Upcoming Hikes!....

Hey everyone,

I've been getting away from the e mail list a bit, because I was having trouble with my account locking me out at first, and then because I've been getting so many new participants through the metrotrails website and our meetup site, www.meetup.com/metrotrails

I will try to send the e mails out a bit more infrequently but with more information.

Well, a new year is upon us. As usual, we will start out the new year with a First Day Hike! This year, that will be on the Highlands Trail between Long Valley and Spruce Run Recreation Area, a distance of 15.1 miles! Half of it is flat, along the Columbia Trail, with the rest having moderate elevation gain. We will be meeting at 8:45 am in Long Valley where the Columbia Trail crosses Schooley's Mountain Road. We will shuttle with as few cars as possible from here, which includes a 15 passenger van loaned to me by the State of NJ for this event! I am fortunate to have NJ DEP support for my First Day Hike, and more thanks goes to my Superintendent Jenny Felton for printing us out packets of maps and detailed trail info for everyone!

Because there are so many signed up, we may have to move some of the cars to other nearby parking lots.  Contact me for more details at (908) 343 8374.

For this weekend, the hike will be Saturday, here's the description:

Join us for a very interesting hike through the open spaces in and around Princeton NJ! Hikers will be amazing at just how many trails and parks there are in Princeton. Although it is near to developed areas we will be mostly off roads on many different kinds of trails.


We are meeting at 8:30 am near the Whole Foods, Wendy's, Marshalls, and Staples along Rt 1 at the following address and GPS coordinates:
3495 U.S. 1, Princeton, NJ 08540 ‎
Lattitude: 40°18'33.62"N
Longitude: 74°39'59.34"W


This hike is a 17 mile loop. No car shuttling is necessary, so we will begin walking directly from the shopping center. We will follow a pathway that leads along a golf course to the Delaware and Raritan Canal. We will turn off of the old canal towpath and enter Institute Woods, a nice preserve which takes us across the Stony Brook on an amazing swinging bridge pictured above.


The route will take us from here across Princeton Battlefield State Park, and then through two more small preserves by way of paved paths. These paved paths lead near to Hun School and into a park known as Greenway Meadows, a lovely preserve that follows more of the Stony Brook further north.


The route continues along a couple of back streets, then makes it's way onto paved development paths which also give way to foot paths. They take us onto property adjacent to the Educational Testing Service, and on to Province Line Road, a partially abandoned road that takes it's name because it was once the boundary between the colonies of East and West New Jersey. It leads over a nice bridge over Stony Brook.


Much of the abandoned roadway retains the look of a regular road, only the lack of traffic has made it appear very narrow. We follow this road north for less than a mile after it becomes residential, and another trail leads us into the Woodfield Reservation, with more rustic natural surface foot paths.


The trail takes us past interesting points such as the Devil's Cave, a small rock overhang, and the Tent Rock pictured above. The trails of Woodfield Reservation continue connectively  to the Pond View/ETS Trail. The character of the trail changes to being more open, near to a private school and along scenic ponds.


From here, we cross into the Community Park North area. Many trails criss cross this property which was used at one time to harvest ice for Princeton. We'll continue through Community Park north and on to Witherspoon Woods, named for a signer of the Declaration of Independence. This trail leads us out to roads with paved parallel pathways on the north side of Princeton.


We'll head south through Princeton, utilizing these pathways across town as well as the college campus, both of which are very lovely. By this time, we will be able to take our time, and find a place to stop and eat somewhere. Those who wish to continue on to the end may take Alexander Street to the canal towpath, and continue back to the access from which we started.
Although this hike is in a suburban area, the majority of it is away from any businesses, so everyone should have a lunch or snack, as well as plenty of water. Most of the trails are not very rocky, with a pleasant natural surface or pavement.
Contact me for more information: M'ke 908 343 8374

The following weekend I have not figured out what the hike will be yet, but it might depend on weather, and be a Jersey Perimeter hike. If there's not a lot of snow, it could end up being mostly woods, and if there's snow it could be the next section between Mahwah and Montvale.

The following weekend, 1/18, we will be doing the Jersey City/Bayonne/Newark Bay waterfront between Jersey City and Bayonne, which includes a lot of nice waterfront walkway and even substantial boardwalks. Here is the description:

 This hike will trace as closely as possible the ease side of the mighty Hackensack between Jersey City and Bayonne. Some of the parks are in segments, but participants will be surprised at how much very nice waterfront we can actually walk on manicured paved and crushed stone paths as well as lovely boardwalks.
Distance will be about 16 miles.


We will be meeting at 8:30 am at the Hudson Bergen Light Rail station at Liberty State Park located on the corner of Communipaw Ave and Johnston Ave at the following GPS coordintates:
Lattitude:  40°42'39.47"N
Longitude:  74° 3'22.81"W
No car shuttling will be necessary because we will utilize the train for our return.


We will continue from here, following some of the JC route of the Liberty-Water Gap Trail across Jersey City to Lincoln Park. Once at Lincoln Park, we'll take to some of the other paved paths and explore the waterfront. We will have to cross Truck Rts 1 and 9, pass some retail stores, and then get back out onto the waterfront, which follows paved or crushed stone paths, as well as outstanding boardwalks. Hikers will be amazing at just how much of the Hackensack River/Newark Bay waterfront is walkable!


Despite heavy development, great urban hiking is possible along this section. We'll be walking directly along Rt 440 for a time, but it's well worth it for the incredible sections we'll hike in Richard A. Rutkowski Park, Bayonne Park, Veterans Park, City Park, and Mayor Dennis P. Collins Park.
We will also never be too far from food, so we will probably stop for some at some point along the way.


After reaching the waterfront at the south end of Bayonne, we'll walk a few blocks to the north to reach the light rail station and catch a ride back to our staring point. It only costs a couple of dollars to get back.
When we return, we have the option of continuing walking back into town for food, and/or heading to the Liberty SP waterfront for views of Manhattan at night.

We will close out the month on Jan 26 with another perimeter of NJ hike, meeting at Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park NJ. Here is the description:

This hike will be the next in the series to hike the entire perimeter of NJ. This time, we will be connecting the towns of National Park NJ with Greenwich Township.
The hike will be very diverse, travelling through small parks along the way, as well as back and main roads in an effort to connect as close as we can with the lower Delaware River. There will be a very nice section of sandy dirt road with views of the Commodore Barry Bridge, and then we'll walk through the main sections of the towns of Gibbstown and Paulsboro. There will also be part of Red Bank Battlefield State Park.
This is sure to be an interesting and different hike in the heart of the Delaware Bayshore Region, and relatively easy terrain. About fifteen miles.

For any further information, feel free to call or text me! Plenty more good stuff coming up!

Best Regards

M'ke

Saturday Dec 7th Camden South Hike!

Hey all!
Join us for another hike in the series to hike the entire perimeter of NJ!
For this hike, we will meet in Red Bank Battlefield Park, located at 100 Hessian Ave, National Park NJ just south of Camden, at 8:30 am.
After meeting at our end point, we will shuttle to the north and park at a train station to the east of Camden where cars will be safe, then ride the train to Philadelphia! PATCO speed line takes only one minute! We'll pass the Liberty Bell site, and Benjamin Franklin's grave, then walk across the Ben Franklin Bridge. From there, we take to the waterfront and begin following it as closely as possible southbound! I hope to arrange a tour of the Battleship NJ, but we will see how that goes as the time nears.
We'll continue south, sometimes on roads, making our way to the waterfront and such as we continue on. There should be some amazing lower Delaware River views on our way to the end.
Carol and Rob Creamer are hosting the annual Decemberween Party following the hike.

This Saturday: North Easton/Northampton County Loop Hike

Join us for an almost exactly fifteen mile loop hike north of Easton PA from Penn Pump Park! This loop includes suburban greenways that nearly connect for a truly different kind of hike.


We will meet at 7:45 am at Penn Pump Park, north of Easton. To get there, take the exit off of Rt 22 for 13th St. Turn briefly left on Wood Avenue, then right on Hackett Ave.
Follow that to a right on Park Ave, then another right on Northwood Ave. Penn Pump Park is on the right just before the creek crossing.

The route includes a lot of paved trails that were developer's incentives during construction. It's nice that they created these pathways to allow for safe passage of pedestrians, but what is truly nice is that a good loop walk can be made of it. We'll also use Penn's Grant Path and a short back street at the beginning, as well as ball fields.

As the paths continue, they seamlessly transition into an unpaved rail trail, part of the Forks Recreation Trail. This lovely trail passes through fields as well as a high shelf above the Delaware River.


From the end of the rail trail, we follow a short road walk section to try to trace another short abandoned railroad spur line. It used to service a small quarry. From here, another brief road walk leads us to the still active Uhler Branch of the Lehigh and New England Railroad, which further back is now the Forks Recreation Trail. A path parallels this. One last brief road walk leads us to an abandoned right of way of the Lehigh Valley Railroad which is now the Palmer Bikeway.
The lovely rail trail continues south closely parallel with the Bushkill Creek, which will return us directly to Penn Pump Park.

This Weekend in METROTRAILS!

 Hey all!
This is a big week...I will be fulfilling a 17 year dream to attempt to walk sixty miles in one day between Albany and Kingston this coming Saturday.
 I know that many of you won't want to do that, so we have a substitute leader for a regular Sunday hike.
 If you by chance DO want to do the sixty, you are responsible for taxi service to get you out if you can't make it, which can be pricey. If interested call me at 908 343 8374.
ALSO: Metrotrails tee shirts will be on sale for $10 each the beginning of December! Looking like available sizes will be medium, large, an X large.
 The following is our friend William "Guillermo" Fabel's trip posting. He has agreed to substitute lead a shorter hike in my place this coming Sunday if anyone is interested.

Hey folks, for those not wanting to do Mike's 60 mile hike-athon, consider joining me (Guillermo) for an 8 mile, town of Hamburg-Reservoir-Port Clinton point to point wandern. For all the groups that hike the Hamburg reservoir, hardly any take the other trails that exist. People always to do the same AT-Pulpit-Pinnacle route. So, gathering at (50 State Street, Hamburg, PA 19526) by 0830 hours, we will shuttle vehicles to the start at the reservoir parking area (401 Reservoir Road, Hamburg PA 18526). We will follow the Appalachian trail West and break off on an abandoned path, then picking up a game lands road. We make a slow traversing ascent (500 feet) up the ridge and intersect the AT again on the top. We continue West and break off onto a blue blazed trail and descend to a stream (Rattling Run). After crossing, we make a winding and somewhat steep ascent up the ridge (800 feet), to pick up the Pinnacle spur trail. We walk this to Fire Tower Road, then follow the road down the ridge, and onto another abandoned road before coming out at Rt 61. After carefully crossing, we walk Penn street into Port Clinton, visiting the Peanut Shop and/or Port Clinton Hotel. We continue through town and over to the Western AT access. We turn onto the John Bertram Rail Trail and follow it back to the first meeting point in Hamburg. Sorry folks, no viewpoints on this route. Non the less, it should be GLORIOUS! Optional post hike refreshment stop at the Westy (279 W State Street, Hamburg, PA 19526). 40% or better chance of rain will cancel. Given the time change, you may want to bring some sort of light in case we experience a delay and/or it is getting dark as we return. I was told dogs are allowed on the rail trail, so it is a dog friendly. Please know your own physical ability and have comfortable footwear. If the hike is not to one's liking, there will be opportunities for early out.
From the Lehigh Valley and/or I-476, Take Lehigh Valley Exit #56 to *78 West, approx 19 miles, take Rt 61 North to traffic light. Turn right to Jetson Drive, take another right on Industrial Drive. The road winds around a bit. At traffic light, turn left, parking lot will be on left side.

Sun. Jersey Perimeter, Northern Cape May Hike and Beyond...

This point to point hike will lead us between Eldora area and northern Cape May area, about 16 miles.

We will also follow backroads through Dennisville and South Dennis, and sand roads through a large nature preserve.
The route of this hike has changed somewhat since scouting the section just to the south of here. To hike the perimeter of NJ, we constantly make new discoveries that merit our attention. In this case, I have discovered another trail in Cape May National Wildlife Refuge that we simply must hike to do the perimeter of the state! This one is called the Woodcock Trail and it passes through meadows and estuarine bayside wetlands. We'll make our way around this at the beginning, then make our way along some short sections of the bayside beaches. NOTE: we will have to take our shoes off to quickly go across the tiny streams that enter the bay. I did it yesterday, and it was just a quick step through sand.
The re-worked route also includes two winery tours!
The first winery, Jessie Creek Vinyards, is $5 to taste all of their wines including bronze and silver metal winners, and that also gets you a Jessie Creek wine glass.
We'll continue north on snippets of beach and back roads, and cover Cape May National Wildlife Refuge's Songbird Trail, then make our way along the road to Natali Vinyards and do a second tasting. We must continue on backroads through Dennis, then follow some sandy roads to our end point near Eldora. As always, who knows what else we'll find!
Meet at Eldora Nature Preserve along Rt 47/Old State Highway at 9:00 am. We'll move to another location from there.

The following week I will be atttempting to cover sixty miles in twenty four hours with a few friends. Of course not everyone wants to do this, and so Guillermo (William Fabel) is subbing for me with a hike in Hamburg Watershed PA. More to Come!

11/10 Philly Hike!

Hey All,
For our next great long day excursion, we travel back to Philadelphia PA, the City of Brotherly love to do a new hike that connects with the great past ones we've done through the area.
Taking the reigns for leadership this time is our friend Jason Kumpas, long time Metrotrails hiker who's helped us in so many ways in the areas with which he's familiar. 

Join us to explore some hidden trails in Philly's Fairmount Park.  The 15 mile route will take us off the bike trails along Kelly and West River Drives and into the woods.  These lesser known dirt trails and paved paths will take us past the Philadelphia Art Museum, Rocky Steps, Water Works, Boathouse Row, Lemon Hill, Japanese House, Laurel Hill Cemetery, Please touch Museum, and the beautiful Master Street and Chamounix tunnels from an old Trolley Line.

Although this part of the park is surrounded by the city, there will be few food stops. Please bring lunch and plenty of water.  The route will be about 15 miles and should take all day since there is so much to check out.  Because it is big loop with the river in between there will be few bailout points.

Meet 8:30am at the Horse stables near the Chamounix Mansion youth hostel. 3250 Chamounix Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19131-3710
This page has great directions:Meetup Location Directions

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/

Sunday 9/8 Promised Land Hike!

Join us for a long hike in what was known as the "Promised Lands" of the Poconos. When originally settled, these properties were sold off to hopeful farmers in search of a successful life in the new world. Unfortunately, they found the area to be harsh and no good for farming at all.When farmers attempted to plant their fields, the freezing and thawing made the rocks come to the surface, which are today referred to as "Pocono Potatoes".
For this hike, we will be meeting at 9 am at the main entrance to Promised Land State Park on Rt 390, Promised Land Road. Google Maps also shows this as Fairview Lake Road. A map of the park can be found here: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003250.pdf
From the meeting point, we will shuttle with as few cars as possible south to our beginning, near the northern end of Thunder Swamp Trail.
DO NOT  go solely by GPS!!!
 GPS units are not good for finding trail heads. If you're looking for a store or whatever, they're find, but with trails you should always read my trip description first with meeting point and then adjust accordingly. GPS units often send people to the middle of nowhere in the Poconos. Directions are also on the brochure at the park website for which I posted the map. I don't want anyone to get lost! I often have people calling me and asking how to get to the meeting point, and often I am not familiar with the roads in the area either. Sometimes we have to do a little homework before blindly driving! This time everybody should be ready because I may not have any cell phone reception for much of the day!
The hike will be about 18 miles, but shouldn't be so tough because so much of it is plateaued areas with only gently rolling hills. Much of what we will be following are dirt, gravel, or otherwise unpaved woods roads interspersed with trails and a utility right of way.The route is at first within Delaware State Forest. We ill follow the Burnt Mills Swamp Trail, really a woods road, and continue to Pine Flats Fireline Trail, another woods road. We take this to a dirt road known as High Line Road. We'll follow this, then pick up a utility right of way with an ATV path along it. This is the only serious climb on the hike, as we ascend High Knob, with views from the top.Beyond High Knob, we'll follow the utility right of way to a series of dirt roads from which we'll pick up Big Inlet Trail. This will lead us into Promised Land State Park. We'll utilize the state park trails to reach our end point along the lake.
Because of the distance, this hike is not for beginners. While the woods roads will often make for a relaxing route, there will be a couple of difficult sections.
Contact me for further details:908 343 8374

Sunday Chester Area Hike!

NOTE: I work at for state parks, and if something comes up and I'm needed to work the date of this hike, I MIGHT have to reschedule, though it is unlikely. If anything changes I will update this promptly.

Join us for an awesome 16 mile hike in the Chester NJ area, mostly utilizing the Patriot's Path to connect Black River Recreation Area with Hacklebarney State Park. The route has one nice view, and mostly pleasant trails, scenic downtown Chester, abandoned railroad grades, abandoned telephone pole farm, the lovely Black River, abandoned former river swimming pools, iron mines, and more!
Hacklebarney State Park is located on State Park Road just south of Chester. From Rt 24/513, head south on Hacklebarny Road with the Black River to the left. Continue to turn right on State Park Road, and the entrance is on the left. Continue down the drive to the parking lot.
Some of the route we will be following is the FUTURE route of the Patriot's Path through the public park lands of Chester Township. It has not been marked yet, but the route has been chosen! These pastoral views are part of the new trail section through Chester. Currently, there is a short gap in the trail that this will fill! After passing through this area, hikers will have the opportunity to pick up more water and food or snack in scenic downtown Chester, also the route of Patriot's Path.From here, the trail makes it's way onto an abandoned railroad bed and descends to the Black River with more lovely scenery as we make our way parallel down stream and passing sites such as the old Cooper Grist Mill.The trail continues in part along former mine railroad routes, then as a foot path along the river, along what was once the estate of Elizabeth D. Kay. The tail becomes a narrower foot path and continues along the Black River. In addition to the main branch of the Patriot's Path, we'll take on the blue route, which is the Black River section, as well as the Conifer Pass Trail through lovely woods.We'll continue a bit further on Patriot's Path, then cut off along pleasant unpaved back roads to reach Hacklebarney State Park. We'll follow the old Orange Trail, no longer maintained, and visit some of the lesser known scenic spots within the park. There is only a short overgrown section, but not too bad here.
We then follow the formalized Hacklebarney Trails system back to the parking lot, following the riverside and the Main Trail.
This promises to be an extremely diverse and enjoyable hike with constantly changing scenery! If anyone has any questions or concerns, reach out to me here or at 908 343 8374. No public trans available to Chester.