Hike #10: 3/23/99
Beginning our hike, meeting at Port Colden Mall, Washington.
3/23/99
Now two years after the first hike, I knew I wanted to lead this one again. I had given
doing long hikes a rest for some time, while I was searching for love and only finding lust.
I had been doing shorter hikes, with good friends William Jacqmein, or as I call him “Bill
Bill”, whom I’d met when I was very young and had been friends with since 8th grade,
and Rob Richmond who I had only recently met working at Shop Rite, but fit in very well
with the absurdity of my life. Rob and I first bonded in a physical fight over Wu Tang
Clan, we came to respect differences and became close.
Crossing Portland Colombia Foot Bridge
View of Del Water Gap from the foot bridge
Former Lackawanna Railroad in Portland PA
This time, we were once again dropped off in Colombia, and immediately began having
fun. Rob picked up a road cone and began singing “Ricola” into it.
"RICOLA!!"
Tracks in Portland PA
Climbing on Delaware Trestle
When we reached the Delaware Trestle, Rob frantically threw junk off of it listening to it
splat, and was first since Shayne not to hesitate in climbing into the lower part o the
bridge.
Rob and Bill Bill on the Delaware Trestle
Climbing under Delaware Trestle
Rob on Delaware Trestle
Rob climbing in the old NYS&W Railroad cut, Delaware NJ
When we went throught the Blairstown Railroad cut across Rt 46, he climbed the slate
cliff as Jay Erker did before, and no one has attemtped it since.
Delaware, NJ near Smiddy's
"The A Rock"
As we left the town of Delaware, we stopped at a rock cut called “The ‘A’ Rock”, an ‘A’
shaped cut along the right of way my family played in as children (My Great Great
Grandparents were from Delaware). We climbed around in several other rock formations
along the way.
"A" Rock, near Ramseyburg NJ
ATV path leading from the rail bed to future cell tower road
Hole along a rock cut above the rail bed
Along former Warren Railroad, Ramseyburg NJ
Along former Warren Railroad
Before reaching the Manunka Chunk Tunnel, I told Bill Bill and Rob about how Aaron
rolled the tire down into Rt 46 earlier. Rob, feeling the need to top this, rolled two! We
took off running.
We jumped around a bit after the tunnel near Catherine’s run, and I did a strip tease dance
on a log.
Manunka Chunk Tunnel
Manunka Chunk Tunnel
Manunka Chunk Tunnel
Manunka Chunk Tunnel
Near Manunka Chunk Tunnel
Along Catherine's Run
Along Catherine's Run
Along Catherine's Run
Along Catherine's Run
Catherine's Run
Along Catherine's Run
Along Catherine's Run
Along Catherine's Run
Along Catherine's Run
Just south of Manunka Chunk Tunnel
Catherine's Run
Ostrich Farm in Sarepta NJ along former Warren Railroad
As we made our way south through Sarepta, there was an Ostrich Farm on the left,
strangely. This certainly added to the continueously interesting scenery of this hike.
We made our way south free of incident, stopping south of Oxford to beat the hell out of
a kid’s toy we found.
Bridgeville sand quarry along former Warren Railroad
Pequest Cut on former Warren Railroad
Former Warren Railroad, Pequest NJ
After stopping at the Busy Bee, we decided to bypass the tunnel and walk Rt 31. As we
walked, a police officer stopped and questioned us about what we were doing. We
explained, but he was perplexed at the fact that I was wearing an army helmet my dad
gave me when I was five (it is a real army liner helmet, with the symbol of the NJ
Regiment on the side). When he asked “What’s with the helmet?” I yelled “THE VIET
KHANG ARE ATTACKING! POW POW POW, AAAAAHHH”, at which he replied
with an awkward “okaaaaay”. He asked if a nearyb vehicle on Rt 31 was ours, and when
we said “no” he sent us on our way, first sarcastically telling Bill Bill “Be careful with that
stick” referring to his walking stick.
We made our way back to Washington pretty quickly from here. When we reached the
Washington Rail Yard, where he DL&W had it’s junction with the former Morris and
Essex Railroad, there was a derailment, a train apparently laying on it’s side. I wondered if
that had anything to do with the fact that I had changed a switch over a night or two
before when I was was walking here.
Bill Bill cut out, and headed up to his house on Railroad Ave, almost within sight, while
Rob and I walked to my house. When we arrived, it had just begun pouring down rain,
and no one would unlatch the door as I pounded. Only my stepfather Mark, and my
brother Alex were home. When they would not open up, I climbed onto the roof and
broke in the attic window, climbed down through my bedroom and into the front door. I
was ordered to replace the window but refused. It was not long after this that I moved
out, moving in with my grandparents on Changewater Mountain, a good move.
“Amazing unseen scenery, I walked 20 miles!?!?! Rolling tires, orange cones, chocolate
milk, railroad tunnels,"You want me to walk through how much water?", oh my the
blisters.” -Bill Bill
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