Hike #94
Hike 94
Crossing the Musconetcong where the abandoned houses used to be at Point Mountain
6/11/3
Another Wednesday hike, I planned on meeting Tea Biscuit when he got out of school to
do a local hike around Washington.
I walked from my house on the tracks towards Warren Hills, and called Tea Biscuit on
pay phones, I think. I can’t remember where I met him, but we ended up back at his house
before we began walking again.
Me on the former Warren Railroad, Washington
Former Morris Canal Towpath Road, Port Colden area
Old Morris Canal eat of Plane #6W, Port Colden
Tea Biscuit by the old trolley bridge between Port Colden and Port Murray
Former Morris and Essex Railroad in Port Murray
Former Morris and Essex Port Murray station
Mansfield Township Municipal building area
We decided to walk the Morris Canal from there east. It’s easy in Port Colden; the school
is built in the old canal basin, on Lock Street, the lock remains are in someone’s back
yard, and towpath road is in an obvious location. Our mom’s house actually has the south
berm of the canal on it’s property, and my house was rumored to be a captain’s house.
We walked back the Towpath Road to the site of Inclined Plane #6W, and walked it
across a yard and into the woods. We were able to follow it for a bit, but then it got
overgrown, so we descended a bit to the old trolley right of way. This too got too
overgrown after a bit, so we went down to the railroad tracks. This is another location
that there were once two tracks, and one right of way is a bit higher, so we walked that.
We also headed into the old Pyronics place, which had a brick yard and other stuff. We
wandered around in there, and up a driveway looking for the canal. We thought we found
it, but decided not to go further. We also walked around and found one other abandoned
building on the way into Port Murray. We went as far as the Port Murray Railroad station,
where there are two beautiful old cabooses, then walked Port Murray road to Rt 57, and
Point Mountain Road to the Point Mountain section of the Musconetcong Reservation.
I walked across the top of the truss of the old Point Mountain Bridge, like a lunatic. We
then walked the trail along the river east toward Penwell. Tea Biscuit was’nt into wading
across the river to check out two abandoned houses I spotted, but I crossed and went
inside, which was interesting. Very open inside. I had to use a tree branch to help wade
back across the Musconetcong, and the two of us continued near Penwell through farm
fields and onto an old woods road. The trail broke away from the woods road and
gradually ascended Point Mountain. The view from Point Mountain is spectacular, over
Mansfield Township.
Point Mountain Bridge
Me being crazy on Point Mountain Bridge
Heavy brush at Point Mountain along the river trail
In Musconetcong River
Abandoned houses on the State WMA property near Penwell
Family dinner night
We walked back down steeply on another trail to Point Mountain Road. We turned left
and went to Mountaintop Road to my grandfather’s house. It’s a great road, twisting with
switchbacks on it’s way uphill, and then passing through pastoral settings and woods.
When we reached our grandfather’s house, we had dinner. I don’t remember what we had,
but just about everyone in the family was there, like most wednesdays.
Family dinner night
My grandfather gets a hair cut
Along Hollow Road
My mom gave
‘Poppop’ a haircut, and then Tea Biscuit and I decided to walk home. Mark, our unofficial
step father, decided to go with us. He made it as far as about halfway down Hollow Road
when my mom was passing by, and he was too tired and went with her!
We walked to Musconetcong River Road to Changewater, to Changewater Road out to
Murderer’s Bridge, and down McCollough Road, with new homes being built to the east,
out to Port Colden.
Along River Road, Changewater
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