Hike #299 8/7/7
8/7/7 Lower Lehigh Canal; Easton-Bethlehem with Jason Itell and "Action Adam" Stevens
Chain Dam
My next hike would be yet another late starting Tuesday one. I thought it would be a good idea to post another hike ending at Musikfest, since it always ended up being such a great time.
Forks of the Delaware and Lehigh from Phillipsburg
Atop the Morris Canal arch in Phillipsburg
Morris Canal arch, Phillipsburg
Morris Canal arch
Underside of one of the Phillipsburg trestles
Train coming across former CNJ bridge to Phillipsburg, from atop the LV signal bridge
Train from atop the LV signal bridge
View from atop the LV signal bridge
Atop the LV signal bridge in P Burg
LV signal bridge in P Burg
Atop the LV signal bridge
View from the LV signal bridge
Climbing the LV signal bridgge
Former LV tracks
Former LV trestle over the Delaware
Former LV bridge over the Delaware
Active former CNJ bridge over the Delaware
Bridges over the Delaware
Lehigh Canal towpath, Easton
Swimming in a canal lock, Hugh Moore Park, Easton
Lehigh Canal swim
This kid was doing jump flips into the canal, backwards!
Along abandoned CNJ right of way, Easton
Rope swing near Rt 33 on the Lehigh
Tree jump
Tree jump into the Lehigh!
Along Lehigh Canal
Former lock tenders' house
This time, I opted to try the Lehigh Canal from the east again, starting in Phillipsburg and heading out to Bethlehem. I posted a meeting time for the trip around noon at the Brodhead lot again at Lehigh University, but no one showed up. Jason Itell planned on joining but would not be able to make it until a bit later. I wandered around for quite a while, exploring some of South Bethelehem and just wandering, trying to get people to join me. To my surprise, I was able to contact "Action Adam" Stevens, and he began heading out from his hometown of Nutley NJ. When Action Adam arrived, I left my car and rode with him back to Phillipsburg where we hung out in the parking lot at Union Square. I had a drink from the little grociery store (which sold mostly hispanic goods) and Action Adam got a small pizza which he shared with me. We decided to start out without Jason knowing he could catch up. We walked south on the former Belvidere and Delaware Railroad tracks to the CNJ and LV Railroad overpasses where my friend Ron Short passed away over a year before. This was my first time visiting this spot since his death. Action Adam and I checked out the Morris Canal outlet along the Delaware and climbed around a bit, then made our way up to the railroad bridge and the old signal tower. We climbed up to the top and Jason soon caught up with us having parked next to Action Adam. Jason joined us on the signal bridge. A train came by on the active tracks while I was up there, which was pretty cool. After climbing down we crossed the abandoned trestle over the Delaware, and Action Adam and Jason took some time to carefully cross. There was quite a jump at the end which would have been a fifty foot drop if missed. We climbed down to the Lehigh Canal outlet to the Delaware, and the end of the Delaware Canal, heading west on the Lehigh Canal towpath along Lehigh slackwater. We tried to move quickly through this section to make up for time. We continued to the first locks on the Lehigh Canal where there was a young couple swimming in the deep area behind the lock. The guy was doing some incredible jump flips, including back flips into the canal. I of course had to try it. It was brutally hot, so it felt great to take a swim. We all went in, then continued on. I brought plenty of wine for this trip, as I did'nt want to pay for overpriced Musikfest liquor when we got there. I gave Action Adam the bottle of Sherry I'd gotten for a trip we'd done the previous winter on the Lehigh Valley Railroad right of way that I did'nt like, and he drank it all, though he needed to have some of my wine to chase it's bad taste! We continued on, turning off the canal to cross the road bridge at Hugh Moore Park, then walked along the road to the riverfront park out to Chain Dam. Action Adam climbed into the Chain Dam area to have a closer look at the fish ladder, but we did'nt see any fish. We continued on along the original towpath as best we could, then made our way up to the rail trail, former CNJ railroad leading out to the boat launch area near Rt 33. Just beyond the boat launch was a terrific rope swing where we hung out for a bit and met a few more people. We continued on, soon reaching the LV boating club access road, which on previous visits had been completely flooded out. It was now totally repaired, the culvert under the railroad bed cleared of all the rocks that previously made it look like a riverbed. We continued on the canal westbound toward Freemansburg, stopping again along the way to take another swim in the Lehigh from the next rope swing. I went off first again, and when Jason went off he got his arm stuck in the rope which left a really nasty bruise for a week! Action Adam jumped off the wrope swing one armed with the bottle of Sherry in one hand! He ended up hurting his foot, unfortunitely!
old locktender's house
Action Adam just went off the rope swing with some Sherry...and Jason nearly pinched his arm off
Former lock tender's house near Freemansburg
Rope swing
Rope swing! Freemansburg PA
Rope swing near Freemansburg PA
Lehigh swimming
Splash down
WITH a bottle of Sherry!!!
Swinging in Freemansburg
Lehigh Canal, Bethlehem PA
We continued on through Freemansburg, and had a clear shot along the towpath out to Bethlehem. We met a few more people and chatted along the way, and when we reached the Monocacy Creek Aqueduct I had to jump in to cool off yet again. There was a bunch of people hanging around, and one kid sold me a can of Molson Ice for a dollar, which really did it for me! We chatted a bit about music, and a bunch of people went by apparently to see a fight, but nothing happened. We left and crossed over the Monocacy Creek, then jumped a fence into a park area heading out to the road area. It was here we decided to take a risk and try to sneak in to see the Moody Blues, who were playing the pay area that night! When no one appeared to be around, we jumped a wall to the left of the road heading down to the Lehigh. We waded through the water and walked upstream, sometimes in weeds, keeping low as not to be seen. The concert area was just above the river to our right. As we passed under the Hill to Hill Bridge, the music of the Moody Blues, already playing, echoed eerily. Jason said it was one of the most surreal moments of his life creeping under the Hill to Hill Bridge, at which time the song "Tuesday Afternoon" was playing. An eerie sounding song already, it was all the more creepy hearing while wading through murky water and weeds below a concrete arch bridge with barely any light. We continued on, having one close call with someone up the hill. We made it by, and when we saw an area that looked safe, we headed up the hill. We were behind a large bathroom building. We stowed our backs under the building, and could see the Moody Blues from a view behind the stage between two cedar trees where no gating was used. A couple times people went into the bathroom, so we layed down partially under the building. When all was clear we crept up to into the area near the restroom entrance. Inside this restroom were marble sinks, which amazed us! We could not figure out why there would be marble sinks in a portajohn, until Jason theorized it was the restroom for the Moody Blues themselves, and their entourage! I believe he must have been right! The area was very nice, with tables and tablecloths set up! Seeing no exit area, we opted to head back into the trees and move on. We grabbed our packs and headed along behind the vendors stands. When there was an opening between the places with no one looking on, we headed out. We walked a bit, and watched the concert from the side area. I thought we had it made when an officer walked by us without batting an eye. Unfortunitely, after a short while, a guy in plain clothes approached us and asked to see our tickets. I tried to come up with an excuse really quick, like we left them in the bathrooms, but he did'nt buy it and led us out. I told him we came in on the canal, when he told us we came in along the river. He was amicable enough, and we did'nt get in any trouble, so when we got out, we just laughed histerically. We can at least say we saw the Moody Blues! Jason and Action Adam quickly got on their phones to tell their friends they had been kicked out of a concert! We wandered a bit, talked to a guy from 69 News, and a few other people before we finally decided to head back to my car at the Brodhead lot! Quite a fun day yet again!
1.) View of the Delaware and Lehigh confluence from Union Square2.) Action Adam on the Morris Canal outlet arch in Phillipsburg3.) Action Adam climbing down to the canal arch4.) More of Adam at the arch5.) The underside of the old CNJ Railroad trestle over the Delaware6.) A train coming across the old CNJ bridge as seen from the old signal bridge above the former Lehigh Valley Railroad right of way in P Burg7.) Another shot of the train8.) Yet another shot of the trestles9-10.) Me on the signal bridge (photo by Adam Stevens)11.) Action Adam on the signal bridge12.) Another view from the signal bridge13.) Jason climbing the signal bridge. His expression really shows the feeling!14.) View of the old railroad trestle over the Delaware15.) Crossing the bridge. This site is where my friend Ron Short fell to his death.16.) More crossing the bridge17.) Former CNJ bridge with the second track ties recently removed18.) Jason and Adam still crossing19.) On the Lehigh Canal towpath where the canal used Lehigh slack water in Easton PA20.) Jumping off the lock on the Lehigh Canal in Hugh Moore Park21.) A guy we met doing a back flip along the canal!22.) Action Adam climbing around on the Chain Dam, Easton area23.) Fallen trees over the way...24.) Jason going off a rope swing into the Lehigh near the boat launch and 33 underpass25.) A kid we met jumping high off a tree to the Lehigh26.) Another jump!27.) At the boat club access to the towpath...with wine. I'm a bad boy. Photo by Adam.28.) At the former locktender's house east of Freemansburg30.) Me at the locktender's house (photo by Adam)31.) I think that's Jason...32.) Jason ready to swing! This is before he hurt his arm!33.) Ready to jump...34.) Jason just after hitting the water35.) Action Adam splashing down after doing the rope swing holding a bottle of Sherry!36.) Adam in the water, Sherry still in hand!37.) Jason swinging from a vine along the canal in Freemansburg!38.) The Lehigh Canal at dusk nearing Bethlehem
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