Hike #391 12/28/8
Along the Morris Canal in Hackettstown
12/28/8 Morris Canal; Hackettstown to Landing with Jillane Becker, Shelly Janes, Jim "Mr. Buckett" Mathews, David and Steve Noble, "Naaron" Young, Rich and Eric Pace, Hsin Chien Tai, Fred Hafale, Sue Bickford-Martin, Ron Lozowski, Craig Nunn, and Joe Tag.
Just starting and already questioned by police.
On the tracks in Hackettstown.
Tracks in Hackettstown.
Former Morris and Essex line in Hackettstown
Morris Canal at west end of Florence Kuipers Park
Dirt lane to the Cuff House
Cuff house lane
Morris Canal in Florence Kuipers Park
Misty view from the Morris Canal towpath
Morris Canal in Florence Kuipers Park, Hackettstown
Centenary College Dome from Morris Canal towpath
Centenary College dome from Morris Canal towpath
Morris Canal towpath in Florence Kuipers Park
Morris Canal in Florence Kuipers Park
Morris Canal, Florence Kuipers Park
Foot bridge on former Morris Canal
Morris Canal towpath in Florence Kuipers Park
Morris Canal in Hackettstown
Morris Canal in Hackettstown
A break in Hackettstown
Morris Canal, Hackettstown
Morris Canal, Hackettstown
Former west bound Morris and Essex Railroad parallel with Morris Canal, Hackettstown
Morris Canal, Hackettstown
Former Morris and Essex west bound track
Morris Canal near Bilby Road, Hackettstown
Morris Canal heading east from Hackettstown
Morris Canal near Bilby Road
Morris Canal at Saxton Falls
Lock at Saxton Falls on Morris Canal
Saxton Falls lock
At the Saxton Falls lock
Saxton Falls
Old steps along the former Morris Canal at Saxton Falls
Morris Canal towpath along Saxton Lake
Old stairway at Saxton Lake
Abandoned house
Abandoned
Morris Canal towpath at Saxton Lake
Canal towpath at Saxton Lake
Former Morris Canal lock tender's house, later Elsie's Restaurant.
Abandoned
lol
Abandoned homes along the Morris Canal at Saxton Lake
Old route of Waterloo Road above the former Morris Canal
Under Rt 80
Waterloo Village along the canal
Morris Canal in Waterloo Village
Morris Canal in Waterloo Village
Waterloo
Waterloo
Morris Canal, Waterloo Village
Waterloo Village
Busted mule bridge
Morris Canal at Waterloo
Attempting the crazy
Crazy
Busted mule bridge
Crossing the busted bridge at Waterloo
Busted bridge at Waterloo
Busted mule bridge
Crazy collapsed mule bridge
Busted mule bridge
Collapsed mule bridge
Busted mule bridge
In the woods north of Route 80
Morris Canal near ITC
Lock tender's house ruins
Morris Canal near Rt 206
Mill ruins in Stanhope
Stanhope NJ
Lock site at Lake Musconetcong
Along the canal at lake Musconetcong
Lake Musconetcong
Lake Musconetcong sunset
Unfortunitely the journal entry for this one was lost in the fire. If anyone happens to have a copy please let me know!'ll try to remember what I can...
This was the first time I ever picked up Jillane at her mom's house I think. It was amazing that she came out at all because she'd stayed up the entire night before! When I saw her she'd had her nose and lip pierced but I didn't even notice until she told me!
We spotted cars at the Landing Stop and Shop I think it is, and then headed to Hackettstown to begin the hike.
We parked at the Hackettstown NJ Transit Station and began walking the tracks west to get to the driveway access to the former Morris Canal, Florence Kuipers Park section (we would redo this section from the previous hike because it was so good, and we did it in the dark before).
We barely got anywhere before the group was stopped by a police officer wondering what we were up to. We continued to the driveway and then onto the towpath. There was a thick fog in the woods all around us. Jillane and I went ahead of the rest of the group pretty far. We waited up near the end of the trail section for the rest of the group.
Beyond Florence Kuipers, the canal was somewhat obliterated, but we could get through easily, only one block to Rt 46. Across from that, a small road was built over top of the canal, the prism filled in. We crossed over a high fill where there is likely to be an original canal culvert below, but I've never seen it.
At the end of the road section, the canal remained walkable and the prism became recognizeable. The towpath was now a mowed path parallel with an apartment complex. We continued along, then at the end of the apartments the canal entered a bit of woods with houses and yards directly to the right of us. This section was surprisingly nice though, and easy enough to follow. There was still a footbridge over this section of canal and we could easily walk it onward to a block from Rt 517. We crossed a road and a nice cleared section was next to a funeral home before reaching the main highway. We took a side trip here to the Krauszers mini mart just down the hill.
It was getting warmer fast, and I guess it must have reached seventy degrees that day, very unseasonably warm. We continued into the Towpath Apartments across 519 and skirted the right side of the parking lot, the former canal route, then went behind some no trespassing signs to get on a beautifully kept section of the towpath. The prism was also in great shape. We were able to follow this pretty clearly almost all the way to Bilby Road. It got pretty weedy right before that point and we had to make our way out to the railroad tracks, and it's abandoned upper right of way in order to make it out to Bilby. I think Rich Pace had to cut out earlier to drive Eric back, because he couldn't make it this time, and he rejoined us at Bilby Road.
On the opposite side of Bilby Road, the canal had recently been cleared with a bobcat skid steer loader I had been told by Dave Deitrich from Warren County Board of Recreation Commission.
The section was great, and it went on a ways until we got to a point where the towpth was washed out by a small tributary. I think Craig headed back at this point.
We had to descend to the right side of the towpath and then parallel it to the right in the woods because it was far too overgrown. Soon, a dirt drive crossed the canal site and then paralleled it on the right so we walked that out to a gravel driveway. From here, we walked the gravel driveway out to Waterloo Road and turned left. We had to walk along the road for a little bit and then ascend back up to the canal towpath where it was no coaligned with the Highlands Trail. We were able to follow this section clearly and easily to Saxton Falls where we took another break.
We didn't break for long when Jillane decided to head off and explore some abandoned buildings off of Colony Road. I soon joined her and we went through a house or two. One of them had some cool stairs going around them. When we were ready to head on I think we saw that some of the group had already started. I think Jillane stayed on Colony Road because the trail soon asceded to it anyway.
The towpath went out onto Saxton Lake for a ways, but it just dead ends out in the middle where the towpath is purged, so the trail goes out to Waterloo Road again for a bit. So we took that route, Colony Road to Waterloo Road and then headed to the next abandoned building. I'd never thought the place was historic, but I found out years later that the main portion of the building was probably a former lock tender's house.
I hadn't gone into this building since I was there with Tea Biscuit and Ken years before, and so I wanted to go in again. We walked along the lower floor and I was trying to figure out how to get into the second story. While looking, I headed into the far western room which was in rough shape. The floor looked safe, but as I stepped a few feet into the room it gave out and I fell through to the basement. I was able to catch myself with my arms and I think one foot on the wall in front of me to pull myself out, but my legs were already scraped bad and covered in little cuts. By this time I think we were done with this house and ready to move on.
We continued into the woods ahead on the towpath and there I went into the other buildings along the way, but surprisingly no one else wanted to go in. I caught up with everyone pretty soon. We had to get off of the towpath briefly because there was a house built on top of it, but then we could get back out to it. Much of the group stayed on the road since we were parallel with it so closely. The trail crossed the road ahead onto the former alignment of Waterloo Road, since the current road is built on the canal itself. The trail then crossed the road and headed more into the woods along the Musconetcong River. This section also went in and then came back out to the road because of a private house built on it. It was in this vicinity that we were joined by Ron Lozowski.
We continued back onto the canal on the other side of the house which took us further away from the road and into nice woods. Soon, we paralleled a field where Waterloo used to hold their concerts, and then we crossed Kinney Road. On the other side it remained clear and then took us back out to Waterloo Road. We walked the road very briefly and then headed along another cleared section of the canal with water in in. This section led to Rt 80. Once we reached the Rt 80 fill we turned and walked under the Rt 80 underpass. We were then able to get back on the towpath into Waterloo Village.
This was one of the most well preserved sections of the canal, looking much as it would have during the time of it's operation. We headed to Waterloo Lake where a wooden bridge went across. It was built about where the original towpath bridge stood, in a similar fashion, and when I was little I walked across it many times, but it was now badly collapsed in the middle. Still it was crossable, so Jillane and I went first.
Rich, Hsin Chien, Sue, Fred, and I'm not sure who all else any more decided not to try to cross and turned back. The rest of us had no problem.
On the other side was the former Inclined Plane #4 West, in good shape. We headed up it and under abutments for the old Sussex Railroad, then continued ahead on a nice section of canal towpath parallel with Route 80. This section was really great and perfect for walking, unfortunitely it soon crossed to the other side of Rt 80 and no one was ready to try to dash across to it. Immediately on the other side is the base of Inclined Plane #3 West, still in good shape with sleeper stones for the rails still in place. I'd been on it before, but we'd have to miss this short section this time. After passing by the Mt. Olive Railroad station stop the former canal crosses right back over 80 again, so we continued in the woods parallel with this highway and through an industrial area. There was a wood chip trail in the woods between the industrial place and the highway we could walk, and it led us back down to the canal pretty soon so it worked out fine.
We had to go around a fence where the canal was severred by the highway. Getting to the towpath meant hanging from this weak chain link fence and swinging around to the opposite side. We all made it and continued on. I remember taking a break and laughing as Steve Noble went nuts breaking apart a dead tree trunk. I commented how he fit in so well with this group.
We crossed a couple roads in International Trade Center and then had to parallel the old canal route. We crossed the old railroad bridge parallel with Love Lane to get over the highway and then turned left on the path leading down to the next canal section. Ruins of a locktender's house were still standing to our right. The next section of canal was one of the nicest preserved, if not the absolute best example still existing of what the canal once looked like. We continued on this and it took us to a bridge over the Musconetcong River where there must have once been an aqueduct or a slack water dam. We crossed and the other side was the bottom of Inclined Plane #2 West. Only a short piece with some sleeper stones was still recognizeable. We went to the top and continued on a parallel road till we got to an old mill ruin where the canal was again walkable. We followed it from here to Lake Musconetcong and a road crossing. The lock into Lake Musconetcong, which the canal once crossed on a causeway was filled in and the tops of it were still visible.
We had to continue on along the south shore of the lake on the closest parallel road. Rich Pace rejoined us here as the sun was setting. We made our way to the east side of the lake, and walked through a couple of parks along the way. Once on the other side, we could see former Inclined Plane #1 West rising from the water, but it went into a back yard and was inaccessable. From here the canal itself was tough to distinguish. A road was build over part of it through this area, and then it sort of disappears in the area between the roads and the rail yard above. I also couldn't see ahead of us where the canal would have passed beneath the Lackawanna Cutoff railroad. Once we passed under this, we were just about to the grocery store where we were parked.
This was a perfect day for Jillane and I. We were very happy by the end of the day, and again I was sad to see it end. I felt like I was full of life in a deep way that I hadn't been in a while, and I enjoyed this hike on greater levels than I normally would have.
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