Hike #468; Pocono Summit to State Game Lands 127

 Hike #468 2/7/10

2/7/10 Pocono Summit to State Game Lands 127 with Jillane Becker, Kyle Zalinsky, Amanda Rosenblatt, Shelly Janes, Jim Delotto, Jason Itell, Eric Pace, and Jen ?

Group shot at the beginning, near Pocono Summit PA.

The original journal for this one was lost to the fire unfortunitely.

For this hike, we would mainly cover the next section north in the series of the Wilkes Barre and Eastern Railroad. We'd also explore some other weird trails in State Game Lands. We met on Rt 423 at a tiny pull off parking type of area for State Game Lands 127, formerly the Tobyhanna Military Reservation. We then shuttled cars to the beginning near Pocono Summit. We parked at a little gas station where we got permission and go snacks, then were on our way across Rt 940 and south to the railroad bed. The beginning of the hike was retracing the steps we'd already taken on a previous hike for a bit, but it seemed so much different because it was covered with snow.

Along former WB&E Railroad near Pocono Pines PA

When we came to the entrance to a big local school, we saw an abandoned building on the left hand side, to the south, that I'd wanted to go into on our previous trip but it was getting too dark. This time we wouldn't have such problems. Just ahead of here was where we turned off on the previous trip on the former connector track with the Lackawanna at Pocono Summit.

The first building was a little trailer full of junk, but the second was a cool old home of some sort, seemingly having been used as a hunting cabin or something. We went all through the ruined building with lots of water damage. It would surely come down pretty soon. We found all sorts of stuff like a Twister Game, cups, and plenty more. We found lots of stuff and left it under the trailer to come and pick up later.

In the abandoned building near Pocono Pines

We then moved on along the railroad right of way. It took us parallel with the entrance road to the Pocono Mountain high school, then into some woods followed by a little disturbed area of some business. We then reentered the woods and headed west. It was a nice section with some wetlands to our north and woods to the south. Jillane and I had to shed some layers pretty early on because it wasn't as cold as we'd anticipated it would be.

Hanging on a tree on the rail bed near Pocono Pines

We came out on a road near the intersection of Sullivan Road and Rt 940. The rail bed must have gone ahead but it was totally obliterated, so we turned left and followed Sullivan which paralleled 940 here.

At Park Ave we turned right out to 940 and Van Gilder's Jubilee Restaurant. We took a break out front while some of the group went in to use the restrooms. We then moved along 940 westbound. There was no sign of the former railbed at first, as it was overtaken by the highway. It did diverge briefly from the highway at a house or two along  Lake Naomi, so we walked it. it seemed like new construction was going in and that we wouldn't be able to walk this section again.

When we reached a Levee at the west end of Lake Naomi we decided to walk on it for a bit. This was apparently part of a nature trail because we found signing saying such. We came out on Rt 423 and turned left back to 940 where there was another service station as well as some other businesses. We went into the service station for some more refreshments before moving on. The clerk loved my Toast Wallet.

We had to walk Rt 940 for a ways from here because it had overtaken the rail bed. Along the way we could see to the south where there was a spur line that went to a nearby lake where apparently there was an  ice house. Just after I think it was Altamoose Road we turned right off of the road and onto the overgrown rail bed into a cut. We came out at Old Rt 940 where there was a rough looking house on the left, but I knew it couldn't be abandoned. Jillane wanted to check it out, but I was totally against it. Amanda also stayed behind while Kyle and I, both annoyed, went ahead a bit. Apparently when they were looking closer someone came out of the house, but they didn't tell me too much. I'll let them comment if there's more!

We continued ahead on the rail bed, except for Eric who decided to turn left on Old 940 to the current alignment because he didn't think we'd get across a missing bridge site ahead. The bridge site in question was across a piece of Pocono Lake. Only one bridge abutment remained and a narrow area where the trestle was had to be crossed. I figured this was the perfect day for this section because it'd be frozen. I tested it first by walking out and around on the ice; the channel where the watered passed between the causeway I figured would be the thinnest since it would be moving more, so going around should be fine. Indeed, it was fine, and so I went back to help the others down and across. Once everyone was on they seemed to just want to goof off on the ice, after their first interpretation of it was that it wasn't safe! Once on the other side we continued on the rail bed out to where it crossed 940 again. Eric had continued to go ahead because the former crossing site was too obscure.

We continued into the woods, but some of the group didn't move. When I'd gotten most of the group ahead, through some woods and across a power line the others didn't know where to go so I asked Kyle to go back for them thinking they'd listen to him faster than me. A driveway ahead was built over most of the rail bed, which led us back out to yet another part of Rt 940. We waited here for Eric, who had walked even further ahead and had to turn back.

The next piece of property was well signed with no trespassing signs, with the name "Kitchen" on them (it turns out it was a Doctor by the name of Kitchen). My State Game Lands 127 map showed the rail bed marked as "trail" with that font so I figured that was a good enough excuse to walk it. On the north side of 940 the rail bed was not at all recognizeable through a succession field.

Walking former WB&E Railroad north of Pocono Pines.

We soon came into a bit of a young growth forest and the rail bed wasn't too overgrown. This led us out to Kitchen Lane, the private drive of the Doctor's, though we thought this was a legal official game lands access. Everyone wanted to stop for a break at an historic piece of farm equipment there, and despite my urging them not to since we were in direct view of the house, they all waited. Once we finally started moving on the Doctor and presumably his wife, both had walked out to kick us off. Most of the group had already gone ahead, with Jillane and Kyle in the front. Jason stopped to talk to the doctor thinking of course he'd let us through, maybe tell us not to come back, and he called me back. And so, Jason, Shelly, Jen, Eric, and I were left behind while the others continued ahead. Dr. Kitchen told us to head back out the driveway and go around, even though it was many miles more to go through. He also told us security was on it's way.

The "security" he referred to was an older fellow with white hair and a gettysburg style facial hair and the voice of Rosco P. Coltrain from "Dukes of Hazzard". We told him what we were doing and he looked disgusted with the doctor "You mean to tell me he wouldn't let ya through?" he was asking. He looked over at the humdrum looking doctor and his wife fast approaching and said "Tell ya what, you all make believe I hollered at yas and get in the back of the truck, I'll drive ya up to the property line!" Shelly and Jen got in the front seat while Jason, Eric, and I piled into the back. We took off along the railbed from the drivway, back past the old farm equipment, and into the weedy narrow right of way that nearly took our hats off with all of the low branches everywhere.

Getting a ride from our savior, Dr. Kitchen's friendly security guard

We were dropped off just above the spot where we had made it to before being stopped by the doctor, and were now heading into State Game Lands. We thanked the gentleman for saving us, and were on our way north.

We passed by a little pond, some wetlands, and through woods until a road soon joined the rail bed from the right. We then crossed Trout Creek at a scenic spot on an old rail bridge where we took another break.

From here, we followed the road section to the north. We would follow the rail bed to where a spur once turned off to Brady's Lake where there was once an ice house complex. I saw a field and assumed the edge of it might be the rail bed, or that we'd missed it, and so the rest of the group went ahead here while I stayed behind a bit. I followed the edge of the field and caught up with them resting when they got to the rail spur. We followed the spur to a fork in the roads. Roads went left or right, and the rail bed continued straight ahead with no path along it. Only Jason and I continued on this messy path. A small fill was all that defined this right of way. Jason soon gave up on it, and I didn't even notice him leave. I continued alone while the group was parallel with me a ways to my right on the road section. I soon came to the ice house ruins, just a bunch of foundations, but it was very extensive the buildings that must have been here. I came out to the lake and another road, then turned right to meet back up with the group.

Next, I offered the option of a shortcut by walking right across the frozen lake instead of the wide corner around the south side. Everyone subscribed to that and we went across with no problems.

On Brady's Lake, State Game Lands 127 PA

Shelly stopped and talked to an ice fisherman. Jillane grabbed a bit stick to offset weight in case we broke through.

On Brady's Lake, PA

Love, Brady's Lake PA

Once on the other side, we regrouped next to the Brady's Lake sign. We then walked south on the dirt Brady's Lake Road. We followed this road south, a nice wide dirt road that apparently had been widened for use as a fire line or something. There was supposed to be a trail called Tripup Trail off to the left of this road, but we were sure we'd passed it and nothing was visible on areal images on my phone. We continued on and instead on Selfice Swamp Trail which was very recognizeable skirting the low namesake wet area. This took us through dense forest, and Jillane commented how much she loved the area. We came out to a quadruple trail intersection not shown on the map and I made the mistake of following the more prominant route straight.

We went a LONG way out of the way and headed north probably along the north edge of Stein Swamp as per my GPS. We then followed another lesser trail somehow to connect with the aptly named "Hell Trail" considering our situation. It was getting dark fast, we were far out of the way, and my phone was dying, so no GPS.

Fortunitely, this section of Hell Trail was blazed, orange I think, we we followed it to the south which took us to presumably another part of Selfice Swamp Trail, a woods road at this point, and a wide one. It connected next to a small pine grove. We followed the road to the left as it ascended another hill, then descended the other side. The road was not nearly as straight as it seemed on the map which we were pretty much all regarding as garbage at this point. I used my GPS sparingly, looking ahead at what was to come. At an intersection we turned left, then headed down hill to another intersection and turned right. The map showed many old roads heading across Tobyhanna Creek below, but only one had a bridge on it, so we had to use logic and luck to get to the correct one. We fortunitely found it and were on our way to safety. I waited behind on the bridge for everyone else to catch up. We could hear and see the lights from the cars on the road where we were parked up ahead, the greatest relief ever it seemed.

Our bridge crossing on the last leg of the trip, State Game Lands 127

Once we were all back together we headed back to the abandoned house to get our stuff, then to dinner at the Jubilee place we stopped earlier.