Hike #325 1/13/8
1/13/8 Jenny Jump
Group shot
My next hike would be in part a repeat of one of my past hikes, in Jenny Jump State Forest. I met most of my group in the morning at the southern Jenny Jump State Park parking area at Mountain Lake as I'd done in the past, and then shuttled as few cars as possible to Ghost Lake on Shades of Death Road.
Beginning at Ghost Lake
Beginning at Ghost Lake
Beginning at Ghost Lake
The Fairy Hole at Ghost Lake
Inside the Fairy Hole at Ghost Lake
Inside the Fairy Hole at Ghost Lake
Along Ghost Lake
Ghost Lake
Along Ghost Lake
Causeway over Ghost Lake
The woods of Jenny Jump Mountain near Ghost Lake
Ascending Jenny Jump Mountain
Along Ghost Lake Trail
At the former site of a cabin that once sat on the edge of Jenny Jump Mountain overlooking Ghost Lake
Former cabin site
Former cabin site
Brian came at us pretending to be some...thing
Brian Rapp
Wyatt and Brian
Wyatt and Brian
Brian attacking like he's a monster
Junction of Ghost Lake and Summit Trails
Tree along Summit Trail
Jenny Jump Summit Trail
View of Alphano Flats from Summit Trail
Along Summit Trail
Summit Trail
Summit Trail
Summit Trail
Summit Trail
Summit Trail
Along Summit Trail
Summit Trail at Jenny Jump
On Summit Trail at Jenny Jump
Summit Trail at Jenny Jump
Along Summit Trail
View of the Kittatinny Ridge and Delaware Water Gap from Summit Trail
Summit Trail looking toward Jenny Jump Pinnacle
Summit Trail viewpoint
View of Alphano Flats from Summit Trail
View toward Jenny Jump Pinnacle on the Summit Trail
Along Swamp Trail
Along Swamp Trail
Along Swamp Trail
At a trail junction in Jenny Jump, singing songs
Earlier in the year, I broke my shoulder while working at Taylor Rental. As a result, I was unable to run or to do many of the physical activities I would normally do, and so I gained a lot of weight. I can't believe how much different I looked.
Spring Trail
Hi Rich!
Singing with Jack
Along Spring Trail
Spring Trail
Hiker singalong in Jenny Jump
Taking a break near the cabins
Group shot
Group shot
Group shot
Group shot
Group shot
Group shot
Group shot
Group shot
In the Jenny Jump park office
Rich's group returns
Rich's group returns
Rich's group returns
Ghost Lake causeway
The Fairy Hole
Along the new Jenny Jump Ridge trail
An old farm road now makes up part of one of the new trails
Old farm road
Lauren on the Jenny Jump Ridge Trail
Along Jenny Jump Ridge Trail
View from Jenny Jump Ridge Trail
Seasonal view along the Jenny Jump Trail
Along the new trail
Along the new trail
Along the new trail
Jenny Jump's new ridge trail near Hope
Along the new trail near Hope
Stone steps descending to Hope-Great Meadows Road
Trail crossing of Hope Great Meadows Road
Hope Great Meadows Road
Hope Great Meadows Road
Hope Great Meadows Road
A rope on the north side of Hope-Great Meadows Road guides hikers down to the next section of the Jenny Jump Trail
Road crossing
Descending to the next section
Cascade along the trail
After a descent, we ascended yet again
Naaron the Plunderer.
Lake Just-It Road
A brief road walk was necessary where the trail was incomplete.
Abandoned trailer home on Jenny Jump Mountain off trail.
Spring house at Mountain Lake
Rich Pace co lead this one with me, and he offered a 7 mile version of this trip. With our combined groups, this was the largest number of participants I'd ever had for a hike, a total of thirty! Joining this time for my longer trip were "Amish Paul" and Wyatt Hassler, Fred Hafale, DJ Ray Cordts, Shelly Janes, Jack Lowry, Amit Bhojwani, Brian Rapp, Russ Moyer, Ira Rubenstein, "Naaron" Young, Jude Shabrach, Mary Tomsia, Lauren Gropp (and her dog poochie), and two newcomers, Eric and Casey Garner. For Rich's shorter version, there was Mary Toomey, Mike and Kieu Manus, and newcomers for me, Donna Morgan, We began walking at Ghost Lake in the morning, and immediately split the group, as I brought some of the group along the north side of Ghost Lake to show everyone the Fairy Hole, an old indian cave, and then continue along the shore bushwhacking to Ghost Lake Trail. Brian Rapp had run behind, and met up with us running along the shore. Amit was talking to him on the phone, and laughed as we saw him running like hell across the land bridge in the middle of the lake. As most of us made our way along the steep rocky edge of the lake, DJ Ray, Wyatt, Amish Paul, and I'm not sure who else decided to climb up the rocks and go around the long way. We had to take Lauren's dog and hand it along in the steep section because it was impossible to walk him. We soon made our way up the steep section and then to Ghost Lake Trail heading up hill. Our next little stop was at the site of the old cabin that had been ripped down a couple years prior. The view was still alright, but only the foundation of the building was still there. It was here that while taking a break, Brian appeared wearing a crazy cape and monster skeleton mask screaming at us. It was a crazy idea, and quite funny. I'd thought Brian found the costume, but he actually took the time to pack it! We continued up Ghost Lake trail to Summit Trail, and continued on it stopping for breaks at viewpoints along the way. Continueing on, we headed down the Summit Trail with great views, then reached Swamp Trail. Fred decided to eat his lunch and wait for us to return so he could eat his lunch. The rest of us headed down Swamp Trail.
Jack got out his backpacker guitar and once again played the part of the minstril and played some songs. Once we got to the end of Swamp Trail, we ascended up Spring Trail crossing over Summit Trail where we'd just been, and followed the Spring Trail around near the park entrance. We then reached the restrooms and shower building, where I of course took a shower. We hung out and ate a bit, and then just before taking off again, we got group pictures and Jack led us in a singalong of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" by the Beatles. We began walking some more, and I opted at Fred's request to cut the hike short and not do the Orchard Trail, instead heading along the new Jenny Jump Trail (last I'd known it was going to be called "Warren Trail", but they changed it, and Warren Trail would now follow the rail bed in the valley. We continued on this trail, on a different route than the previous time, heading through the camp site area and then down hill through an overgrown field area. This trail led us to connect with the trail that came out of a cul de sac parking area we'd followed on the last trip here. The trail followed a woods road for a time, then headed up hill to the crest of the ridge, and one nice view toward Hope. We got a bit lost off the trail here for a bit, but then soon found it. We ended up having to follow tape blazes again because it had not been blazed with paint yet. We crossed the stream in a gully, and then headed back out toward Hope Road, county Rt 611. Newly built stone steps had been put in heading down to the road. Directly across, the trail continued on, heading down more new stone steps, which utilized a rope tied to a tree with knots in it to help hikers down. I thought this was particularly cool. The trail led us down along the base of Jenny Jump Mountain first through the woods, then alongside a field. The tape blazes ended, but the route was rather apparent without them. There was a side path of tape blazes along a field leading out toward Hope, to what I assume will probably one day be another access parking area. We continued on straight ahead to an old woods road that led up the hill to the left. We headed steeply back up Jenny Jump Mountain on this old woods road which I believe kind of forked in a couple directions. We took a bit of a break here, and then I led us through the woods thinking we'd be better off heading directly out toward Hissum Road, and to my surprise we ended up on the route of the new trail because some hillsiding work had been done and logs had been cut along the way. We soon reached Hissum road, but there was no apparent route for the trail directly across the street, so we just bushwhacked on in. We headed through sort of a cleft between some rocks to keep hidden from two houses along the road, and then alongside a stone row. I believe some of this property was some of the land I'd helped my grandfather survey a year prior. We headed downhill sort of southwest and found a little woods road which we decided to follow. I'd found something on the internet saying that using the "Historic Buzzard's Glory Bridge" was on the plan for this trail, but the only historic bridge we saw was near Lake Just-It Road further on. I was not sure if the route I'd picked would end up being part of the trail, but it was a nice route regardless. We continued on and reached Lake Just-It Road passing the aforementioned historic stone bridge on the left, then turned right on Lake Just-It Road. When there was a long enough lump of woods between houses on our left, we cut into the woods. It was too much wetland at first, but we made our way up a hill to the south. This entire time going up hill, Jack continued to play his guitar (he'd never stopped yet), and he was now playing and singing the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For the Devil" to a chorus of hikers doing the "woo woo" chants! It must have been quite the spectacle. Over the crest of the rise was an abandoned camper with an extension on it, in terrible shape. We checked it out, and then headed to the southwest again. We came to a series of old woods roads and ATV trails which we used to head down hill into a bit of a gully, connecting in with the woods roads that made up part of the Mountain Lake Trail. We headed down hill on this trail, and Brian got Mary mad by asking her if women get "In heat". Brian became the butt of a joke that would resinate for weeks to come for this one. We soon reached the intersection where the woods road joined the one that made up the Mountain Lake Trail. On the way back down to the parking lot, suprisingly we passed Mark Bond, former Mayor of Washington, whom I'd known for years! We chatted for a bit, and then were on our way. Mark had been looking for the Jenny Jump viewpoints but was in the wrong section of the park for that. It was not long and we were back at our cars, quite a happy hike! Shelly, Jack, Brian, DJ Ray, Amit, Jason, and I stopped for dinner at the riverside bar place in Buttsville which was a good time.
Shelly!
Group shot
Photography by Mike Helbing and Rich Pace (RP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuCA2lXANXo
1.) The group making their way along Ghost Lake off trail1a.) Some of the group along the land bridge on Ghost Lake Trail (RP)1b-1c.) Along Ghost Lake Trail (RP)1d.) Passing a huge glacial erratic (RP)1e.) At the first view point where the cabin used to be (RP)2.) Wyatt with Brian Rapp wearing his weird costume he jumped out in2a.) More of Brian and Wyatt (RP)3.) Brian running around scaring everyone3a.) Shelly on Ghost Lake Trail (RP)3b.) About to turn onto Summit Trail from Ghost Lake Trail (RP)4.) View toward Alphano area from Summit Trail4a.) The group at the view point on Summit Trail (RP)4b.) Admiring the view (RP)4c.) Great panoramic view of the Kittatinny Ridge with the Delaware Water Gap from a newly cleared north facing view point on Summit Trail. (RP)5.) The group ready to move on...5a.) The group at another view along Summit Trail (RP)5b.) Great view from Summit Trail toward Great Meadows (RP)6.) Jack playing his guitar on Swamp Trail6a.) Jack and I looking over song lyrics (RP)6b.) The group ascending on Spring Trail (RP)6c.) Descending on the other side of Spring Trail (RP)6d.) Heading down Spring Trail (RP)6e.) The group singing "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" (RP)7-10.) Group shots!11.) Another group shot that I'm in11a.) This is in the visitor's center (RP)11b.) Rich's part of the group on Orchard Trail (RP)11c.) Woods view (RP)11d.) Rich's group descending Ghost Lake Trail (RP)11e.) Rich's group crossing the land bridge on Ghost Lake (RP)11f.) Rich's group at the Fairy Hole (RP)12.) Wyatt, Mary, and Amit on the new Jenny Jump Ridge Trail13.) Old woods road, now trail, on Jenny Jump Mountain 14.) View toward Hope area from Jenny Jump Trail15.) Another nice seasonal view from Jenny Jump16.) Descending on new stone steps near Hope-Great Meadows Road17.) Nice little cascades along the new trail18.) Nice little stone bridge on a driveway parallel with Lake Just-It Road19.) The group nearing Lake Just It Road20.) Abandoned trailers just off Lake Just It Road
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