Hike #345 5/17/8
5/17/8 Hunterdon Highlands Trail; Spruce Run-Teetertown/Mountain Farm with "Amish Paul" and Wyatt Hassler, Shelly Janes, Mary Tomsia, and Skyler Jermyn
On the Highlands Trail in Union Furnace Nature Preserve
Reading this journal entry now, it's got a few missing things I'd left out. DJ Ray and I camped at Mountain Farm, and the next day I arranged for my own group of volunteers to construct a new trail at Crystal Springs. This was the first time we were joined by who would become one of my closest friends, Kyle Zalinsky. There was also relationship drama, and the clash of my work environment and that of my crazy hikers. It was an interesting day to say the very least.
"Fuck this fire bullshit"
Highlands Trail in Spruce Run Recreation Area
Highlands Trail in the Autumn Olive thickets of Spruce Run Recreation Area
Highlands Trail, Spruce Run Recreation Area
Highlands Trail in Union Furnace Nature Preserve
Highlands Trail on an old mill berm in Union Furnace Nature Preserve
Highlands Trail scene along Buffalo Hollow Road
Highlands Trail on Buffalo Hollow Road, at the former CNJ railroad bridge
Foundation site in Voorhees State Park, Company Street
Voorhes State Park
View of Round Valley Reservoir from Voorhees State Park
Voorhees State Park, Hill Acres
Voorhees State Park
A new gas station being built in Bunnvale
Along the Columbia Trail at Hoffman's Crossing
Along the Columbia Trail
Old Calion Railroad Station
Columbia Trail in Vernoy
Abandoned building in Vernoy
Tree on Columbia Trail near Jenkinson Nurseries
Fields off Trimmer Road
Connector route to Mountain Farm
My next hike would be the continueation of the day before's ill fated camp out. What should have been one hike ended up being two separate ones. On this trip we hiked from Spruce Run Recreation area where we'd left off the day before and hiked to Mountain Farm, part of the Teetertown Reservation, mostly on the Highlands Trail. Joining me this time were Shelly Janes, "Amish Paul" and Wyatt Hassler, Mary Tomsia, and Skyler Jermyn (returning once again!). We began walking from the main lot of Spruce Run Recreation Area following the Highlands Trail along the roads before entering the woods into dense Autumn Olive thickets. Skyler was late to meet up withus because he went to the end point rather than the beginning, so he parked at a nearby location and then doubled back on the trail to meet up with us in the woods. We continued on across Van Syckels Road onto Serpentine Drive, following it to where the Highlands Trail broke back off it into Union Furnace Nature Preserve. We made our way steeply up the hillside, then made a descent toward the Spruce Run Creek. Amish Paul managed to bring his hike up the entire thing, and then coasted dangerously down the hill. The trail joined the berm of a mill race and then headed back out to Van Syckels Road, turning left out to Rt 31. We crossed Rt 31, went briefly north, then the trail headed up Buffalo Hollow Road to the east. We had a bit of a view of Spruce Run Resevoir from the road, and there was a scenic little wooden flume for water where we first turned onto it. We followed Buffalo Hollow to the next intersection and turned left where the Highlands Trail entered Voorhees State Park on the left at an old house site; a section that had only been completed maybe a year earlier. We continued up hill and the HT joined the Vista Trail, then headed up to the Cross Park Trail. We continued to the Voorhees State Park office, a nice new building which I had still never seen open yet. We walked around a bit looking for the shower building, because I wanted one badly, but we could'nt seem to find one. Mary, Wyatt, and I wandered to the Parcourse Trail as well as the Hill Acres Trail to look for the camp sites, and soon found them, as well as the shower house. Wyatt and I took showers and Mary waited outside, then we followed a park road back to the park office and joined the others. We wandered along a trail with some abandoned foundations, then crossed the grassy field on the east end of the park passing a pond before emerging on Rt 513. We walked 513 on the HT route and happened upon a "Barn Sale" (just a yard sale utilizing an old barn to sell stuff) and we joked that whenever Skyler comes hiking we tend to find yard sales. It was funny that he had'nt showed up in months, and his first time back we found a good yard sale. Wyatt bought an original copy of the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour at the sale. We continued on from here, soon turning south on the Highlands Trail in Ken Lockwood Gorge Wildlife Management Area. It descended gradually on switchbacks toward the Colombia Trail, the rail trail using the former High Bridge Branch of the Central Railroad of NJ. Many of the blazes were painted out on the way down as they had been vandalized by someone. We continued on Colombia Trail crossing the Ken Lockwood Gorge Trestle, then headed through the gorge passing John Palmer's house, which was much cleaner than in the past. Only one winnebego remained in the old junk yard. We soon reached Califon. We passed the old stone railroad station and then headed down the main street to Rambo's general store and got some food. I had two terrific sandwiches, and Skyler commented at what a great variety of stuff they had, namely unusual things. After a nice break we continued on along the rail bed passing Califon Lumber, and then into Vernoy. Wyatt and I went into the old stone building on the south side of the rail bed, and checked out the old wooden spiral stairs inside, still intact since the last time I was in there years before. We continued from here to the Morris County line, and walked the rail bed to Crestmoore at Jenkinson's tree farm, then followed Rt 513 to Trimmer Road, then out to Teetertown Road and headed up the hill through the Teetertown Reservation to Mountain Farm using the Blue Trail and Orchard Trail. A few made a wrong turn, so I had to direct them, but it worked out okay. Amish Paul and Wyatt were argueing about something, and I was trying to convince Paul to begin heading back toward the cars on Rt 513 on his bike so I could pick him up on the road, which he was'nt happy about or something. When we arrived at Mt Farm, John Trontis, the parks director, and now my boss, came out and gave us our fire permit for my campsite, and we chatted with him for a while. Mary was massaging my shoulders when he came out, and a few days later John would tell my co workers that my hiking buddies treat me like god, which is rather funny. DJ Ray Cordts showed up shortly and luckily he was able to help with the car shuttle, and Warren Cooper who was on the hike the day before helped us with the car shuttle as well. Everything had then worked out pretty well I suppose. Once we finished the car shuttles, DJ Ray and I set up our campsite and were able to forego having tents because John upgraded us to the lean to sites. We hung out for a while till we decided that staying at camp really sucked with no one else there so we went to a karaoke bar till the wee hours of the morning before going to sleep.
1.) On the HT in Spruce Run Rec Area2.) Highlands Trail at Spruce Run in the Autumn Olives3.) Highlands Trail in Spruce Run4.) Along the HT in Union Furnace Nature Preserve5.) Old mill race at Union Furnace Nature Preserve6.) Nice old water flume along Buffalo Hollow Road, HT Route7.) CNJ Railroad bridge on Buffalo Hollow Road8.) Old foundations in Voorhees State Park9.) In Voorhees State Park10.) View of Round Valley Resevoir from vista at Voorhees SP11.) Mary and Shelly in Voorhees SP12.) Pond in Voorhees SP13.) New gas station being built on Rt 513, Bunnvale14.) Along Colombia Trail at Hoffman's Crossing15.) Mary and Wyatt along Colombia Trail16.) Califon Station17.) Colombia Trail near Vernoy18.) In abandoned building in Vernoy19.) Climbing a deer stand near Jenkinson Tree Farm20.) COWS! Along Trimmer Road.21.) New Hunterdon Park signs between Colombia Traila & Teetertown.22.) DJ Ray trying to get a camp fire going at Mountain Farm.
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