Monday, February 28, 2022

Hike #429; Pen Argyl/Wind Gap/Belast/Jacobsburg Loop

Hike #429 8/2/9
8/2/9 Pen Argyl/Wind Gap/Belfast/Jacobsburg loop with Jason Itell, Skyler Jermyn, and Chris Kroschinski

Amanda and Kyle dancing like mad

Along Lehigh and New England Railroad's Nazareth Branch right of way near Wind Gap

Amanda and Kyle dancing like mad

Former Lehigh and New England Railroad near junction site in Pen Argyl PA

Fields south of Pen Argyl PA

Rt 191 overpass of the Plainfield Township Rail Trail, eating cucumbers.

Metal sculpture along Plainfield Township Rail Trail

Metal sculpture along Plainfield Township Rail Trail

Plainfield Township Rail Trail just north of Belfast Junction

Plainfield Township Rail Trail, southern terminus at Belfast PA

Belfast PA area silliness. Skyler is loitering.

Low branches near Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

New bridge construction to replace the bridge that washed out in 2004. I have a shot of that collapsed bridge in an album from late 2004.

Kiosk in Jacobsburg SP

Near the former gun factory in Jacobsburg SP

Old barns in Jacobsburg SP

Crossing Bushkill Creek on a pedestrian bridge

Historic photo of Henry family along Bushkill Creek

Another interpretive sign

Bushkill Creek in Henry's Woods

Bushkill Creek in Henry's Woods

Restroom in Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Former Lehigh and New England Railroad's Nazareth Branch, under construction as a new trail

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Old road bridge as seen from the rail bed north of Jacobsburg

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Along Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Old LNE Nazareth Branch bridge site

Cupcake jumping the LNE Nazareth Branch bridge site north of Jacosbsburg

Old LNE Nazareth Branch

Old LNE Nazareth Branch

Old LNE Nazareth Branch south of Rismiller

Fields near Wind Gap

Blue Mountain view just west of Wind Gap

Snapping turtle in quarry lake

Brad and Jalayne's party at quarry beach near Wind Gap

Brad and Jalayne's party at quarry beach near Wind Gap

My next hike would be an almost loop in Northampton County PA using both areas I'd already hiked and a few more I had'nt. Joining me to start off this hike were Skyler Jermyn and Jason Itell. We began in Pen Argyl PA along an abandoned railroad bed, probably part of the Lehigh and New England heading south of town. We started checking out some sort of old loading trestle (1) and then headed to an old bridge site. We climbed down and looked around, and then continued looking for the beginning of the Plainfield Township Rail Trail. We were right at the beginning we found out later, but we could'nt find it. We walked several parallel roads, and even found an abandoned rail bed which we walked for a while near a dump or something, but it was not what we were looking for and we continued on. We ended up backtracking and walking roads for an extended period of time. It was raining rather heavily for a while, and it was getting to be a drag. I could'nt open my Northampton County map because it would get ruined. We soon saw an old school building, and figured that it was public land and went over to use it's overhanging shade to look at the map, but as it turned out it was a private residence, having been converted to a home several years ago! Fortunitely, the owner showed up and understood, then told us how to get to the rail trail. We got to it and only missed a short portion of it to the north. Chris Kroschinski joined us from this point on. We continued south along the rail trail as Jason ate cucumbers (3). An adjacent yard had a weird metal sculpture in it (4,5). We continued south along the rail trail until we reached Belfast Junction (6,7). From there, we followed roads north and then west, then north again toward Jacobsburg State Park (8). We stopped and checked out the old buildings that were associated with a gun factory there, and some neat trees with low branches (9). Then, we picked up the trail system and followed it parallel with Bushkill Creek and saw where a new bridge was finally being built to replace the one that washed out back in what must have been 2005! (10-13). Next, we crossed Bushkill Creek on a foot bridge and followed some odf the lower Henry's Woods Trail along it up stream (14-16). We stopped along the way to take a much needed dip in the creek (17,18) before heading north to the restrooms (19).

We crossed the Bushkill Creek yet again on a newer foot bridge (20-23), then headed through some meadow trails to the north as well as some woods (24-26).

Soon, we came to the right of way of the Lehigh and New England Railroad's Nazareth Branch, now part of the Sober's Run Loop Trail. I'd followed this before, but this time we would walk it north beyond where I had previously (27). North of Jacobsburg, the right of way was in the past closed, but now it was under developement as a rail trail, though still not open. We followed it across a bridge that had recently been worked on, and I thought the entire rail trail would go through, but such was not the case (28). Even the parallel road was not yet open, though it looked as though a bridge was now in place (29). The right of way ahead was still badly overgrown and it looked as though no efforts were yet under way to clear it (30,31). Some of it was followed by a power line (32-34). There was no indication that it had ever even been a railroad except for when we came to old bridge sites (35). One in particular Skyler, Chris, and I all jumped (36-39). The next road we crossed was where we'd left off with this line in the past. Last time I tried to walk it this section we'd just walked looked like it would be impossible to get through so we opted not to follow it, instead going for parallel road walks. From here, we continued on the rail bed north (40).

Along Lehigh and New England Railroad's Nazareth Branch right of way near Wind Gap

Once we hit the next road, we followed roads along fields (41,42) to a spot just outside of Wind Gap where Brad Baesic and Jalayne Reed were having their birthday party which we joined in on.

There was a fantastic swimming lake full of all sorts of fish and a snapping turtle, plenty of food, dancing, and live music. Kyle Zalinsky, Amanda Rosenblatt, and Jim "Mr Buckett" Mathews all met up with us for the fun (43-46).

Brad and Jalayne's party at quarry beach near Wind Gap

Along Lehigh and New England Railroad's Nazareth Branch right of way near Wind Gap

Amanda and Kyle dancing like mad

Former Lehigh and New England Railroad near junction site in Pen Argyl PA

Fields south of Pen Argyl PA

Rt 191 overpass of the Plainfield Township Rail Trail, eating cucumbers.

Metal sculpture along Plainfield Township Rail Trail

Metal sculpture along Plainfield Township Rail Trail

Plainfield Township Rail Trail just north of Belfast Junction

Plainfield Township Rail Trail, southern terminus at Belfast PA

Belfast PA area silliness. Skyler is loitering.

Low branches near Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

New bridge construction to replace the bridge that washed out in 2004. I have a shot of that collapsed bridge in an album from late 2004.

Kiosk in Jacobsburg SP

Near the former gun factory in Jacobsburg SP

Old barns in Jacobsburg SP

Crossing Bushkill Creek on a pedestrian bridge

Historic photo of Henry family along Bushkill Creek

Another interpretive sign

Bushkill Creek in Henry's Woods

Bushkill Creek in Henry's Woods

Restroom in Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Former Lehigh and New England Railroad's Nazareth Branch, under construction as a new trail

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Old road bridge as seen from the rail bed north of Jacobsburg

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Along Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Old LNE Nazareth Branch bridge site

Cupcake jumping the LNE Nazareth Branch bridge site north of Jacosbsburg

Old LNE Nazareth Branch

Old LNE Nazareth Branch

Old LNE Nazareth Branch south of Rismiller

Fields near Wind Gap

Blue Mountain view just west of Wind Gap

Snapping turtle in quarry lake

Brad and Jalayne's party at quarry beach near Wind Gap

Brad and Jalayne's party at quarry beach near Wind Gap

Brad and Jalayne's party at quarry beach near Wind Gap

Along Lehigh and New England Railroad's Nazareth Branch right of way near Wind Gap

Amanda and Kyle dancing like mad

Former Lehigh and New England Railroad near junction site in Pen Argyl PA

Fields south of Pen Argyl PA

Rt 191 overpass of the Plainfield Township Rail Trail, eating cucumbers.

Metal sculpture along Plainfield Township Rail Trail

Metal sculpture along Plainfield Township Rail Trail

Plainfield Township Rail Trail just north of Belfast Junction

Plainfield Township Rail Trail, southern terminus at Belfast PA

Belfast PA area silliness. Skyler is loitering.

Low branches near Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

New bridge construction to replace the bridge that washed out in 2004. I have a shot of that collapsed bridge in an album from late 2004.

Kiosk in Jacobsburg SP

Near the former gun factory in Jacobsburg SP

Old barns in Jacobsburg SP

Crossing Bushkill Creek on a pedestrian bridge

Historic photo of Henry family along Bushkill Creek

Another interpretive sign

Bushkill Creek in Henry's Woods

Bushkill Creek in Henry's Woods

Restroom in Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Foot bridge over Bushkill Creek, Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Trail in Jacobsburg SP

Former Lehigh and New England Railroad's Nazareth Branch, under construction as a new trail

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Old road bridge as seen from the rail bed north of Jacobsburg

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Along Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Former LNE railroad bed north of Jacobsburg

Old LNE Nazareth Branch bridge site

Cupcake jumping the LNE Nazareth Branch bridge site north of Jacosbsburg

Old LNE Nazareth Branch

Old LNE Nazareth Branch

Old LNE Nazareth Branch south of Rismiller

Fields near Wind Gap

Blue Mountain view just west of Wind Gap

Snapping turtle in quarry lake

Brad and Jalayne's party at quarry beach near Wind Gap

Brad and Jalayne's party at quarry beach near Wind Gap

Brad and Jalayne's party at quarry beach near Wind Gap

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