Hike #152; Lower Lehigh Canal

 Hike #152

Hike 152

Along Lehigh Canal in Freemansburg PA

10/31/4

 

For this year’s costume hike, I decided the Lehigh Canal hike I had done with Tea Biscuit

and Gary Kuipers recently would be a good route, only I would do it in the opposite

direction. I would still post it as a 15 miler, and would learn by the end of this hike that the

mileage I was quoted by the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Cooridoor was

incorrect, and that it was actually more like 17 miles.

Meeting point for the hike in Allentown...HAM!!!

Delaware Canal lock in Easton

Chain Dam, Easton

Joining this time were past participants Cathy, Rich Wells, Felisa Kulba, Phil Wingert,

and Dale Brandreth, and newcomers were Anne Murphy, Barbara Weimann, Judy ? and

her dog, Hunter. I had met Barbara previously at the Lehigh Valley group meetings of the

AMC, and I knew of Anne Murphy as she was the moderator of the Delaware Valley

AMC’s online trip postings. We left cars at the end point, which this time was the canal

park in Bethlehem at the dam, where we begun the previous time, and shuttled to Easton at

the Forks of the Lehigh and Delaware. Here, we met Bob Savron on his bicycle, who

showed up to join us for part of the hike. He ended up riding along with us almost all the

way to Freemansburg.

Along original Lehigh Canal route before reroute near Chain Dam and CNJ culvert.

Former CNJ railroad line above the canal

Lehigh Canal towpath east of Freemansburg

Lehigh Canal towpath east of Freemansburg

Lehigh Canal towpath in Freemansburg

Only Cathy and I dressed up crazy; I wore my hippie get up I had worn previously on the

Lambertville hike, and Cathy wore full camos. Dale showed up wearing a crazy black wig

and introduced himself as Aloicious. I had no idea who he was until he took the wig off!

We began by checking out the north end of the Delaware Canal. The parking lot was taped

off in some places due to the bad flooding. The upper section of the Delaware Canal was

closed due to the terrible flooding we’d recently faced. Fortunitely, the Lehigh Canal

towpath was still open. Cathy climbed around on the fish ladder, then we began following

the towpath along the Lehigh slack water to Hugh Moore Park. We continued to the

watered section of the canal in the park, then walked out to the last lock before the Lehigh

again used slack water. A few, including Cathy waited behind near the Hugh Moore Park

bridge, while the rest of us headed out to the dam, then returned via a paved path parallel

to the canal. We crossed over the Lehigh on the bridge and then headed west along the

river to the Chain Dam.

Along the Lehigh Canal in Bethlehem

Lehigh Canal at Monocacy Creek Aqueduct

Lehigh Canal, Bethlehem PA

At Chain Dam, we headed up hill once again to the railroad right of way trail. We

continued ahead, and as I recall Rich and Felisa took the lead. They even decided to go up

the gradual incline to the right where a branch of the CNJ headed into Easton. They soon

turned back and rejoined us. We stopped for a lunch break at an access site with a big

parking lot just east of the Rt 33 bridge.

We continued on toward Freemansburg, passing through the access site near the railroad

culvert which was still washed out since our previous visit. Bob Savron turned back in the

stretch between here and Freemansburg.

The leaves were again turning beautiful colors, which were the most remarkable during

the walk through Freemansburg. We continued on toward Bethlehem. Cathy and I fell

behind for a bit here, but we rejoined the group when we reached the Monocacy Creek

Aqueduct.

The section from Bethlehem to the end went the slowest. It seemed much longer than it did

during or previous visit, and it was by this time that Barb told me she believed it was

farther than 15 miles. She looked into it, and sure enough it was closer to 17. Everyone

was overjoyed to reach our cars at the end!