Hike #438 8/30/9
8/30/9 Big Pocono to Stroudsburg with Kyle Zalinsky, Shelly Janes, Jason Itell, Larry Butler, Carol and Rob Creamer, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Jean Fletcher, and "Amish Paul" Hassler.
The group at a general store in Reeders PA
This would be my first hike in the series to walk the former Wilkes Barre and Eastern Railroad and sorrounding trail systems. This rail line was the northern extension of the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railroad created so the company would no longer have to use trackage rights over Lackawanna lines and make more money. This first section was one of the most obliterated of the entire line. Like so many other hikes of the Summer, this one followed a party and we were all tired. I was getting a bit tired of the constant party scene at this point. Settling down was looking more and more attractive. Surely I could maintain a fun life style without having to party all of the time.
My next hike would be a section from Big Pocono State Park in PA to Stroudsburg to cover some trails and the former Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad to it's connection with the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railroad in Stroudsburg. Joining this time were Shelly Janes, "Amish Paul" Hassler, Jean Fletcher, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Jason Itell, Larry Butler, Carol and Rob Creamer, Amanda Rosenblatt, and Kyle Zalinsky. Shelly, Jean, DJ Ray, and Amish Paul rode their bikes. I made this one bicycle accessable for Shelly having her hip problem. We had a party the night before at my house as well. After meeting at the Wal Mart in Stroudsburg we shuttled a few cars to Big Pocono aka Camelback Mountain (0a-0a2). We had to use a State Game Lands parking area because the state park property closed too early(0a3-0b1). We began walking but soon made a wrong turn. The trail was not blazed well, and the topography was confusing so we ended up walking completely the wrong direction through state game lands (0b2-0bd). We ended up having to turn back and found our way to the trail. The blazes on the correct trail were overgrown and impossible to follow because people were going the wrong way nearby. The wrong trail and official trail soon joined up and we were on the right track. Jean and Paul lost us and decided to go back anyway. Paul tried to meet up with us but never found us. Once we were on the correct trail, we reached a viewpoint to the south which of course we could find on the map so we knew we were going the right way (1-ae). We took a break then made our way along the trail at the rim of Big Pocono with another small viewpoint of the Delaware Water Gap from a small gap in the trees. We continued down along the South Trail which had a side path that led to the old WB&E Railroad grade (1af-4). We turned right, heading west on the rail bed. The right of way was very clear and good walking. We stopped along the way to see a small cascade and cleared out a pipe underpass because the water was eroding away the right of way (4a-5ae). We continued on the right of way which led us to a small paved road. The road was built on the right of way, so we followed it. On the cinder rail bed when we first got to it, I left a note for Paul pointing the direction we went, and when we reached the road I scratched the same thing, but someone else (not sure who) put "Mossad" as well. I rode one of the bikes ahead to see if I could see where the rail bed broke away from the road, and when I found it I turned back. We continued on the road to that point (5af-6j). When we reached the section of rail bed, it was badly overgrown, so the cyclists and Rob and Carol opted to follow parallel roads (6k-6m) while the rest of us continued straight on the right of way (7). The rail bed soon opened up because it was used as an access road to a hunting camp as it would seem (8).
The rail bed heading south from Camelback Mountain
It opened up (9) and led us to Mountain Road where we met up with the others. Directly across the rail bed continued on a woods road, though it was posted no trespassing. We opted to head in anyway, and it remained clear for a bit. We came to a bit of an overgrown section (10,11) but it was easy to get around and opened into a bit of a quarried area (12,12a). From there, it was used as an access road in a camp called Mountain Springs with a pretty lake (13-15). We continued until the road exited the rail bed to the south. There was some sort of wedding being set up to the left of the rail bed so we went up the road briefly and then cut into the woods back to it (15aa-16). I set the cyclists back to follow parallel roads while Jason, Kyle, Larry, and I continued on the rail bed. It led us to someone's back yard, so we paralleled it to the left. Here, we got on what I think was a spur into the village of Reeders area. It came out on the corner of Mountain Road and Rt 715. We turned onto 715 to the right and headed back up to where we thought the main line crossed, which worked out well because there was a great little general store there we barely made it into before closing! We had a nice lunch break here (17-19). The rail bed on the opposite side of 715 was nice and clear, but it went through someone's property near to their house, so after walking down to that we opted to turn back. We walked Rt 715 passing an abandoned house (19a) and the ruins of an old in ground swimming pool (19b,19c). We had to walk Rt 715 all the way to the second left leading along the north shore close to Trout Lake. We walked this road passing by an old trailer home and such (19b-20aa) and reached Livingston Road where the rail line used to cross.
Taking a break south of Reeders PA
It did'nt look like we could follow it so we continued on the same road (Livingston Road was a dead end). We had to make some crazy turns and passed a lime kiln on the road (20ab-20l). We did find one of those old railroad shelter boxes along someone's driveway (20m-20naa). We continued on (21) and eventually came to either Pine Terrace or Merry Hill Road it must have been. The road was built on the right of way, and east of the road crossing it was not really easy to follow. We took a break here to figure out our next move, and when it was time to go DJ Ray and I had fallen asleep. I woke up, but we left Ray along for a bit to see what would happen (21a-21bc). Too many homes were built on or close to the right of way so we opted just to keep following the same road out to Golden Slipper Road. We turned left on Golden Slipper and I kept sticking aluminum cans on my feet to make loud sounds. Along the way, one of my sister's friends was driving by; my sister had just gotten her first apartment on Trout Lake or something, and her friend asked her if her brother was doing a hike up that way. She called me up to ask me, and I did'nt even know she was living up there yet! We continued down Golden Slipper Road, which had atrocious traffic, and reached the Rt 80 overpass where we waved at drivings stuck going slow, and Kyle mooned them (21bd-21bl1). We continued down the road (21bm) and I climbed a large stone wall to take in the view from the top (21bn-22). We made our way out to Rt 611 south where we came across a pool hall. We stopped for a bit and took pictures into a reflective window (22a-22ae). DJ Ray, Carol, and Rob decided to cut out and play pool while the rest of us continued on (22af-22aj). Kyle took DJ Ray's bike and we were off down 611 (22ak-22h). Near the middle of the Bartonsville area Shelly spotted an abandoned house back in the woods, so we wandered on back to it. The driveway to the place was not even recognizeable. Being caked between Rt 611 and Rt 80 hardly anyone must have noticed this place, which was pretty neat. It had an old swingset in the yard as well (23-29). We continued on and took a break near a Dunkin Donuts on 611, after climbing a wall up to it (I pulled up Shelly's bike; 29f-29gaa). I was exhausted and fell asleep on the pavement. When we got up to go, I decided to start running. I ran non stop all the way back to Stroudsburg, the farthest I'd run in years! When I finally stopped where Rt 611 hit Main Street I had run about four miles non stop! I was dead tired at this point though. We walked through Stroudsburg (29h-30) and crossed the bridge into East Stroudsburg where we stopped for dinner at Friendly's. We met up with DJ Ray, Carol and Rob who had gotten a ride from Eric Pace, as well as Jim "Mr Buckett" Mathews who came to hang out. We did'nt hang out for long, and I got some people's leftover food and we left (31-32aa) because I needed to give Carol and Rob a ride back to their cars.
The group at a general store in Reeders PA
The rail bed heading south from Camelback Mountain
Taking a break south of Reeders PA
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