Hike #417 5/23-5/24/9
Camping on Thunder Swamp Trail near it's northeastern end.
5/23-5/24/9 Thunder Swamp Trail; Northeast Section Loop with Jillane Becker, Jason Itell, "Commando Tom" Petrucci, Kyle Zalinsky, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Jason Kumpas, Shelly Janes, Jim "Mr. Buckett" Mathews, Eric Pace, and "Amish Paul" Hassler.
We had a really good time with this little campout, and I was hoping this would be how the rest of my summer would go, but Jillane was contacted about a job she'd applied for in the High Uintas Wilderness of Utah and decided to take the summer position. This was her last hike before leaving.
Amish Paul navigating Thunder Swamp Trail in the dark
Campout on Thunder Swamp Trail
Campout on Thunder Swamp Trail
Campout on Thunder Swamp Trail
Camp fire on Thunder Swamp Trail
Campout on Thunder Swamp Trail
Campout on Thunder Swamp Trail
Campout on Thunder Swamp Trail
Campout on Thunder Swamp Trail
Campout on Thunder Swamp Trail
Campout on Thunder Swamp Trail
Our camp site on Thunder Swamp Trail
Putting out the fire...
Along Thunder Swamp Trail
Thunder Swamp Trail
Thunder Swamp Trail looking like a car wash
Thunder Swamp Trail near the northeast end lollipop loop
Thunder Swamp Trail
Thunder Swamp Trail
Thunder Swamp Trail near Painter Creek
Northeastern part of Thunder Swamp Trail
Thunder Swamp Trail
Thunder Swamp Trail
Little Bushkill Creek bridge, Thunder Swamp Trail
Little Bushkill Creek from Thunder Swamp Trail
Little Bushkill Creek bridge, Thunder Swamp Trail
Thunder Swamp Trail in Stillwater Natural Area
Thunder Swamp Trail in Big Bear Swamp
Thunder Swamp Trail, Big Bear Swamp
Thunder Swamp Trail, weird tree
Thunder Swamp Trail, probably a bear den in Big Bear Swamp
Big Bear Swamp
I fell and punctured my knee in Big Bear Swamp
I fell and punctured my knee in Big Bear Swamp
Knee injury in Big Bear Swamp
My leg after injuring it
Little Bushkill Creek bridge on Thunder Swamp Trail
Painter Lake I think
Painter Lake I think
Along Thunder Swamp Trail's main route on the east end
Along Whittaker Road, Delaware State Forest
Delaware State Forest
Along Thunder Swamp Trail
Along Whittaker Road
North side of Whittaker Road
Delaware State Forest
My next hike would be another two day trip, this time in Delaware State Forest, PA, on the Thunder Swamp Trail system. My girlfriend Jillane Becker, Kyle Zalinsky, and Eric Pace headed up to my beginning point on Bushkill Falls Road jut about a mile from Rt 402 where we met up with "Amish Paul" Hassler. Apparently Jason Itell, "Commando Tom" Petrucci, and Jason Kumpas had started at a lot on Rt 402 earlier to meet up with us later. We walked the northeast spur of the Thunder Swamp Trail into the woods, and it was very grown in amazingly (1). We finally came across a nice camp site on the right. We set up our tents and then found as much wood as we could find. Kyle made an excellent fire (2-6). I was carrying my walkie talkie (because cell phones did'nt work too well) and finally hear from Jason. I directed them to us, and soon they arrived. They set up their tents and we all partied with wine and home made apple jack by Jason Kumpas (7-11).
DJ Ray Cordts also joined us, but did so late and had to hike in to us, and went the wrong way initially. Jillane went back by herself to find him, and was followed by Kyle and Amish Paul. I tended to the fire while they were gone, and they eventually arrived (12).
The next morning, we cleaned up camp and Eric headed back to his car to drop off his tent and to meet up with Shelly Janes and Jim "Mr. Buckett" Mathews to direct them to us (13). We could'nt get the fire to go out so we peed on it (14,15). We then headed out on the trail to the northeast; the others would have to catch up with us (16). The undergrowth was so thick it was like walking through a car wash of Northern Red, Chestnut, and Pin Oak (17). We continued walking through the woods (18,19) and reached an old woods road. The trail followed it to the right, then turned left toward Stillwater Natural Area, crossing over some wet areas near a beautiful wetland (20-22). At another trail junction, we made another turn continueing on the orange blazed Thunder Swamp Trail into Stillwater Natural Area (23,24) and were joined by the rest of the group who caught up (24a,24b). Together, we descended into little valley with a stream in it, and a nice high bridge (25-27).
Eric Pace waited back at a trail junction because he did'nt want to do a loop we were going to do in Stillwater. Jillane, Kyle, and DJ Ray waited by the bridge to take a dip in the water while the rest of us continued on through the natural area and Big Bear Swamp. Amish Paul disappeared and did'nt show up with the others (28-28e).
When we reached a junction where orange blazes went both right and left, I ran to the left to see if it was the right way. After a while I was so far ahead I just decided to keep going. I cut an existing scab off my leg making me bleed profously. The scenery was great, though the trail was tough to follow. It was wet at times, overgrown, but incredible with oddly shaped trees and what may have been a bear den (29-37). I thought I was going to pass out, so I even drank untreated water from a stream. I was fine fortunitely. I finally filled in the loop and found an arrow pointed left back the way I came. Humorously, I put similar arrows the way I came just in case. Soon, I reached the bridge again and everyone was shocked at my leg bleeding like crazy.
I decided to take a dip in the river as well while everyone else goofed off with a pair of boxer shorts they found (37a-37m). We were soon on our way (37n-38c), having caught up with Eric, and we made our way to a lake to the north, where DJ Ray and I took another dip (39-40a) despite the fact that it was raining. Everyone else continued on to take a break further up. Next, we continued on a red blazed side trail which led us back to a woods road and turned right (40b-40g). From here, we turned onto the Burnt Mills Swamp Trail, a joint use ATV trail and passed a rock that looked like a robot face (40h). This road ended at Bushkill Falls Road near where we parked. We stopped by the cars, and everyone cut out except Jillane and I, and Amish Paul walked with us briefly. Jillane and I followed orange blazes of the Thunder Swamp Trail thinking we were headed southwest when we were actually headed southeast (41). This took us to Whittaker Road, a somewhat paved road, but almost abandoned. We turned right on it which led us to a trail and a dead end at some sort of Hermitage. Jillane wanted to go in, but I was a bit nervous, so we turned back (42). At first, we thought we were supposed to be going that way, but the way the sun was setting let us know that was very wrong. We turned around following the road the opposite way which was correct (43-45) and reached a gate with a key pad. Jillane could'nt get it to open (46). We continued around Lake Minisink, which had a few residents, then onto some ATV joint use trail out Bushkill Falls Road (47). We then followed the road back to where we were parked to call it a day. The intention was to hike the next day after camping, but Jillane was'nt feeling it, so we finished.
One of the nicest sunsets we've ever seen, at Delaware Water Gap coming home from Delaware State Forest.
One of the nicest sunsets we've ever seen, at Delaware Water Gap coming home from Delaware State Forest.
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