Thursday, February 17, 2022

Hike #359; Marksboro to Portland

 Hike #359 8-1-8

8/1/8 Paulins Kill Valley; Marksboro-Portland/Colombia with Cathy Fisher

Viaduct

I unfortunitely have lost the journal from this hike as well...let me know if any of you have it!

Paulina bridge

I took this looking back at Cathy while I walked across the Paulina Dam

Bridge in Paulina NJ

The Paulina Dam is without a doubt the most beautiful dam in Warren County, but it's also the subject of major concern. It was undermined during the 2011 flood, and needs work. Redundant dams should be removed for the health of the river, but the slack water up stream will cause problems with the rail trail, and will likely erode in major floods. What is the right answer? I don't have it...

Paulina dam

Old equipment

Abandoned house at Kalarama

Abandoned house

Abandoned house

Abandoned old house in Kalarama

Abandoned house

Restrooms along Lake Susquehanna

Abandoned swimming dock and such in Kalarama, Lake Susquehanna

Paulins Kill Valley Trail

Bucket mail box in Vail NJ

View over farm land near Kalarama toward Delaware Water Gap

Old store in Hainesburg NJ

Hainesburg bridges

Tunnel park in Knowlton Township where the Lehigh and New England Railraod was intended to go.

LNE culvert

View up the Kittatinny Ridge from Paulins Kill Viaduct

Lackawanna Cutoff

Viaduct

Viaduct

Viaduct

Viaduct

Viaduct

Viaduct

Viaduct

Paulins Kill Viaduct

Viaduct

Paulins Kill Viaduct

Former NYS&W Railroad west of Brugler Road

Former NYS&W rail bed in Columbia Lake Wildlife Management Area

Columbia Lake

Columbia Lake

Wetland around Columbia Lake

Dam at Columbia Lake

Marsh land along the Paulins Kill Valley Trail between Marksboro and Paulina

For this one Cathy and I did a hike on and around the Paulins Kill Valley Trail starting up by the Sussex border. We just stayed on the trail through Marksboro and Paulina areas, and I think we might have gotten off of it in Blairstown for some lunch, but I can't remember.

We continued on to Kalarama where the airport is, and wandered around the outside. We checked out the abandoned house on the south side of the airport. It was surprising that it was still there. We also wandered off the trail a bit to a nearby pond where I was surprised to find abandoned restrooms. I'd never wandered to this area before so it was neat.

We continued along the trail, through Vail and across the little back roads (saw a five gallon bucket used as a mail box) and eventually to Hainesburg. We turned off of the trail in Hainesburg to try to find some water and food, but could'nt find any. We did stop in an antique store run by an old guy. We ended up chatting with him for quite a while, he must not get many visitors. I bought a postcart from him of Hainesburg NJ, probably the last Hainesburg postcard to ever be sold in Hainesburg. I'm pretty sure the man is gone by now, and I think the antique store has been closed.

We continued along Rt 94 heading south from Hainesburg in hopes that we'd find someplace with food, but there was nothing. We then went over to the municipal park adjacent to the Lackawanna Cutoff. Fortunitely they had some drink machine as I recall. There was an old culvert there, originally intended to be for the Lehigh and New England Railroad's track, but it was never constructed and the only tracks to ever run through it were the ones from the construction of the culvert itself. Instead, the L&NE maintained trackage rights on NYS&W rails from Hainesburg to Swartzwood.

We climbed up to the Cutoff and followed it east back to the Paulins Kill Viaduct, which we climbed through, always a good time. We did'nt got to the bottom that way I don't think, we ended up going back up top and down the path.

We got back on the NYS&W right of way/Paulins Kill Valley Trail and headed toward Colombia. We stayed on the south short of Colombia Lake and came out to Rt 46 behind someone's house as we'd done in the past, then I believe we were parked at the Portland-Colombia footbridge.

No comments:

Post a Comment