Hike #256 12/3/6
Group shot at India Brook Natural Area
We meet so many great friends over the years. I fondly remember this hike as Larry's first one with us!!!
12/3/6
Pleasant Valley/Schiff Reservation-Ledgewood with Fred Hafale, "Amish Paul" Hassler, Jason Itell, Laurie Ellicott, Bill "Guillermo" Fabel, and Larry Butler
Lunch break at Heisteins Park
Swinging around in Shiff Reservation
Schiff Reservation
Schiff Reservation
Schiff Reservation
Schiff Reservation
In Schiff Reservation
View in Schiff Reservation
View in Schiff Reservation
In Schiff Reservation
Schiff Reservation
South of Schiff
Schiff Reservation
Crossing Burnett Brook from Schiff Reservation
Crossing Burnett Brook near Ralston
Rockaway Valley Railroad bed in Ralston NJ
India brook park
India Brook Park
Along India Brook Trail
India Brook bridge site
Vine climging in India Brook Natural Area
Map of India Brook area
Vine climbing race along the India Brook
India brook
India Brook
India Brook
India Brook
India Brook
Buttermilk Falls in India Brook Natural Area
Buttermilk Falls in India Brook Natural Area
Buttermilk Falls on India Brook
Buttermilk Falls on India Brook
Buttermilk Falls on India Brook
Buttermilk Falls on India Brook
Me at Buttermilk Falls on India Brook
Buttermilk Falls, India Brook
Along India Brook
India Brook
India Brook
India Brook Trail
India Brook Trail
In Combs Hollow
Old dam in Combs Hollow
Twisted branch
Combs Hollow
Building ruin in Combs Hollow
Patriot's Path in Randolph Township
Heisteins Park
Pond in Heisteins Park
The sky in Heisteins Park
Heisteins Park
Near Heistein's Park
Patriot's Path in Black River WMA
Patriot's Path, former Lackawanna Chester Branch in Black River WMA
Former DL&W Chester Branch in Black River WMA
Former DL&W Chester Branch in Ironia area
Former DL&W Chester Branch in Ironia
Ironia NJ
Black River view
This is where Fred cut out near Ironia
pond along Eyeland ave
Horseshoe Lake, Succasunna
Horseshoe Lake, Succasunna
Field in Succasunna
Field in Succasunna
Abandoned house in Succasunna, now gone.
Old driveway looking from an abandoned house in Succasunna, now gone.
Along the tracks in Succasunna
Along the tracks in Ledgewood
Pond in Ledgewood area
Guillermo chows down on an awesome Crave Case at the Ledgewood White Castle
My next hike would take us on a point to point trip through Morris County using more of the ever growing Patriot's Path system from Pleasant Valley to Ledgewood. I met the group once again behind the White Castle burger place in Ledgewood. Joining me were Fred Hafale, Bill "Guillermo" Fabel, Jason Itell, Laurie Ellicott, "Amish Paul" Hassler, and one newcomer, Jason's friend Larry Butler. Amish Paul and Jason (with his new car) shuttled us down to Pleasant Valley near Mendham, to the Schiff Reservation. The Schiff Reservation is not part of the Morris County Parks Department, but it's trails connect with it. It is similar to the Nature Conservancy in that it is a separate public preserve. We began walking from the main parking area off Pleasant Valley Road. We headed up hill briefly then headed right on a former road, now a blue blazed trail. This was called the Lookout Trail. After a short distance I realized I left my cell phone at the cars. Jason gave me his car keys so I could get in, but it turned out my phone had fallen under the car. Still, I accidently set the panic alarm off which took me a couple seconds to turn off. I ran back to rejoin everyone else. We continued on the old road until we reached the white blazed Great Meadow Loop and turned right. This trail took us through a field and around a corner. We accidently passed the trail I planned on turning right on, the Red Pine Climb. It broke off to the right, but we continued on and accidently began following this trail in the wrong direction, leading us up a hill and then down to a nice view over the North Branch of the Raritan Valley near a shelter and a picnic table. Everyone sat down and began having converstions while Fred and I tried to figure out where we were going. We soon realized the mistake and began heading back along another part of the Lookout Trail passing the Pole Barn to the other end of the Great Meadow Loop. Fred and I waited here, and there was no one behind us! Soon, Guillermo showed up, bushwhacking through the weeds toward us. I tried calling Jason's cell phone many times, but he had no service. He ended up using Larry's phone to check his voicemail and realized they should catch up with us. They soon showed up on the trail, and we found the correct turn on the Red Pine Climb. We turned left on a trail called "Green Bar Bill". We soon reached a historical marker stating that we were on the site of a former Revolutionary War fort, which was quite interesting. Little sign of it was left. Some corner stones and a slightly graded off area was the only sign of human disturbance here. We continued down hill, joining the yellow blazed "Olde Colonial Road" and then breaking off to the right. We continued on this trail making our way down hill, then turning onto another trail to the left which connected with Patriot's Path. We crossed Roxiticus Road and made our way along the connector trail to the Patriot's Path. The crossing of the North Branch of the Raritan was easier this time than the previous time, as the round pieces of concrete were more evenly placed. Everyone made it across and we soon reached the Patriot's Path, formerly the Rockaway Valley Railroad. We followed the railroad right of way east crossing Rt 24 at Ralston. I had forgotten how much the character of the right of way changed during the course of the trip as we passed along a small field to the right and residential lands to the left. Just after crossing what I believe was Ironia Road on the Mendham Boro boundary, we reached the site of the crossing over India Brook where the Patriot's Path forked. Our last visit took us straight to Morristown on the railroad grade, crossing the brook on more concrete cylinders. This time, we turned left following the brook on an improved surface on the Patriot's Path. There were lots of signs saying this area was closed, as it was hunting season, but we figured that did'nt mean Sundays. We soon emerged in a grassy area along the brook, wide with a sort of track. There were two women on horses riding around. We continued north along a gravel road, soon reaching Mountainside Road. The trail continued across into the India Brook Preserve. We walked along blazed trails, which I did not know were open, north along the left side of the brook. There were a couple blazed side trails throughout the preserve.
I had forgotten about this when I wrote this journal entry, but Guillermo and Jason raced up this heavily vined tree!
I also recall Amish Paul thinking the police were after him all day!
We passed the site of an Iron Forge and crossed the stream on rocks. We continued north, heading up hill, then back down in Buttermilk Falls Natural Area. This Buttermilk Falls was the smallest falls I'd encountered so far on my hikes (one was in Del Water Gap NRA, another was in the Marshall's Creek area), but still quite lovely. We continued on passing another Iron forge site, as well as the ruins of a dam that once spanned the creek. We continued north and soon came to where we had to cross the creek once more. I found a spot where I thought I would be able to jump across, but I decided not to try. I instead waded while everyone else found other ways. Fred went ahead of us. We'd thought he'd cut up to Calais Road nearby, but he found another way across ahead of us, and met up with us soon. We soon reached Combs Hollow Road in Coleman Hollow. The Patriot's Path was proposed to continue north along the brook, but was not yet completed, so we had to walk a short distance along the road to the next complete section. As we walked the road, there was a dry resevoir bed to the right. Just before we reached the next section of Patriot's Path there was some building ruins and an old well to the right of the road, so we went to check it out briefly. Soon, we reached Patriot's Path, paved in this section, and turned left where it was aligned along Doby Road. It soon turned left into a community park and passed a lake with little island things made of probably concrete, with ladders going to them. The trail was paved through this section, and soon paralleled a field. We turned into the field over to a pavilian where we broke for lunch. Afterwards we headed back to Patriot's Path out to South Road where it ended. It was again proposed to go through but we could not see it's route. There was a cemetary across from us. We turned left on South Road following it to a right hand turn on Ironia road to Hugg Road. This led us to Rt 513 in Ironia. We crossed directly where the Patriot's Path resumed. We walked breifly as the trail followed a road directly across 513, then we turned left on a footpath into Black River Wildlife Management Area. The trail took us through woods and a field, then down hill to the abandoned Chester Branch of the DL&W Railroad, which we followed to the right to Pleasant Hill Road, then left to Ironia Road. We turned right and made our way through developement roads, and Fred cut out and headed back to Ledgewood on his own. The rest of us opted to follow the roads until we reached Eyeland Avenue. We turned right here and soon passed by the town park with the lake we had passed before when on the Chester Branch. When we reached the schools on Eyeland, we turned left cutting through the parking area. The side road here led us to a line of woods. Rather than turn around, we cut through the woods over a couple wet areas on boards, passing a building, and taking us into a soccar field along what I guess was Righter Road. We turned right out to Hillside Ave, following it to Rt 10. At the intersection, I climbed a hill to check out an abandoned house on the hill. I decided not to try to get in. After turnign right on Rt 10, we continued to the CNJ High Bridge Branch to North Hillside Ave and turned left. We passed over where the Morris Canal once crossed, then reached Rt 46 where we crossed and turned left to get back to the cars. Guillermo and I stopped in at White Castle for dinner and got some sliders. I then drove the drivers back to their cars in Pleasant Valley, and somehow accidently lost an envelope full of trip reports ready to send out. Fortunitely, someone found them and sent them in for me! What luck!
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