Hike #217 5/14/6
As I look back, this was a great illustration of how great my friends are. Even though I had no car, the previous week Mr. Buckett came and picked me up, and for this one Amit was good enough to drive. In the face of recent tragedy everyone came to my aide again, in a bigger way than ever. I am so fortunite...
This looks like a standard college kid shot
5/14/6
Appalachian Trail south of Unionville NY
View from the AT in the Drowned Lands of NJ
AT view in the Drowned Lands
View in Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge from the AT.
For this trip, I wanted to scout out the next section of the Lehigh and New EnglandRailroad in New Jersey, as well as part of the Appalachian Trail. We would begin inHanford area on the AT and head to Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge to follow the LNEright of way south to Swartzwood Junction. I had walked with LNE north fromSwartzwood to Washingtonville, but not beyond. I was looking forward to finishing therailroad in NJ. Joining me for this one were all veterans of my hikes, Skyler, Guillermo, David N, Amit,and Sue. We spotted cars at Swartzwood on Newton-Swartzwood Road and headed tothe parking area for the AT on Rt 284. I believe Sue and David both drove to thebeginning.
on the LNE rail bed, Wallkil NWR
This is what happens when you make a garage while drunk I guess.
Along former LNE railroad in Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge
Along the LNE right of way
Along the LNE right of way in Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge
Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge
Wallkill NWR
Foot bridge in Wallkill NWR
Crossing a beaver dam where a rail trestle used to be in Wallkill NWR
Beaver dam in Wallkill NWR
Wallkill NWR
Fighting through the weeds on the rail bed in Wallill NWR
Fighting through weeds on the LNE rail bed, Wallkill NWR
Former site of the Wallkill River trestle for Lehigh and New England railroad, Sussex NJ
LNE right of way in Sussex NJ
Old building along the LNE right of way in Sussex
Rt 23 underpass on the former LNE rail bed, Sussex NJ
LNE trestle over Papackating Brook in Sussex NJ
Papackating Brook Bridge in Sussex NJ
LNE right of way near Sussex NJ
LNE right of way near Pellettown or Roys or something
LNE right if way near Pellettown or something
LNE rail right of way in Augusta NJ
View from the LNE right of way in Augusta NJ area
Near Augusta NJ area on the LNE right of way
Near Augusta on the LNE right of way
Near Augusta NJ on the LNE right of way
Near Augusta NJ on the LNE right of way
LNE right of way in Sussex County
Trestle on the LNE right of way in Sussex Co
Trestle on the LNE rail right of way in Sussex Co NJ
LNE rail right of way in Augusta NJ
LNE right of way behind a fruit stand in Augusta NJ
LNE trestle in Augusta NJ
We immediately entered the woods on a beautiful piece of scenery with a tiny woodenbridge over a creek. Everyone waited around while I ran back up the AT toward theNYS&W Hanford Branch where we’d left off last time to take a look around. We did a nice section of the AT with some farmland views, then along a road.
We passeda garage along the AT road route that looked as though someone cut it out in a drunkenstate. We crossed the Wallkill River on the road, then turned south on the AT into theWallkill National Wildlife Refuge where the AT was co-aligned with the Liberty LoopTrail. We continued through the refuge, which was formerly a sod farm here, on a sort ofberm, making a 90 degree angle turn to the left to the LNE Railroad right of way. Bothtrails followed the right of way briefly north, while we opted to go south to Swartzwood.The right of way was very clear and easy to follow at first as it took us to Owens StationRoad, which was at a place called Owens. Here, some sort of gravel pit place wasconstructed ahead on the right of way. Fortunitely, there was an easy road route followingOwens Station Road to a left turn on county Rt 665 back to the right of way.
Sue decidedto cut out when we reached Owens, turning back to return to her car. While along the road, we passed a strange tilted building looking like it was ready to fallover. We joked about pushing it over, and David and I ran back to try. We pushed as hardas we could but were unbable to do it. We made the turn and soon were back on therailbed, waiting of course for cars to go by. This particular right of way was closed to thepublic through the Wildlife Refuge for some reason, so I did not want to be seen.Guillermo and I were far ahead for a bit as we neared Wantage where there was a roadcrossing. I cracked open a couple beers for us, and when everyone else showed up I gavethem each one. We hung out for a short while, then continued on in solitude through adeep part of the refuge. The right of way was very clear and easy to follow until wereached a creek crossing. This seemed more like a lake crossing, as land all around us wasswamp. The presumeably wooden bridge had been removed over the creek, and we wereforced to walk across the dam to the other side. There was some kind of short trail into abog below, but it led nowhere. Climbing up the other side was quite a bit weedier, and theright of way beyond much tougher to follow. We were sorrounded by water on both sides,so the right of way was the only option to walk. Just when we thought we were done with the bad part, we reached another missingbridge over yet another tributary. I had thought this was the missing bridge I had been toldabout over the Wallkill, but this was just a teaser. We managed to walk across on yetanother Beaver dam! We were a bit nervous because we could hear the sound of ATVsnearby, and we had heard rangers patrolled on ATVs. We had to crawl on our hands andknees on the other side in order to continue on the righ of way, and the railbed itself wasnot much better. We fought through some bad weeds making our way south. Weeventually came to where there was a clearing, but ATVs were sounding all around us.We walked around a bridge pier, and there was the Wallkill before us. It was much largerthan I had anticipated it would be. I decided to test it’s depth by walking in, and it gotover my head in some places. I did find a way of getting across just barely standing. Abreak could be taken halfway across where the silt had built behind the former bridge pier.I stripped down and got my pack; carefully I managed to get my stuff across withoutgetting it wet. The five of us all got in the water and put together a handoff line to passeach other’s things across the river. It was a bit chilly, but we managed. We got to the other side, which was surprisingly clear. It was a bit disturbing at first,because if anyone passed through they would certainly see us. Fred had talked aboutmeeting up with us the last time I’d talked to him, but I did not see him here. Wecontinued south out of the Wallkill NWR, and a gas line had joined the right of way, afterwich it was very clear. The right of way became very open as we passed just south ofSussex. There was one abandoned building along the railbed. We passed under the site ofthe former Hanford Branch bridge, then under Rt 23. Just after a former spur right of waybranched off to the north toward Sussex, clear enough to walk though we opted not to.We then crossed over a cool through style girder bridge over the Papackating Brook witha slight turn to it which was nice. It was still only railroad ties, not decked. This and manybridges ahead had plywood sat across ties as well as large logs and sticks laid between theI Beams to make for more support. We passed along the area of Lewisburg and just before crossing Rt 565 we found Fred!He was walking back to Sussex where he had parked. I asked if he’d like to still join us,but we had too much walking left ahead of us. He had walked to the Walkill crossing anddid’nt see us, waited around for some time, then turned back the other way to do his ownhike. At the time we must have been caught in the weeds. We passed through some woodlands and crossed the Papackating Brook again on a long,lower through girder bridge, then across two smaller bridges before reaching Roy Road inthe village of Roys. We passed through more woods and crossed the Papackating Brookagain on another bridge, then reached a place called Pellettown. We continued out andinto some fields, very open and unrecognizeable as ever having been a railroad save for afew spots of cinder in the dirt, but noticeable due to the gas line signs. The open field areawas gorgeous. We soon crossed another creek bridge. This one was a deck style girderbridge, wich made it a bit different. We crossed the Papackating Brook again just before reaching a place called Armstrong.There were people in a nearby yard, but I don’t recall anyone hassling us. We had to turnright briefly on the road, and head back onto the right of way. We crossed the PapackatingBrook for the last time in Plains where there was a road crossing and continuedsouthwest. We continued through sort of a field area out to Rt 206 in Augusta wherethere was a fruit stand. We decided to go in where Amit got some sort of weird gummithings, then we continued on. We crossed another through girder bridge over the PaulinsKill on the fruit stand property covered in junk and then crossed Smith Hill Road. Welaughed histerically at strange Jesus jokes, and we were all still pretty happy at this time. We next crossed the Morris Turnpike followed by Kinney Road, then Rt 626 betweenWashingtonville and Balesville, which was the furthest I’d walked it with my grandfatherin the past. It was getting dark, and I knew we had to hurry. I had thought we had lessdistance left, but surprisingly, a piece of the right of way went onto another page of my NJAtlast I did not know about, so we we behind with time estimates. We paralleled SpirolRoad for some time, and either before or the road before Plotts Road, where it meetsJunction and Spirol Roads, Amit and I decided we would finish the hike top speed andcome to pick everyone up. We climbed down from a culvert, then ran hard back towaredSwartzwood. It seemed like it took a while, but we got back to Rt 622 and we picked upDavid’s car at the beginning before going out for dinner at the Newton Diner. I did’nthave money, and as of this writing, I still owe Amit a dinner to return the favor!
Photos! Here's a link to all of them from this hike and descriptions of them...
http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/sneezehorse/hike217%205-14-6/
1.) Crossing a little stream on the AT near the Rt 284 crossing in north NJ.
2.) View from the AT north toward NY State through farms and forests
3.) Another terrific farm view from the AT
4.) This is what happens when you cut a garage door when intoxicated. This is located near the NY State Line just west of the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge
5.) Along the AT in Wallkill NWR
6.) Along abandoned LNE Rail grade in Wallkill NWR
7.) Guillermo along the rail right of way, which is to the left. It is badly flooded here.
8.) Guilermo and I in Wantage, part of Wallkill NWR along the rail bed
9.) Skyler, David, Guillermo, Amit, and I in Wallkill NWR, Wantage NJ
10.) LNE grade in Wallkill south of Wantage
11.) View of swamplands around the rail grade
12.) More swamplands along the grade
13.) A little bridge to a small island along the right of way where a bridge once stood.
14.) Crossing the beaver dam at the old bridge site
15.) Still crossing the beaver dam at the bridge site
16.) More of the "drowned lands" in Wallkill NWR
17.) Crossing another bridge site in Wallkill
18.) Guillermo crawling below the weeds after crossing a second beaver dam
19.) Site of former trestle where the LNE crossed the Wallkill River. We swam across.
20.) Just north of the town of Sussex on the railbed
21.) Guillermo walking by an abandoned structure in Sussex NJ
22.) Skyler at the underpass of NJ Rt 23
23.) Bridge crossing over the Papackating Creek in Sussex
24.) Old walkway on the first Papackating Creek bridge in Sussex
25.) I believe this one is near a place called Lewisburg near Sussex
26.) Crossing the Papackating Brook again in southern Wantage Twp. Not how ATV users have placed sticks in spaces between the old ties.
27.) Another part of the right of way south of Sussex
28.) Somewhere near a place called Roys
29.) Farmland views from the right of way
30.) Rail right of way across a field near Roys
31.) Still near Roys somewhere
32.) Again, near Roys at another bridge crossing
33.) Another trestle, I believe at Pellettown
34.) Another bridge crossing in Pellettown
35.) Another bridge south of Pellettown
36.) Armstrong area of of Frankford Township
37.) Crossing some field areas on the right of way just before reaching Augusta
38.) Crossing through a fruit stand property in Augusta on the railbed
39.) An old trestle by the farm stand in Augusta
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