Sunday Warren Highlands Trail Hike!

Selected By: Michael Helbing

Hike point to point on the new Warren  Highlands Trail. The trail is under development, but the first section to the west has been officially completed from the Delaware River to the top of Marble Hill. It is hoped to be blazed through to Belvidere Road by the time of this hike.
We will be meeting at 9 am at the end point of  the hike, the Hoff-Vanetta Farmstead along Rt 519 in Harmony Township, at the following GPS coordinates:
Lat 40°45'39.98"N
Long 75° 7'48.70"W
There is a sign at the farmstead.
We will shuttle as few cars as possible to Easton PA, where we will begin the hike by following the proposed connection of the Highlands Trail with Warren Highlands Trail. The Highlands Trail has it's last blaze in Rieglesville PA, but the proposed route of it is along the Delaware Canal to the Lehigh Canal, which would bring it to Easton. The connection to the Warren Highlands Trail would be following the Lehigh Canal towpath to the 611 bridge, then walking the riverside park to the Northampton Street free bridge. The blazes begin on the nJ side. It follows roads through Phillipsburg to the base of Marble Hill, where we turn along a utility right of way, then follow old mining roads up hill. We'll divert a bit from the Warren Highlands Trail to do the new Mine Trail which leads to the Fulmer Iron mine.
The Mine Trial reconnects with Warren Highlands, and then picks up new trail that I've constructed heading up further. At the time of this writing, I am still constructing new trail, and have a long way to go, but I hope that with a little luck it will be all cut and marked out to Belvidere Road by Sunday.
The route features a few very nice views.
Once we leave the Marble Hill section, we follow farm fields out to Warren County Fairgrounds. We then continue up into state land and follow old woods roads to the east. Brief road walks connect to Merril Creek Reservoir. We'll walk around the reservoir and then get off of the proposed Warren Highlands Trail route and descend via a route that I think would be a great spur trail to Hoff-Vanetta. There is an open house going on there that day, which maybe we'll be able to catch some of!
Note that there may be a bit of bushwhacking on this hike, but it's not all that bad.
Contact me if you have any further questions!

ALSO: I may do a night hike Thursday night on part of this route, and do a little bit of clearing along the way. Let me know if you'd like to join in on that!

M'ke - sneezehorse@hotmail.com or (908) 343-8374

Sunday Ridge and Valley Trail Hike

Selected By: Michael Helbing

Hey all!
Join us for a hike on the complete route of the Ridge and Valley Trail as well as some other great stuff!
The hike will take us from Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on the proposed route of the Ridge and Valley Trail, then onto the existing and trail south through Camp Mason and other spots, Lightning Bug Hollow, White Lake Wildlife Management Area, White Lake Natural Resource Area, and more! We will hike the new White Lake Trail and red trail around Squier's Corners in additon to Ridge and Valley.
The hike will end at my home on the shore of White Lake (picture of from my front window).
The trail is rugged and has some undergrowth. If anyone would like to assist with trail work, feel free to bring some pruners and help us clear the way for future hikers!
I want to try to fix up the sections of trail that are in poor condition. I will have my "happy saw" and trail blazes, my hammer, etc. Anyone who is willing to bring some pruners, etc. is welcome to do so.

The hike will also include some other new stuff from what we did the previous time near Delaware Water Gap and more! Contact me if you need more info!!!
Try not to be late, I want to try to start in good time. If you do happen to run late, I have plenty of late join in options.

The hike will end at my home at White Lake, which is where we will meet. Address is 149 Stillwater Road, Hardwick NJ. It's a long driveway just past the parking area for White Lake to the north. It's a big green mail box with my name on it.
DO NOT TRUST A GPS to find my house. There are something like four Stillwater Roads, and a Stillwater Station Road in my area. It will send you to the wrong place. I tried it yesterday and it sent me to a vacant parking lot up the road. Just remember the correct Stillwater Road is Rt 521, just under a mile north of the intersection with Spring Valley Road.

Contact me if you need further details on the hike: sneezehorse@hotmail.com or 908 343 8374

M'ke

Sterling Forest Hike!!

Hello everyone!
Our next hike will be a great loop in Sterling Forest, just barely over the NY line! Our friend Brad Anesi has stepped up to do his first co-lead with the group and show us some of the trails we have yet to cover in Sterling, most notably the Red Back Loop.
Back in 2009 we attempted to trace the route of this trail to no avail, but Brad knows the way! In addition to Red Back, we will also be hiking sections of the Highlands Trail on the Sterling Ridge, Lake to Lake Trail, and Bare Rock Trail which is a relatively new addition to the trail system. It offers an excellent view of Greenwood Lake.
We may also revisit some past spots including the Sterling Fire Tower and maybe the furnace. The hike features some excellent views and interesting old iron mines.
We will be meeting at 9 am across from the Eagle Valley Fire House, at 14 Scott Mine Road, Tuxedo Park NY.
To get there, take interstate 287 to exit 55 for Rt 511, Ringwood Ave. Continue straight as it changes names to Greenwood Lake Turnpike further up (for those coming from the east, they may take the earlier exit for Skyline Drive north, and then turn right on Greenwood Lake Turnpike at it's end). Turn right on Sloatsburg Road, which further up sort of becomes Mill Pond Road. From there, continue as it becomes Sterling Mine Road in NY. Turn left shortly on Long Meadow Road, then right onto Eagle Valley Road. Make a left onto Scott Mine Road to reach the destination.
There are no food stops along this hike; it will be mostly woods. Make sure to bring a luch and/or snack and plenty of water. It's been unseasonably warm and you might need a lot.
Contact me if you need further details.

Sunday Patriot's Path, Morris County Hike!

Hello everyone!
This next hike will be a point to point covering some of the newest sections of the Patriot's Path system! We will cover some stuff we've covered on past hikes, but also a few new things!
We will meet at 9 am at the McDonalds in Flanders NJ, which is near to the end of the Columbia Trail, part of our route. This McDonalds is located at 293 US Highway 206, Flanders, NJ 07836.
Once together, we will shuttle as few cars as possible to Mendham vicinity where we'll begin on the Patriot's Path west, in Dismal Harmony Natural Area. This area leads past some old camp ruins. We then pass Clyde Potts Reservoir, then head up into the Randolph Township parks. The trail then leads on paved paths to Heisteins Park. From here, there is reportedly a new section to Ironia that we will follow.
From Ironia, we descend to the former Chester Branch of the Lackawanna Railroad. The Patriot's Path used to follow it directly across Rt 206, which many of you will remember we have hiked many times. This time though, we follow new trail up to Chester, and our friend Teun will help guide us through the former telephone pole farm on the trail's new route. I hear tell there is a great view from this property.
The trail then passes through the town of Chester, a lovely town to walk through, not like boring road walks elsewhere.
From there, we follow old CNJ rail beds and such past the former site of Chester Furnace (pictured) where people have been piling up the ruins in an attractive fashion and continue to Tanners Brook section, another new part of Patriot's Path that Teun helps to maintain.
We will follow the trail to Columbia Trail and turn right toward Bartley and Flanders.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions! M'ke 908 343 8374 or sneezehorse@hotmail.com

Friday Jenny Jump/Warren Highlands Hike!!!

Hey all!
The next hike will be on Friday, April 6th. The reason for this is that it is Easter weekend. I will now begin working Saturdays, so assume that most hikes will be on Sundays save for a few random weekday ones.
For this hike, we will be tracing the route of the Jenny Jump Trail, part of the future Warren Highlands Trail system. We will follow much of the existing route, then new sections to Mountain Lake. There is a short road walk, then unmarked trails to connect with Pequest Wildlife Management Area. It should be a very interesting trip!
There are many views along the route, a Native American dig site, a cave known as The Fairy Hole, views of Delaware Water Gap, and lots of other stuff!
We will be meeting on Pequest Furnace Road, where it intersects with Rt 46 at 9 am. There is gravel parking here at the intersection. This is a bit further east of Rt 46 from where Rt 31 intersects in Buttsville. Here are GPS coordinates of the location:
Lattitude:  40°49'50.92"N
Longitude:  74°58'39.20"W
Do not try to find an address to put in to a GPS. Simply find the road intersection east of Buttsville. As always, know that a GPS unit will not bring bring you to most of the trail heads we meet at.
Except for a mini mart within the last two miles of the hike, there are no food stops along the way. Please remember to bring a lunch and plenty of water!
Contact me if you need any further info!
908 343 8374 or sneezehorse@hotmail.com

M'ke