely would have fallen down on top of us.
We had a good look and were soon ready to move on our way. I gave Alyssa a Gold Four Loco for her birthday which was just a couple of days before.
We continued on along the right of way, which passed through a couple of nice cuts. It was nice having a look at this again, because I really had already walked this so many times, but it brings back some nice memories.

Abandoned

Brian and I walked ahead of the group quite a bit, as no one was moving along really too fast. We passed by some really nice rock outcroppings that I would really love to try climbing, but I knew we had a long way to go and I didn’t want to finish after dark.
We crossed over Rt 94 at the former site of a bridge, then made our way a short distance further to the crossing of Rt 206 where there was a little deli open. We had a nice break here and got some food and drinks. They had my Arizona RX energy, so I got one for later, as well as a Cream O Land chocolate milk. Gregg discovered that they carried it and we couldn’t resist. Someone else got a breakfast sandwich that looked far too good for me to pass up as well.

Abandoned barn office thing

The sandwich was really good, but concensus was that the bagels were not. They didn’t even toast them or anything. But oh well. I was happy to have it...at first. As the day progressed, I felt like I had a rock in my stomach and realized why I don’t usually eat anything like that starting a hike.

Birthday girl

We continued from there beyond Rt 206 in a pleasant section out to the crossing of Rt 519, a little settlement known as Halsey.
There apparently used to be a station at this point at one time, but I’ve never seen any photo of it.
There was an old concrete whistle marker as we approached the grade crossing by Halsey Road. The rail bed still has a few of these left, as well as a few concrete mile markers denoting the distance to Jersey City. Where the concrete mile posts are missing, volunteers have erected new wooden posts of the same size with the correct numbers on them where the concrete ones would have been.

Halsey crossing whistle marker

I told everyone the story of the evil pony that would try to bite everyone that used to be at the Halsey Crossing. It was there for at least ten years as I recall. The fence was still in place, but no equestrian evidence could be found.

The evil pony at Halsey in 2003

The nicest rock cuts on the right of way are in the section beyond Halsey as we make our way further into the Paulins Kill Valley. The rail bed was good and clear for us in this northern section, but as we approached the area around Swartswood, it became quite difficult to walk.

PKV Trail

Because the railbed was on the northwestern facing slope fo the Paulins Kill valley, it held onto ice far worse than anywhere else, so we were constantly walking on slippery terrain. I fell once, and I’m pretty sure everyone else in the group took a spill at least once each.

PKV Cut

Once we were in the Paulins Kill Valley, we could see further below us either an old road or the former Lehigh and New England Railroad, bed, built in 1886 and abandoned in 1962. The road runs between them and is just as well graded.

PKV Trail cut

The Lehigh and New England intended on building it’s own line, but instead used trackage rights over the New York, Susquehanna and Western for about twenty miles between Hainesburg Junction and Swartswood Junction. Grading was done for it’s own right of way, but it was never completed.

The one road that goes below the rail bed I believe is called Spirol Road, and is officially a township road that’s been vacated or abandoned. We headed west and crossed over Plotts Road, where below us we could see the Lehigh and New England line and it’s culvert for the road.

LNE line culvert

To the left of this point is a scenic little waterfall cascade coming down the mountain. We regrouped here, and then headed to the west to Swartswood Junction. At about this point, there is a pile of rubble to the left of the trail, all that remains of the telegraph office.

Waterfall

I wonder how much time the remains of the building has left. I recall buildings stil in place at Hainesburg Junction, and today they are also just piles of rubble.

Swartswood historic image

Photo by C. Scott Lansing — A self-propelled passenger car passes over a switch at Swartswood Junction. The name plate in the front window indicates the car coming from Sparta. The car No. 1001 indicates that it was the first car of this type that was manufactured by American Car and Foundry Company for the New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad.

Historic image of telegraph office at Swartswood Junction after abandonment

We paralleled Junction Road to Rt 622 where there is a missing bridge. We climbed down the embankment and crossed over.
It was here that we came across a group of young guys with a pickup truck stuck on the sheet of ice parking lot. It was rather entertaining watching them with straps trying to pull the vehicle out using a couple of other trucks. I knew it wasn’t really stuck that bad though.

Old water tower

After watching for a few minutes and trying to offer suggestion, I asked if they’d mind if I gave a try.
They didn’t even have the truck down in low gear. In order to grip, you barely have to tap on the gas to pull out. I was immediately able to get the truck to pull ahead more than they had done using the straps.
I managed to back up and get the wheel turned straight, then started pulling forward. The three guys got behind the truck and started pushing to help it along, and in a few moments we had it free. I got the truck over onto Junction Road and parked it on the edge.
Those guys must have thought it was a little nuts to have some crazy guy drinking a Weyerbacher get into their truck and get it out.

Tracks at 622

We climbed up the other side, and came to where a section of track had been placed again for historic interpretation. The old water tower base still stands at this spot too, and so Lerch and Justin went into part of it. Lerch climbed up top, but it was insanely slippery. He nearly took a fall right off of it. He’s been quite careful lately as a result of his Summer ankle injury however.

Swartswood Station site

We continued on the right of way, which became much more slippery through this area, to the former site of the Swartswood Station. A good stone platform remained on the right side, and the old road that led up to the station was visible to the right, now serving as an easy access for cyclists up to the grade.

Swartswood Station historic image

We passed the old station site and continued on a nice shelf heading to the southwest. It was very slippery through this area. I sometimes made my way to the right when there were cuts, to stay where there was less snow, but was not always an option.

Historic image of Swartswood Station

We reached another “Phantom Bridge” at Paulins Kill Lake Road. The lake was just below us to the right, and ended at the road. There would have been a large bridge here at one time, but no sign of it today. I’ve never seen a photo of what it looked like, but it was probably deck girder.

Phantom bridge site

After crossing where the bridge was, somewhere in this area Brian started powering ahead to complete the hike ahead of us. We continued off at a slower pace. Rain was in the forecast for later, so he wanted to be sure to be done before it started. We crossed Kohlbocker Road and continued.

Historic image of Stillwater Station

We continued with more deplorable ice to the southwest. Ken was getting ready to meet up with us, and he knows the roads pretty well (for the most part). The area is quite confusing because there are three Stillwater Roads and one Stillwater Station Road all in the same area.

Old signal thingy

I had assumed much earlier that Ken would be meeting us around Stillwater Station, but he ended up parking near the hourse farm on Cherry Ridge Road a bit south of there.
We crossed Wall Street after passing the historic site of Stillwater Station, which also has a creamery ruin, and Ken met up with us just after that. It was actually near where he’d met up with me on a previous hike ironically. We checked out an old signal tower that was still in place, and surprisingly still had it’s mechanical workings in place inside.
We crossed Cherry Ridge Road and Henfoot Road, and the ice was not nearly as bad for a while toward the end.

Nearing Marksboro

We passed through the section that literally goes through a yard area, then the Gnome Hollow section, and finally one more road by the name of Stillwater, and we entered Warren County.
We had a nice long wooded stretch before reaching Marksboro, which has my favorite through truss bridge over the Paulins Kill, with pretty curved metal braces on it.
We continued beyond there, and we could see some abandoned old farm structures on the hillside to the right of us as we neared Marksboro. I pointed out to everyone in this section where the spur railroad track broke off to the right, which went all the way up to White Lake. The first part is not a trail.

Old mill in Marksboro

The spur line goes through some yards and then is overtaken a bit by the roads. I believe this spur line was out of service by 1927.
I pointed out where my friends Crystal and Corey used to live, and where we had camp fires in the old railroad cut just beyond the road. Gregg remembered from his earliest hikes with us when they lived there and we stopped in one time.

NYSW line in Marksboro with the White Lake spur visible

We soon came to Spring Valley Road, where the Marksboro Station used to stand. It’s now a Paulins Kill Valley Trail parking area. No sign of the station remains. The Ridge and Valley Trail terminates at this point for now. It used to be a road walk down Spring Valley Road until earlier this year when Ridge and Valley Conservancy with other volunteers in Warren County constructed the new trail off road to the parking area.

Marksboro Station

The route has a nice wooden footbridge similar to the ones that were constructed for the Morris Canal Greenway in southern Warren County, done with the Youth Corps Highlands Partnership.

New Ridge and Valley Trail

The Ridge and Valley Trail used to be marked with slate markers, with a Ridge and Valley logo on them. I marked the entire trail through White Lake Natural Resource Area as well as remarked a lot of it to the north of that point while I was caretaker at White Lake, but hunters like to shoot the blazes, or people tear them down. They had started going with yellow diamond shaped blazes with a similar Ridge and Valley logo on them. They show up better but sort of lack the character that the original ones had.
We followed the trail on the switchback up hill to a good outlook where historic photos had been taken.

Historic Marksboro view

I’d come across two historic images from about the same point, one taken in the fifties or early sixties, the other taken in the late 1800s or very early 1900s with the station still standing. It’s amazing to see how much this particular vantage point has changed, not only back then to now, but even in the image from the sixties.
Marksboro was named for Colonel Mark Thompson who owned and operated the grist mill on the Paulins Kill here before 1760.
The majority of the old buildigns are actually up hill along Rt 94.

Historic view of Marksboro before the removal of the station

We continued up the Ridge and Valley Trail from the station site to the next intersection.

Historic image of Marksboro Station site around 1960

At the intersection of Paulins Kill Road and Spring Valley Road we emerged from the new trail, and Primrose joined just up hill.

View of Marksboro Station site today

I pointed out to everyone where the White Lake spur came out of the cut across the road. The road and rail bed swapped in about 1932. The widening of the road had obliterated much of the railroad bed. I showed everyone how the road went to the right, and the present road where the concrete bridge went over a brook was the railroad. The original road bridge is now Ridge and Valley Trail just to the east of the current road. We followed that to the small parking area where the trail picks up the spur railroad grade. I showed everyone where the road and rail bed swapped again, and we continued on the rail bed.

Marl Works

The railroad line was built to service the Marl Works, which still stands in ruins just up the railroad bed.
The marl works could be thought of as a lime kiln on huge industrial scale. Marl is a limestone based sediment, the product of millions of ancient ground up shellfish. This sediment was dredged off of the base of White Lake and processed at the Marl Works, then hauled by train to Newark and other area towns where it was used to neutralize their sewer systems. It was a huge industry to have in such a sleepy little town.
In addition to the marl, the site also doubled as an industrial ice house complex.

Huh?

I couldn’t help but notice upon my arrival that a new sign had been put up reading “Sunshine Path”, with a sun and “follow the sunshine markers”. I didn’t like it at all. Someone had apparently come in and re-named the Ridge and Valley Trail?
There were no other signs to say the name of the trail at the trail head, and I can just see people coming in and saying “We’re going to go and hike Sunshine Trail”. The whole thing looked dopey to me from the start, and it just didn’t look like something Ridge and Valley Conservancy would do. Especially without going through Board of Recreation Approval.

To make matters worse, the markers were hammered completely into the trees. They must have been there a few months because they’re growing out and ready to pop onto the ground at any day. They’re also made of rather crummy material.
We walked the trail to the Marl Works, and I was happy to see the new split rail fence RVC had installed. It all looked good. The new perimeter trail was properly blazed with paint, with a triple blaze at the start. That looked fine. We left the Marl Works and continued along the trail, and the “Sunshine Trail” blazes simply ended at some point. I thought maybe it was just some idiot who decided to make their own trail.

Those blazes ended just after the ruins of the old girl scout camp with the giant chimney. That’s a really cool area because the roots of trees apparently began growing before the wooden remnants of the buildings had completely rotted away, leaving an exposed and interesting root system.
I found out later that this was another county department that came in and marked this trail, as short distance hikes for health. The problem is, there is no sign telling visitors when to turn back, and it’s confusing if you’re looking for Ridge and Valley Trail to find this thing that says it’s something else. It’s a nice thought, but I hate the naming idea and how it’s executed.

White Lake lime kiln

We passed the old lime kiln and reached the terminus of the Green Trail. That was an informal trail that goes to the White Lake Cabin where I used to live. I didn’t mark it when I lived there because we had so many problems with break ins and such. It wasn’t particularly well blazed at this time either, but I knew where we were going and it’s rather impossible to get lost on it.
We walked to the open area, and I saw that my old cocrete block fire pit was still intact. Someone had rebuilt the hunting blind right above it since the last time I’d been there. It’s a permanent structure, so it really shouldn’t be allowed either.
We came out of the woods onto the driveway, and I could see cars wre at the house. It was getting dark, so I didn’t want to start any problem. There was a young girl acting as land steward last time I was there, and didn’t want to freak her out, so we continued walking down the driveway to the blue trail that I put in. We followed that back to the parking area, which was pretty easy.
When I arrived, the new land steward, a young guy named Will I think it was, was locking the gates. I went up and introduced myself and had a nice chat with him. He seems like a pretty cool guy so far, and he told me what was up with those sunshine markers. He also said he thinks that they will be going with paint blazes instead which makes me happier as well.
He had to get going, but we discussed meeting back up for the next hike I do in the series up there. I am optimistic about the future of White Lake as more time goes by with RVC in charge.
Serious Sean Dougherty was in the parking area when I arrived, to my great surprise! He was supposed to be on the hike but couldn’t get to us, so he was about to go wandering into the woods to find us when we walked out!
Even though he couldn’t join us fo rthe hike, he was able to join us for dunner at the Blairstown Inn for a bit to close out another fun day. Only one more hike remains in the NJ section of the 911 Trail (although I will be re-doing one of the pieces in February), and I’m very optimistic about the coming year and the plans I am working out to coincide with each hike. 2017 may very well be our greatest year yet.