Thursday, February 17, 2022

Hike #358; Wallpack Bend to Kittatinny Lake

 Hike #358 7/26/8

7/26/8 Wallpack Bend to Kittatinny Lake with Shelly Janes, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Jason-Michael "Jamal" Flintosh", Laura Cunningham, Jason Itell, Tom Petrucci, David Noble, Joe Tag, and Bernie Lieberman

Group shot at Van Campen Inn

This was a real fun one...lost the original entry, so if anyone has it let me know!

This one was another point to point in the Kittatinnies. It was also where "Commando" Tom and Laura Cunningham, who would later end up a couple, had first met!

Group shot in Wallpack Center

Abandoned house near Walpack Bend

Abandoned house near Walpack Bend

Abandoned road near Walpack Bend

Abandoned road near Walpack Bend

Abandoned house near Walpack Bend

Old Mine Road marker

Near Walpack Bend

Beginning our hike in Flatbrookville

View of the Delaware at Walpack Bend

Along the confluence of the Delaware River and Flat Brook, Walpack Bend

Marker near Walpack Bend

Abandond house near Walpack Bend

Culvert along Old Mine Road

Checking out a culvert under Old Mine Road

Pipe under Old Mine Road

Caterpillar on Old Mine Road

Fire place near Old Mine Road

Abandoned house along Old Mine Road

Old Mine Road

Fireplace along Old Mine Road

Along Old Mine Road

Abandoned along Old Mine Road

Hidden stony beach along the Delaware...OMG SHELLY'S TAKING HER PANTS OFF!!!!!

Hidden stony beach along the Delaware

Old roadway along the Delaware north of Walpack Bend. I have no clue why this area in the middle of NOWHERE literally would be fenced off. No sign of mining. Very strange. Maybe an historic fort site?

Giant tree along the Delaware north of Walpack Bend. I believe it was a maple, maybe Silver maple, and the. All I remember is tha it was the largest of that kind I'd ever seen.

Butterfly

Flowerz

Bees and flowers

Abandoned house

Abandoned house. I'm certain this is the first picture ever taken of Commando Tom and Laura together. If Jason wasn't in there it would be the first one of only two of them...but he's obscure.

Abandoned house

Abandoned house

Abandoned house

Looking out of the old house at Old Mine Road

Very fitting phrase in the abandoned house

Blood splatters? Ooh!

Winding stair case

Abandoned house

Butterfly

Corn

Delaware River

Delaware River

Skipping stones

Bushwhacking along a corn field north of Rosenkranz in Del Water Gap NRA

Along fields in DWGNRA north of Wallpack Bend

Fields north of Wallpack Bend

Along fields in DWGNRA

Along the Delaware River north of Wallpack Bend

North of Walpack Bend

Abandoned house

Abandoned house

Abandoned house

Abandoned house

Abandoned house

Abandoned house

Garter snake behind an abandoned house

Garter snake

Abandoned house

Abandoned house

Weird grave or something along Old Mine Road?

Van Campen Inn

Checking out the pictures on Shelly's camera at Van Campen Inn

Van Campen Inn

Van Campen Inn

Van Campen Inn

Van Campen Inn

Historic marker near Van Campen Inn

OMR historic marker

Near Van Campen Inn

Old Mine Road historic marker near Van Campen Inn

Historic marker near Van Campen Inn

Climbing signs

Moses Hull grave on military road over Walpack Ridge

Moses Hull grave on military road over Walpack Ridge

On Walpack Ridge

Moses Hull grave on military road over Walpack Ridge

Engraving

Walpack Center Post Office

Walpack Center Post office

Walpack Center

Historic marker

Walpack Center

Tomb stone on Walpack Ridge

Military road over Walpack Ridge

Old military road over Walpack Ridge

Old road over Walpack Ridge

Memorial

Historic marker

Old truss bridge near Walpack Center

Bridge near Walpack Center

Caterpillar

Bridge near Walpack Center

Caterpillar

Walpack Cemetery

Walpack cemetery grave reading simply "babies"

Tree

Tillman Ravine

Devil's Tea Cup, Tillman Ravine

Devil's Tea Cup, Tillman Ravine

Tillman Ravine

Devil's Tea Cup, Tillman Ravine

Tillman Ravine

Tillman Ravine

In Devil's Tea Cup, Tillman Ravine

Tillman Ravine

Tillman Ravine, Devil's Tea Cupt

Devil's Tea Cup, Tillman Ravine

Tillman Ravine

Tillman Ravine, Devil's Tea Cup

The end, Cindy Roach's house at Kittatinny Lake

Kittatinny Lake

Some kid at the Tall Mom's house

Jamal

At Mrs. Roach's house

At Mrs. Roach's house

At Mrs. Roach's house

At Mrs. Roach's house

At Mrs. Roach's house

At Mrs. Roach's house

At Mrs. Roach's house

At Mrs. Roach's house

We tried to pop popcorn using cell phones. I know, we're silly.

Cindy Roach's house at Kittatinny Lake

Commando Tom paddles Kittatinny Lake

At Mrs. Roach's house

I remember starting near Wallpack Bend, along the Flat Brook from a parking area off of Old Mine Road near Flatbrookville. There was an old road which made it's way out to the confluence with the Delaware, and we took that, eating berries along the way. At the end of the road, we bushwhacked up hill and tried to find our way along the Delaware downstream, but it was far too weedy, and we somehow ended up back on the Old Mine Road up above. The bushwhacking was such a hardship I decided we'd just walk the road for a little bit anyway.

Soon, a road descended to the left. I went to check it out, and there was an abandoned house! Unfortunitely there was no way in bacause it had a serious plexiglass cover on every window. Everyone checked it out, and then we went back to Old Mine Road and continued northbound.We walked the road for a bit, and then saw another old road heading down along a field to the left. I recall there being tons of ground hornets on this road but we walked right across them with no problem as the flew all over. We found a really nice spot along the Delaware where we could get wet and take a little dip, and skipped some stones. We then headed upstream along vague paths and woods roads with fields to our right. We also went along the edge of some fields for a while. We also saw I believe a giant mapel tree.

When we got back to Old Mine Road, we walked a little ways and soon found another abandoned house. This one too was blocked off so we did'nt try to get in. However, shortly ahead was another one that was wide open with no windows left, so we all went in. It even had one of those great curved staircases. I liked the fact that upstairs in a blood like red someone scribed "To  Your Journey".

We stayed mainly on Old Mine Road until we got to Van Campen Inn on the right. I'd always loved this historic building, and so we took a break here. After that we soon turned right onto a trail, formerly the connector road from Walpack Center to the Inn. Along the way were a few graves, one of which belonged to a "Moses Hull". We continued over Walpack Ridge and descended into the town and the old post office. At this point, Bernie was getting pretty tired, and so my friend RJ "Anders" Morholt who was nearby at Kittatinny Lake was good enough to come and pick him up, and take him and Joe back to their cars. Joe wasn't ready to go yet, but he would rejoin us later. I think DJ Ray must have gone with them as well.

From here, we walked toward Walpack Cemetary, and went right through. We found grave stones that read simply "babies" on it at the far end. We followed Mountain Road a short distance and then turned left onto the unmarked portion of Tillman Ravine Trail. We ascended to the Devil's Tea Cup and took a much needed dip in the cold water before moving on to the north.

We followed Brink Road up hill, and I don't even remember turning onto Woods Road, but somehow I did, and I met Joe and DJ Ray on that again. The others soon caught up. Woods Road took us out to Kittatinny Lake again where we hung out at Christine "The Tall One" Roach's mom's house like we had in the past. When Ray picked up his car I remember Shelly rode on the side of it for a while.

I swam out across part of the lake, and Commando Tom took a Kayak all over. We enjoyed some great burgers and hung out for a while there.

We finished the day off by going to the Calilou Cafe in Morristown for the Weird NJ party and release of "Nightshade on the Passaic" special issue, and mingled with lots of interesting people including WNJ owners and creators Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman. We ended up leaving with pretty much all the door prizes which was incredible...lol.

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