Hike #209 3/19/6
HT crossing Rt 15...lol
This one's interesting to look back on. It does'nt seem like long ago at all, but this was my first hike after cutting my hair (which happened the night before) and it was a crazy feeling.
3/19/6
Highlands Trail at Roland May Eve's Mt. Inlet Sanctuary
Highlands Trail heading north from Bear Pond
Highlands Trail south of Sparta
Highlands Trail just south of Sparta
Highlands Trail on quarry property south of Sparta
Highlands Trail south of Sparta
Highlands Trail south of Sparta
Highlands Trail south of Sparta
Highlands Trail power line view
Highlands Trail in Sussex County
Sussex County Highlands Trail
Highlands Trail
Along the Highlands Trail, abandoned house south of Sparta
Abandoned slanted house south of Sparta
Slanted house south of Sparta
Abandoned house collapsing south of Sparta on the Highlands Trail
I had quite a strange feeling beginning my next hike, the next section of the HighlandsTrail north of where we’d left off at Roland May Eve’s Mountain Inlet Sanctuary. Thenight before, I had gotten my hair cut short again for the first time since 1999!Immediately following this, Cathy and I attended the AMC dinner in Conshohoken PAwhere I was named the top mileage hiker in the Delaware Valley Chapter! Originally, I was planning on walking from Mt Inlet to NJ Rt 23, but this changed beforethe end of the hike. Bob Moss, former HT supervisor, co led the hike with me once again.We met on the corner of Rt 23 and Canistear Road in Hardyston Twp, Stockholm NJ. Wethen shuttled Bob Moss’s, as well as Sue Bickford Martin’s cars at Ryker Lake WildlifeManagement Area along the way. We continued back to Mt Inlet to begin walking. Also joining me for this hike were Fred Hafale, Dave Finton, Lidya ?, and newcomers{name unknown}, and {name unknown}. We started walking on Eve’s Mountain Road tothe HT, then began walking through quarry property, through areas devastated by GypsieMoth Caterpillars, and along a long line of fencework. There was one viewpoint from arock with a view of Lake Hopatcong in the distance. We continued descending to Rt 181where the blazes ended at the road. Bob guided us on the new unopened section. Weimmediately walked onto an abandoned driveway with the ruins of two abandonedbuildings. On our right was a pile of rubble, formerly a house I would guess, and to ourleft another house, still standing but slanted so much that it looked ready to fall at anytime. I of course had to go in.
Me in the Sparta slanted house...wow
Abandoned house along the Highlands Trail south of Sparta
Old mine south of Sparta
Old mine south of Sparta
At an old mine site south of Sparta
Musconetcong River passing under Rt 15
Crossing Rt 15
Highlands Trail on Winona Trail, Mahlon Dickerson
Highlands Trail in mahlon Dickerson
Highlands Trail in Mahlon Dickerson
Highlands Trail in Mahlon Dickerson
Highlands Trail on the old Ogden Mine Railroad bed
Highlands Trail on the old Ogden Mine Railroad
Outlet of Saffin Pond, Mahlon Dickerson
At Headley Overlook, Mahlon Dickerson
Saffin Pond in Mahlon Dickerson
Lake Hopatcong from Headley Overlook
Headley Overlook
Headley Overlook in Mahlon Dickerson
Headley Overlook
Headley Overlook
Me on the Highlands Trail at Headley Overlook
Headley Overlook
Headley Overlook
At Headley Overlook
Highlands Trail in Mahlon Dickerson
Highlands Trail in Audobon Society Land near Riker Lake
Old outlet for Ryker Lake
Ryker Lake
Ryker Lake
Finishing our Highlands Trail hike near Ryker Lake
As it seemed, the chimney and fireplace may have had somelining in it holding the building together. Even the chimney was falling into the slant. Wecontinued following Bob’s lead, passing spuratic teal diamond HT blazes nailed to thetrees. Bob had recently stepped down as the head of the HT, and the new maintainer hepicked, Glenn Oleksak, decided to go with vinyl tags instead of paint as it was easier tomaintain. Along the way, we passed a few old mine pits. Bob told me that he had recentlylocated some kind of lost mine in the area. We followed the blazes as best we could to Rt15, a limited access highway. Bob told me there was a plan to put a walkway under acreek bridge for an official trail crossing, the only thing inhibiting them from opening thisnext section. On the other side of 15, blazes resumed immediately, into Mahlon Dickerson Reservationand taking us across a power line. We continued out across a road soon, then turned leftonto the right of way of the long abandoned Ogden Mine Railroad. I had always wantedto hike this line, and planned on doing it in the future, and this was my first time on therailbed. We continued north to Saffin Pond, where everyone stopped for lunch at a picnic bench.{name unknown} and {name unknown} both decided to cut out early and get a ride back.I decided to take a jog around Saffin Pond. I ran along the shore to the north side, thencut through the weeds off trail and back to the Ogden Mine Railroad, running quicklyback across the dam to the HT. We soon continued on, sometimes on footpath, sometimeson woods road, as well as on exposed flat rocks. I talked to my grandfather on the phoneduring this stretch, and he told me I was in the latest edition of the Express TimesNewspaper! Yet another interesting thing to add to the long list of things going on! We continued up hill to the Headley Overlook, with a view of the sorrounding area aswell as Lake Hopatcong. Here, Bob and Dave decided to fall behind a bit while Fred, Sue,Lidya and I continued on faster. We passed through some thick Mountain Laurels andpassed another view, then made our way along the trails. We ended up in a parking areawhere we chatted with a few people a bit. From here, the trail surface was sometimes animproved crushed stone. Most of the trails were wide for a while, and heavily used. Beforeleaving Mahlon Dickerson we were back on narrow footpath. We crossed both WeldonRoad and Sparta Mountain Road. The next long section we did took us across Mt Paul, which is a religious organization’sland. I believe we came out on Ridge Road and crossed directly. We followed the AT outto a creek, but there was no bridge. We were now on Audubon Society property, andthere were side trails. Fred knew the trails, so he led us east a bit where we used anotherbridge over the creek. We then followed this trail back to the HT. I was the only one whowanted to continue north to Rt 23, so we decided to make our way to the early out point,which would end up being far enough anyway. At this point, we decided to follow theAudubon Society trail west along the creek. There appeared to be ruins of some sort offlume, which was apparently part of the works for a furnace that once existed here. Next,we reached Ryker Lake, which was lovely. We walked lakeside over a bridge on the dam,then out to a woods road leading to where Sue had her car parked. We waited around abit, and I walked down Edison road to Ridge Road and met up with Bob and Dave. They soon caught up and we said our goodbyes.
Map at Ryker Lake
Map at Ryker Lake
Map at Ryker Lake
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