Hike #456 11/29/9
11/29/9 Andover and Allamuchy with Shelly Janes, Fred Hafale, Kyle Zalinsky, Bill "Guillermo" Fabel, Jim "Mr. Buckett" Mathews, Susyn Mihalasky, Dave "Captain Soup" Campbell, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Joe Tag, Christina Manley, "Major Tom" Conroy, Eric Pace, "Amish Paul" Hassler, Chrissi Carney, Alex Chujko, Wayne Meiner, and Jillane Becker.
The group having lunch at a bar in Tranquility
In the weeks preceding this hike, Jillane and I went exploring the northern end of Allamuchy Mountain State Park near Tranquility. She and I both knew of some abandoned houses in the area we'd wanted to go in some more. I mentioned that I saw a gate further up with a drive that looked like it once continued, and so we decided to do some exploring.
We found a mansion of a house with two barns, as well as another house we didn't know existed!
Stuyvesant
Abandoned mansion in Allamuchy/Tranquility
let my love open the door to my heart
Stuyvesant
Stuyvesant
Stuyvesant
Stuyvesant
Stuyvesant
Stuyvesant
It was amazing that both of us, being the avid explorers we are, had never found these incredible buildings.
Stuyvesant
Stuyvesant
The buildings were covered in the insane vulgar graffiti we'd seen nearby on the buildings right on Stuyvesant Road, Greendell Railroad Station and tower, and other structures on the Lackawanna cutoff. I contacted Mark Moran from Weird NJ to report to him about the buildings, and they were soon included in an issue of the magazine.
Stuyvesant
Stuyvesant
The place was really eerie when we arrived at dusk, but we knew we'd soon have to do a group hike up there.
Stuyvesant
Giant tree, Allamuchy Mt
Big tree near the Stuyvesant Estate
<3
It had everything we loved. Giant trees, abandoned buildings, and seclusion. I scaled off a hike which would showcase the diversity of the area with this being it's centerpoint.
This was also Wayne's first hike with us!
My next hike would be a point to point from Andover to the southern end of the Sussex Branch Trail near Andover, but this hike would barely be on any of that trail itself. Joining me this time from the beginning would be Kyle Zalinsky, Shelly Janes, Joe Tag, Fred Hafele, Bill "Guillermo" Fabel, Jim "Mr. Buckett" Mathews, Dave "Captain Soup" Campbell, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Christina Manley, "Major Tom" Conroy, Eric Pace, Susyn Mihalasky, and "Amish Paul" Hassler. After meeting at the Sussex Branch Trail parking on the intersection of Waterloo Road and Continental Drive, we shuttled as few cars as possible to the Sussex Branch Trail lot on Rt 206 just north of Andover(0a). From here, we began by walking down 206 to Limecrest Road. We could see the former Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad bed to the left on a causeway over a piece of Gardner's Pond (0b). We followed the road northeast until we could see a small piece of the former mine railroad next to Old Creamery Road (0ba-2). We followed a weird cut in the rocks which led us to some old mines (3-4). Fred and Susyn waited outside and went back down to the road while I led everyone else into the mines. It took us down briefly, and then up a small shaft with many exits. We exited on the far left (5-9c). Guillermo and I went back in and tried going out one of the other exits, which was tight but pretty cool (10-11a). We made our way down from here and to the road (11b-12). We could see where the Sussex Mine Railroad used to cross over Limecrest Road and we turned onto what was probably it's right of way briefly (it only would have gone back over Limecrest Road, but we cut straight to the L&HR right of way). We then followed the L&HR south (13-15a).
Along the Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad bed in Andover
We paralleled Gardner's pond and crossed the bit of causeway we saw earlier, and had to dash across one back yard to continue on out to Rt 206 (16-20). We crossed 206 and then followed the LHR across the Sussex Branch Trail (21, view north) through farmlands and woods (22-24bc). When we reached the largest open fields we opted to go into the fields out to Brighton Road (25-26e). Guillermo chased Amish Paul down trying to give him a hug while we were regrouping (26ea-27aa). We followed a business access road out to Brighton Road and turned right back to the rail bed, passing along the way a place that said "Tab" a soda which Captain Soup said "sucks" (27b-28). We followed the rail bed rather easily southbound to the Lackawanna Cutoff underpass (29-32a). Most of the group climbed up and over the Cutoff (32aa-32e) while Kyle, DJ Ray, Guillermo, and I managed to get through the fences to the other side (33-34). We waited on the other side for the others to come back down (34a-34dd). There was a greenhouse there, so we went in, Amish Paul even rode his bike in, and I stripped down to my boxers (34e-36) and ran around in there. Outside, Kyle did a crazy dance before we moved on (37). We crossed Whitehall Road and Guillermo grabbed a disgusting deer carcass (38). We continued through woods sorrounded by farmland (38a-40) and crossed Rt 603. Some went over to follow the parallel road but I stayed on or close in the field to the right of way close to the Trinca Airport (41-43ma). We took a break when we reached Creek Road, then continued on (43mb-43mf) through parallel fields, then back onto the right of way where it had been cleared as a trail nearing Tranquility (44). We came out by the Tranquility Post Office where we were joined by my old friend Chrissi Carney and her boyfriend Alex Chujko, as well as another newcomer, Wayne Meiner, the father of my old friend Brandon and member of the maintenance department at my high school, so I'd known him for a while as well.
Tranquility NJ
We walked Kennedy Road (44a-45) to Rt 517 and crossed onto Stuyvesant Road, following it to Pub 517 (45a). We had our lunch here and took probably over an hour. My girlfriend Jillane also joined us here (46-50b). Someone did'nt pay their share at lunch and we had a big to do about it, and some of us ended up paying extra which sucked. When we left, we followed the road, and Chrissi and Alex stole some pumpkins from a field (51-52a), and made our way into Allamuchy Mountain State Park where we visited the abandoned houses along and near the road. All of them had the crazy graffiti we'd seen many times before on the Lackawanna Cutoff, most noteably the Greendell Station and tower. The first house was reasonable sized and near the road.
Abandoned house, Rutherford Estate
The second one was right near it (53-72p). The second one was really rough, as some of the back central section had already collapsed. Still, we could get in easily enough and just avoid the gaping hole in the back (73-83). As we walked, we next came to a giant metal gate and a driveway (84-85d). We went up the driveway to a huge abandoned mansion (Jillane and I had found this prior to this hike). We walked directly up to it and went all through it.
Alex in an abandoned house
In abandoned Rutherford house
It had two barns adjacent to it as well (86-107). The final house was quite a bit smaller, but still the same type of stuff (108-117).
Rutherford House in Allamuchy
Rutherford House in Allamuchy
After going through the houses, we continued along the old road to the trail head for Waterloo-517 Trail. All of the others opted to take that trail while Kyle, Chrissi, Alex, Mr. Buckett, Guillermo, and I opted to take the parallel Ditch Trail (aka Cardiac Trail. Jillane started with us but turned back). We headed up hill gradually and the trail took us to a bit of a view to the west sort of (118,119). We lost the trail at one point, as there were a lot of alternative mountain biking routes. The Ditch Trail took us to Waterloo-517 Trail which we followed (passing a ruin, #120) all the way back to the Sussex Branch parking lot. The others were a bit ahead of us, but Joe waited behind so we'd have a ride back (120a-120d).
Abandoned house, Allamuchy Mt SP
Stuyvesant
No comments:
Post a Comment