11/3 Post Halloween Palisades Area Loop (Costumes Optional!)

Join us for a fantastic loop hike beginning at the Palisades Mall and making our way in a circuit using the Long Path and and many other connecting trails, as well as Old Erie Path and other old rail lines! About 15 miles in length. Feel free to wear your costume! Optional of course.For the past two years, the Halloween themed hike has been in and around Sleepy Hollow, but this year I figured we'd re-visit another place nearby and cover some more new ground, right across the Hudson from Sleepy Hollow. One of the centerpieces is the Tweed Tunnels of former Camp Bluefield Firing Range. The tunnels are most all that remain of this camp where POWs were held during World War I. The tunnels were intended to provide safe passage for the National Guard while firing was going on.The hike will begin from the Palisades Mall, no car shuttle needed. We cross the parking lot and make our way east on a couple back roads to the trail head for Buttermilk Falls County Park. We'll view the namesake waterfall, then continue up hill passing views to the west to Clausland Mountain. We continue from here toward the Long Path, but we'll get on side paths that will take us through and around the Tweed Tunnels. At lease one we can pass completely through.We'll head south from here parallel with and on the Long Path. I plan to visit the old Nike Missile Site, now a public park along the way, then return to Long Path. This will take us through some of Rockland Cemetery, then descend into the town of Piermont. From Piermont, we get on the Old Erie Path to Joseph B Clarke Rail Trail.The old rail lines take us west and then north on a pleasant, clear and relaxing path to return. There are places to refill on food and water when we get down near Piermont, but everyone should be prepared with plenty of water regardless.
Although much of this hike will be level on the rail beds, the sections on Clauseland Mountain are at times rugged, on narrow foot paths.
If anyone has any further questions, feel free to contact me at 908 343 8374

Other upcoming stuff: Nov 10: Jason Kumpas takes the reigns for a Philly area/Fairmount Park hike connecting with other great stuff we've done in Philly
Nov 17: Join us for the next Jersey Perimeter hike with Cape May Nat'l Wildlife Refuge trails, back roads, and two wine tastings!
Nov 23 and 24: I am finally going to attempt my aspiration since high school, to hike 50-60 miles in one day. We will be going between Albany and Kingston, mostly on back roads along the Hudson. Who knows what we'll find. We'll move along at a good pace. Plan is to take a bus from Kingston to Albany, then head southbound from the college. A few have already expressed interest. Who else would like to be crazy with us?
More to come...

Sunday Sterling Forest !

This Sunday...close out October with an awesome hike at Sterling Forest NY!
There are two versions of this hike. Brad Anesi and I will be doing a very hard, 25 mile version while co leader Michele Valerio is doing the 15 mile normal version. Both will have outstanding scenery and good terrain.
I'm leaving it up to Brad to approve who can do the fast 25 miler, and anyone can join in on the shorter version. Read on for details on that:
Michele Valerio will be leading this is a shorter, 15 mile, slightly less challenging loop hike in Sterling Forest as compared to the 25 mile version that Mike Helbing and Brad Anesi will be running. We will meet up with them at the half-way stop which is Bare Rock lookout, providing a panoramic view of Greenwood Lake.

 
Since this is so close to Halloween you are welcome to come in costume if you wish.
Please make sure you bring plenty of water and food as there are no places to stop and buy anything. Keep in mind that I said slightly less challenging because this hike is not for beginners and will have a lot of evaluation gain throughout the hike. We will be maintaining a moderate pace in order to finish well before dark.

ALSO: Metrotrails t shirts will be ready soon! We are trying to figure out how many exactly to order. The shirts will be $10 each for standard small, medium, or large, maybe 12 or 13 for x large. Prices will vary for the other sizes. There are also a higher quality material ones for a bit more. Please let me know what you want~

Jersey Perimeter: Cape May Section and More Coming up!

Hey all!
Join us for a point to point hike that will take us between Cape May canal area and the areas around Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, 16 miles.

The meeting point is along Rt 47, North Delsea Road, Cape May Mosquito Control, 35 North Delsea Drive, Cape May NJ. Once we meet here, we'll shuttle with as few cars as possible to our beginning point, where we left off last time on the east side.
The hike will take us on back roads parallel with the Cape May Canal and through little parks, then head north along the waterfront beach.
Part of the hike will be along the Delaware Bay, and half will be back roads and such in the area to get us back northward on our Perimeter of NJ series.
NOTE that since we will be walking along bayside beaches, hikers should plan on taking their shoes off to cross some spots where little creeks enter the bay. The area is lovely, and is a different kind of experience than walking the popular beaches of the barrier islands to the east. The estuary views are quite lovely.
If you need to reach me, my cell is 908 343 8374
We will finish the southern tip of Cape May when the weather is warm again. Hopefully we'll get a good number of people together for carpools and such.

Sunday Delaware Water Gap Hike!

Join us for an outstanding point to point hike between the Delaware Water Gap and Analomink PA by way of Stroudsburg and it's Broadhead Creek Trail system and much more!In January 2013, we did a similar hike in the same vicinity ending at a great party at Michele with outstanding food by her husband Scott.
This year, we will do a variation of that hike, covering different ground than we did on the previous one.
Meeting point will be in Penn Estates. Follow the directions noted on the map from above first. From Stroudsburg area, take Rt 209 business route north to Rt 447 north. That continues out of town, and then turn left on 191 south across Broadhead Creek bridge. Turn right on Hallet Road heading up hill, very curvy. On the left is the gate into Penn Estates at the top. Stop at the gate.
NOTE EVERYONE MUST GIVE THEIR FULL NAME on here to enter. Your name will be placed on a list of invited guests. Not everyone has their full names on Meetup profile, but it is necessary here.
After the gate, continue ahead, then left onto Kensington and then left into Stonehenge. Michele and Scott's house is on left. #3245. This address probably will NOT come up on GPS.


After meeting we'll shuttle in as few cars as possible to Delaware Water Gap. Please indicate whether you plan on attending the after party or not.
Due to closure of National Parks, an alternate and probably much more interesting route will be taken rather than the ones on federal land.
Either way, we will end up in the town of Delaware Water Gap and through interesting parks with little bits of road walk between. We will stop for refreshments in the town.

We then make our way onto a future trail route over a secondary ridge with some great seasonal views into the valleys!We'll continue through Glen Park along the Broadhead Creek on partially a different route, then walk through a bit of downtown Stroudsburg. From there, we get on the Stroud Region Levee Trail. Last time we did the east side, and this time we'll be on the west.We'll continue along the creek heading north through sections of parks until we get to Hallet Road, then take a different route than last time that eliminates the long road walk up hill to Penn Estates. This time we'll make use of a dirt road that leads almost directly to her house!
Then partying will commence.
I will post more details on this hike when the time nears. Michele is also an event host here, and so she will have the ability to alter details, etc.
Hope many of you can join in on the fun!

Ramapo Mountain Hike and More!

 Hello all!
Good stuff coming up! This week there will be the regular Sunday hike in the Ramapos, and I might do one on Thursday afternoon near Swartswood. Please refer to our meetup group www.meetup.com/metrotrails for more details on that one. The regular Sunday trip will be a loop described below:
Join us for an outstanding loop hike in the southern Ramapo Region, starting in Pompton Lakes at the A&P Supermarket, 63 Wanaque Ave, Pompton Lakes NJ at 9 am. The route will loop us around the area for about fifteen miles with the option of continuing on for another smaller loop.This hike features many outstanding points including the ruins of Foxcroft, a long burned out mansion that is known by hikers as the Van Slyke Castle. We will also pass beautiful views and other historic sites, as well as a few other surprises.
Apart from the A&P at the beginning, we will not be passing other food and drink stops, so everyone should have plenty of water and a lunch or snack. The first leg of the hike will include a little bit of side street walking in order to reach the trail head. I plan to use a lakeside park route. We will then follow a portion of the historic Cannonball Road route, now Cannonball Trail which has an interesting pedestrian overpass above Rt 287.We'll follow foot paths through Ramapo Mountain State Forest with more overlooks, and continue to the ruins of Foxcroft which also offer some lovely views. We'll continue from here to the west to the newer trail along the edge of Wanaque Ridge, with more spectacular views including the Wanaque Reservoir and dam.From here, we'll entrust the route to our co leader Justin, avid urban explorer and mastermind behind a popular UE website! Some of the route might be rougher at times, and there will be optional side trips to interesting points. Those not wishing to do the side trips may take a break.We will return once again to the A&P supermarket where there will be the possibility of extending the hike a bit further, depending on what time we get finished, heading west to follow a bit of the old Greenwood Lake Railroad, and then heading up onto the Federal Hill property. There are no formal trails there, but it is possible to continue about two miles from one end of the preserve to the other, and it has some historic ruin features.
This hike will include some very steep sections and would not be considered suitable for beginners.

Looking ahead, the following Sunday will be a Delaware Water Gap and Stroudsburg area trip ending at a party at our friend Michele Valerio's house in celebration of her birthday! Beyond, we'll have another hike in the Jersey Perimeter series, this time between Cape May and ares on the Delaware Bayshore northbound. After that we close out the month with two versions of a Sterling Forest hike. One very difficult and fast, 25 miles led by Brad and myself, then another fifteen miles and more like our normal hikes led my Michele.

Additionally, in late November I am looking at doing fifty miles in one day between Albany and Kingston, Please let me know in advance if you'd like to try.

Stone Harbor and Cape May Beach Hike!

Sun 9/29: Join us for another point to point, part of an effort to hike the entire perimeter of NJ! This time we will cover a section of beach and a few connective roads to reach Cold Spring.
Meet at Stone  Harbor Hobie Beach, which is at the end of 2nd Avenue in Stone Harbor. It's a large parking lot with plenty of room and no charge. Excellent meeting spot.
The hike should be between 15 and 16 miles. Most of it will be on the beach, though we may use some of the boardwalks from time to time. There will also be little bits of road walking just on the bridges to get between the barrier islands.

From here, we'll shuttle south to begin the hike a few blocks from the waterfront.
Along the way, we will pass through Stone Harbor, Angelsea, Wildwood, and Diamond Beach. Hopefully we can work out some carpools for the beginning!
Finish off the Summer with one last great beach hike with the crowds having gone!

September 2013 Hikes and More!

Great stuff in store for September~ Here is our schedule followed by details!
9/15 Sussex Rail Triangle with Gregg
9/22 Warren County Hike with Common Sense For Animals Benefit
9/29 Jersey Perimeter Beach Hike; Stone Harbor and Cape May
Read on!
9/15: Everyone please welcome Gregg Hudis, Metrotrails core group member, and prominent hike leader in other NJ groups as well, who has graciously offered to substitute lead this week's hike while MT President M'ke Helbing and VP Matt Davis are both on backpacking vacations!
The hike will be a 13 mile loop (with a couple of side trips that will probably bring it to the usual fifteen mile mark) in Sussex County NJEveryone will meet at Warbasse Junction, where there is parking on Rt 663, Warbasse Junction Road, at 9 am. Since the hike is a loop, no car shuttles are required.
Gregg will then lead the group along the Paulins Kill Valley Trail, formerly the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railroad bed constructed in 1881. This hike is one of the few loops that can be done solely on railroad beds, and it is through some of the most beautiful topography in NJ. The first leg includes a deep rock cut pictured above.At Swartswood Junction, a right turn is taken on the abandoned Lehigh and New England Railroad bed. This is a much lesser used but equally as beautiful rail trail (pictured above) that is a more recent acquisition by NJ State Park Service. The right of way is a little more overgrown in places, but it has been cleared further even since the above picture was taken.
The Lehigh and New England line was constructed in 1886, and abandoned in October 1962. A gas line utilizes the right of way and has saved it from developmental encroachment. This section of right of way offers superb views of the Paulins Kill River unseen from even from Paulins Kill Valley Trail.At Augusta, the trail reaches the Sussex Branch Trail, which is more prominently used. The hike then leads along the Sussex Branch Trail south to Lafayette through beautiful countryside. Food is available there.It is up to Gregg what side trips might be taken along the way. The area is ripe with fantastic places to explore!
For those wishing to follow along with trail mileages, the official Metrotrails guides to them are available on our website, www.metrotrails.org
Here is the Paulins Kill Valley Trail guide: http://metrotrails.org/Metrotrails/Paulins_Kill_Rail_Trail.html
The portion traveled will be between 21.50 and 27.10
Here is the Lehigh and New England guide: http://metrotrails.org/Metrotrails/Lehigh_and_New_England_Railbed.html
Go to the Swartswood North section and use mile 0.00 to 4.97.
Here is the guide to Sussex Branch Trail: http://metrotrails.org/Metrotrails/Sussex_Branch.html
Use miles 18.10 back to mile 13.92
Again, thank you GREGG HUDIS for taking the reigns for this week's hike!
Everyone please watch this page for additions or further details from Gregg regarding the hike!

Coming up the following week, the 22nd...join us for a great Warren County hike that will focus on the Morris Canal, area trails, rail beds, back roads, and more! The hike is also part of a benefit to help Common Sense For Animals! A $25 donation gets participants a tee shirt and food, and goes to a worthy cause! The walkathon route is part of the hike, and we'll continue beyond that point!
Check here for more details on that one: http://www.meetup.com/Metrotrails/events/138661232/