Hike #78; Netcong to Washington

 Hike #78

Hike 78

In the Netcong Shop Rite. This was the first of many "Overly Happy" pictures, and it's where Tea Biscuit coined the term.

1/26/3

 

Inside Netcong Shop Rite restroom

Under Rt 80 along former Morris and Essex line

Jumping on dumpster mattresses in Mt. Olive

International Trade Center pond

International trade center pond

Sliding at ITC

Mt Olive NJ Transit station

Along the former westbound track of the Morris and Essex Division, near Waterloo

Former Morris and Essex line in Waterloo Valley

Saxton Lake from the railroad tracks

Train coming along Saxton Lake

Musconetcong Trestle on Morris and Essex line, Saxton Falls

Yet another new section hike I had been wanting to do; walking from Netcong to

Washington via the former Morris and Essex Railroad, now NJ Transit and Norfolk

Southern. Tea Biscuit and I were dropped off by our mom at Netcong Station. We started

late this time, about 1 pm, because Tea Biscuit had gotten in trouble for trespassing at the

closed Acme property in Washington, and had to do community service at Dr. Blease’s on

Sunday mornings.

We began by walking over to the Netcong Shop Rite to buy some junk food. We also had

to use the bathroom. We wandered upstairs to the employee lounge, and after goofing off

a bit, Tea Biscuit casually sat down with a cute female employee in the lounge and tried to

chat. When it did’nt get him anywhere, we left.

We began walking the tracks west, and after crossing Love Lane, the furthest I had been

previously, we passed under Rt 80 and then came to giant dumpsters full of mattresses we

could not pass without jumping on. There was a good amount of snow on the ground, but

on the tracks it had been packed down enough by passing trains.

Bilby Road underpass on Morris and Essex line

On the tracks in Hackettstown near M&M

View from the railroad tracks in Hackettstown

Hackettstown former train station

Hackettstown NJ Transit station

Borealis industry in Rockport along fomrer Morris and Essex tracks

At our end point of our Netcong to Washington hike

 

Not long after this, we reached a part of the International Trade Center where little ponds

were frozen over. We stopped to slide around, and found that we could go to the top of a

little hill, lay on our backs, and slide all the way down.

Continuing on, we passed through Mt Olive Station, passed a train, and saw remains of

the Morris Canal. Soon, the second track from the former M&E began descending. The

entire line was once double tracked, but is now only single, and the second right of way is

usually at the same level as the existing one, but near Waterloo it is at a much lower

elevation, and had a junction with the Sussex Railroad. We opted to follow the lower

abandoned right of way which offered a couple nice views.

After a few miles, the tracks came back together, and we passed through a quarry area.

No one appeared to be working, but it did not look abandoned. We soon passed by

Saxton Lake at Saxton Falls, and then walked across a trestle over the Musconetcong

River. Fortunitely, no trains came while we were out there, as there was no walkway!

We soon passed back under Bilby Road, and then near Hackettstown, passing the spur

into M&M Mars company. Not long after this we crossed Rt 517 and entered

Hackettstown.

When we got to Rt 46, we made a pit stop at the nearby Quick Check. We bought two

boxes of Entemann’s soft baked chocolate chip cookies and had them microwaved extra

soft inside. Over the next few miles, we ate both boxes! Needless to say, we were feeling

quite sick after not long. The sun had already begun to go down in Hackettstown, and by

the time we reached Rockport, it was totally dark.

Still, we moved on, stopping once again in Port Murray to see one of Tea Biscuit’s

female friends, who I don’t believe was home. After the stop, we walked the rest of the

way to Port Colden, walking up to the sign designating Netcong at Twenty miles away for

a victory picture.