Hike #1039; Ragged Ridge to Phillipsburg
5/22/17 Ragged Ridge to Phillipsburg with John Kosar, Lyz Abeth, Ric Giantisco, John and Deb Esposito, Patty Meckler?, Sean Patrick O'Riordan TheRed Reardon, John Spiridon, Serious Sean Dougherty, Kenneth Lidman, Dan Lurie, Brandan Jermyn, James Quinn, and John Pershouse
This next hike would be a point to point, once again on the route of the Warren Highlands Trail, which I have taken the lead in developing.
We’ve been having serious problems during the making of this trail, and I was hoping to have a better look at the problems through this hike. I would find out more for sure.
Warren Highlands Trail map in Harmony area with issues.
I had outlined some of the problem areas on the trail for an upcoming state meeting, keeping only the major issues at hand on it which police could help to deal with.
- Someone destroyed the kiosk at the entrance to county land.
- Various blow downs, someone put branches over the trail.
- Land owner apparently moved property corner, painted out blazes.
- Posts removed, ATVs are trailered in.
- Land owner constantly harasses public, paints out blazes, puts up “no trespassing” signs on fully owned state park lands.
- Someone has been putting up “no trespassing” signs on fully owned state park lands.
- Farmer removed trail marker posts, removed gate.
- Need to work with Merrill Creek to get blazing done/signage
- Posts removed on water line right of way
- Posts removed
- Trail head parking is inaccessible due to weeds, needs mowing
- Hikers are harassed by ATV riders, told to stay off state park land.
This one had a rather complicated car shuttle, as I tried to meet those doing the entire day at the end point, Union Square in Phillipsburg, and those doing just the morning part at Van Nest-Hoff-Van Natta Farmstead. It almost didn’t work out because not many want to meet at the end point, but we were alright.
My plan was to hike the morning, hang out at the festival, then do the second half in the afternoon.
Ragged Ridge
We shuttled up to the start, Ragged Ridge after meeting the second group at the farmstead.
We parked at the state parking area where we’d had our kiosk destroyed by one of the neighbors. In this area, we had one of the neighbors, named Susan, report that she had been surrounded by ATV riders and told to stay off of the property. At work, I worked with two co workers to install a gate and put up a new information kiosk. We found the kiosk destroyed shortly after, and our gate and park signs smeared with human feces.
Knocked over gate
There are just not enough employees at the state to maintain new infrastructure, and so we removed the gate and it has never been put back up, which is exactly what the locals want.
Feces on the signs
It’s really only a few land owners that are causing these problems, because there aren’t even that many people who live on that side of Ridge Road adjacent to the state land. They are sick individuals though, as it takes someone pretty sick to stay playing in their own feces to make a mess. When I found it, the toilet paper was still all strewn about around it. They even went to the trouble to smear it all over the chain for the gate so anyone trying to open it would have to touch it. It’s been quite malicious.
The start of the hike this time would be a little loop up where we plan to have Warren Highlands Trail go, and then back down one of the woods roads. We headed past shit-gate (as we affectionately call it) and across a small stream, a tributary to Lopatcong Creek. We continued straight to a prominent woods road intersection and the main highway for the ATV use. We went straight here, and a woods road ascends rather steeply up Ragged Ridge.
View from Ragged Ridge
We weaved to the left on the first switch back, and before reaching the top on that, we turned right on another woods road that is less prominent. It was probably an old logging road back in the day. this road comes to an abrupt end before reaching the top.
Ragged Ridge view
When the road ended, we continued up skirting the state boundary. This took us to the crest of the ridge. I was thinking to go further out on it to explore, because Phillipsburg Riverview Association owns land up there, but I wanted to save some time. We continued along the crest of the ridge to the rock outcroppings with the great view to the north. We could see Delaware Water Gap, Wind Gap, the Martins Creek PP&L Plant, and lots of farm lands. It’s really an outstanding location I cannot wait to open up the trail to.
Ragged Ridge and Del Water Gap
At the crest, I realized we had lost Ken! He had continued on the woods road ahead, and so I tried to direct him back to us. He missed the overlook, but got a good look at the property that we didn’t!
We continued on the woods road from here back down gradually, and weaved to the right. I accidentally made a wrong turn on a woods road a bit too early, but fortunately caught it before we went too far on it.
We returned to the ATV highway and descended back across the creek, then headed out to Ridge Road. From here, we turned briefly right on the road, then left into a farm lane.
Spring house
This land is also all state park lands. There used to be an old farm house just up the hill, and the only structure remaining from the site is the old stone spring house, to the right of the farm road that is part of the Warren Highlands Trail.
We turned left after the spring house, and skirted the south side of a field. When we reached the tree line that separates two fields, we turned right, heading up hill a bit more with a bit of a view of Ragged Ridge, where we had just been, to the south of us.
Warren Highlands route with Ragged Ridge behind
We continued on the edge of the tree line to the top of this hill, then headed to the corner of the fields. At this point, we turned left through the tree line on an ATV path, and then made a hard right shortly into the next field to emerge on another wooded ATV path that skirts these fields on the north side. We turned right here, only for a short distance, and then left onto another woods road that heads on a rather steep grade to the northwest.
In Winter, early Spring, and late Fall, there is a good view from the woods road to the north.
Ragged Ridge beyond the fields
We continued down hill until the woods road terminated at another state parks owned field to the south side of Rt 519. We turned left to skirt the field’s south side to the end, then turned right to skirt the west side out to Rt 519.
From this point, a three tenths of a mile long road walk along Route 519 is necessary to get to the fields at the Van Nest-Hoff-Van Natta Farmstead where Warren County Land Presevation Day was taking place.
We skirted one section of field just before getting to the site, which is also state park owned.
Future trail route along fields
I had done Land Preservation Day events in the past with the county, and hosted hikes that either passed through or began at them. I was glad with my screwy work schedule that I’d still be able to attend and do something.
I chatted with several people, but this time I really didn’t have a presentation ready. The way I’d been feeling I really couldn’t stay caught up on anything (I’m three months behind on these journal entries, for example). I did have my new lap top, thanks to James, ready to go to show a collection of my “then and now” photos I’d been presenting for Metrotrails on it. I got a table in the back corner and started just going over some of the things randomly.
Snake charmer
I didn’t have really any order to any of them, just a bunch of old photos compared with new ones that had been taken on my various hikes throughout the mid Atlantic. People tend to find these things pretty interesting, and quite a few were gathering around at the height of it, but it wasn’t any kind of big deal. I’d like to get such presentations together for future meetings and other presentations for organizations in the future.
When no one else was around (probably because there was some pretty blonde girl with snakes and other animals doing a show behind me), I went and made more rounds saying hi to people I knew.
The tent at Land Preservation Day
Serious Sean joined the group at the fest, and showed up in the black suit I had given him on one of the hikes many months ago. My work schedule had also messed up much of his ability to attend because as a post worker, he is obligated to work on Saturdays, and now many of my hikes were Saturdays. This one was a Sunday, so it was good to have him back out with us again. He even brought his fine looking acoustic guitar for some singalongs. James and John also joined us at the farmstead and got to look around.
The site has been one of my favorites for historic sites in Warren County, and I had the honor of serving on the county’s Municipal and Charitable Conservancy Trust that awarded money for the preservation of the site as well.
The farmstead before work started to improve it
The site consists of probably the most complete farmstead collection of buildings of the time anywhere in Warren County.
- The c. 1824 bank barn, comprised of a frame, six-bay upper level, accessed by an earthen ramp on the north side and a stone lower level or stable facing south, is an outstanding example of the largest of its type as well as of traditional mortise and tenon construction.
- The stone house, which comprises a double-pile, one and a half story main block constructed in the late 18th centiry, perhaps somewhat earlier, and a two-bay east extension dating c. 1810, is a notable example of traditional masonry construction and the region’s early domestic architecture.
- The early 19th century out kitchen is a rare two-story example of its type and, remarkable, retains a cooking fireplace with intact bake oven.
Five other frame outbuildings on the property of late 19/early 20th century date – three wagon houses with gable entries and flanking corncribs, a smoke house and a privy. The farmstead exemplifies the region’s largest farmsteads, properties that clearly express the success of their owners.
Historic photo of the farmstead before abandonment
The original tract of 768 acres was likely settled by John Van Nest around 1763, and subsequently owned by brothers John and Abel Hoff during the early 19th century, followed by William M. Vannatta, who in 1856 acquired the southern half of what was by then a 590-acre tract contain the farmstead, by the right of John Hoff’s will. Vannatta moved to the Italianate-style new house overlooking the farmstead sometime in the 1860s, after which the farmstead was rented to a succession of tenant farmers. These tenant farmers included Jacob Fry, Reeder, Shorty Featherman. This practice was continued by his descendants who owned the property until 1960. In 1960 a contract of sale was entered for 289.35 acres with Carl Hartung and his wife Stella Hartung. In 1976 the property was conveyed to Round Valley, Inc., and in 1977 it was conveyed to William and Phyllis McGlynn. They conveyed the 7 acre farmstead parcel to the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
My leg was driving me nuts while I was at the festival. The bandage I’d put on was falling off constantly, and someone fortunately had some duct tape to help keep it on.
View on Warren Highlands Trail route
I could tell it was going to be rather painful to get through the rest of the hike, but I pushed on.
We followed the edge of the fields out of the farmstead, and then cut through to the buried water line connecting to Merrill Creek Resevoir. We had to go up hill on this, but I would ultimately like to cut some more new trail in the woods parallel with it. I already have some of the trail in place from the line up to the parking area off of Ridge Road further up, but I haven’t blazed it yet. That will be one of the projects for Summer into fall for the trail this year.
View from the knoll south of Ridge Road.
I had a little difficulty finding where the trail went back into the woods from the pipe line, because I had never walked the thing up hill after I built it on a hike. I’d only gone up and down on that section while I was making it.
Eventually I found it and we were on our way up to the parking area, which is now all grown over with high grass. At least the kiosk up in that area has not been destroyed. Beyond there, the trail turns right on Ridge Road briefly, then turns left onto the access road heading south toward Merrill Creek.
Old farm
I showed everyone the knoll to the south of Ridge Road, where we could see out toward Marble Hill and to the north to the Kittatinny Ridge and Delaware Water Gap. Most of this hike was the same as Lyz’s first hike with me, so it was probably pretty cool for her to see some of the stuff again. When she walked it with me I didn’t have any blazes in place beyond Marble Hill where the Lopatcong Connector Trail is now. It’s now blazed (save for aforementioned vandalism) all the way to this point from the start in Phillipsburg.
Bridge over a branch of Lopatcong Creek
The trail continues along the pipe line route, down through a little dip where a tiny tributary crosses, then reaches a field section where it leaves the pipe line. The post I had put in the ground here with Mike Merunka a couple of years ago is now gone. We turned right, then left into a wooded section on a farm road where it leads us past an old abandoned stone barn frame and silo. There used to be a house in this area at one time as well, but I’m not totally sure it’s exact location. The trail then continues on the farm road south to Harmony-Brass Castle Road where it crosses to Merrill Creek lands.
Warren Highlands Trail on Merrill Creek land
We crossed the road, turned right at the galvanized guard rail and followed the line down hill. Merrill Creek now keeps much of this mowed, which is a big help.
When we reached the creek, the trail cuts into the woods to the right, where I put in a small foot bridge with Matthew Trimmer over a year before. To build the bridge, I used dismantled wood from Spruce Run Recreation Area’s old life guard stands that were being trashed. I took the wood that wasn’t rotted and re-assembled it on site, and Matt provided the tools.
Delaware Water Gap from the trail
The trail came out on the paved access road near an access point for the pipeline, and we regrouped for those still traying to make their way up the steep hill.
From there, we ascended to where the blazes briefly end. We need more signage on the Merrill Creek lands before we can put the blazes along their existing route.
Overlook chair
We headed up a side path, stepped over the guard rail at some wooden steps, then made our way up to the Merrill Creek perimeter trail by way of an informal connecting path below the secondary dam, south of the hawk watch area. We turned right on the perimeter trail and remained on it to the parking lot off of Fox Farm Road. Here, we turned right and followed the road the short distance to the intersection with Wester/Decker Road, and cut into the tract of state park land there. I don’t recall if our friendly neighbor, Bill Cortese was there to say hi to us this time or not.
This was the site where the new leasing farmer removed the gate and trail marker posts in the fields. Previous issues with the hawk watch shanty guy have been resolved and permits are in place for the use of the building for bird banding purposes.
Warren Highlands Trail in Shandor Tract
At the superb overlook of the Delaware Water Gap to the north, the chair I put in is still in place though getting a bit overgrown. The bench is actually the seat from the life guard bench at Spruce Run, which I simply took a saws all too and unloaded onto the site when I came up to do tree work the one and only day such ever happened.
We continued on the trail from here into the Bob Shandor tract, and noted that the late Mr. Shandor’s chair at the crest of the mountain is now missing.
We turned right on another woods road, switched back to the left, and came out near Harkers Hollow Golf Course, which had been for sale for a while at this point.
Painted out blazes
The trail turns left as a foot path before reaching the course itself, and we headed down to the edge of the course where the encroachments are, and I noted that since my last visit, the blaze on the Ailanthus tree had been painted out black. Similarly, the one on the back of the sign below had the same. I waited for everyone to catch up and we exited the property onto Fairway Road to turn right. We paused on the road for only a few moments and the guy across the street started yelling at us again. Usually he says nothing when I’m seen there, but this time his wife was getting into it too.
Painted out blazes
“Don’t hang out here” I was hearing from here. As soon as I heard someone say it’s “private property”, it was all over and I was going to have this conversation.
The guy said “That’s our private hunting club”.
“No it’s not. That’s fully public state park land” I responded.
“We have a lease on it” or something to that effect he said.
“No you don’t, no one leases that, and all of the no trespassing signs up there are illegal” I responded. I told him it was the route of the Warren Highlands Trail and that the land was purchased as part of a greater greenway. He made another excuse that they were “working something out” with the state. I dropped the superintendent’s name and said “well let’s call her and ask right now...”. Of course, he had not been working anything out. Jenny, the Superintendent, would have told me right away if there was a lease on the trail I was working on. He was grasping for straws at this point, and said “well my sister works for the state”, because apparently he’d forgotten that so do I from the last time I had words with him while at work.
I had him calming down now. He was speaking more calmly, and I told him he couldn’t be painting out blazes, putting up no trespassing signs, and that I’d had everything worked out with the golf course ahead of time for this. Meanwhile, his wife was even more livid. She was screaming, and flipping me off with both middle fingers, then she opened the gate to let her dog out and yelled “attack”. The dog was really no threat and no one was hurt, but the level of aggression we were getting from these idiots was some of the worst yet. He complained that someone had peed behind a tree across the street, and his wife hollered how would you like someone walking through your back yard. Not only was it NOT her back yard, it was on the opposite side of the street from their house! I had to try hard not to freak out on these people. I offered to call the cops right away if they wanted to talk about it.
The rest of the group smartly continued down the hill, and only John K and I stayed back to talk them down. John was really well spoken with them too, and comes across with a sort of “cool buddy” attitude. The guy complained tht we knocked the “no trespassing” sign loose, which he put there and doesn’t belong there anyway, but John put it back up to appease him.
Meanwhile, the guy’s wife was in the house screaming bloody murder out the window, telling him to stop talking to us. I almost started feeling bad for the guy, who would have to deal with this flippant lunatic when we left. She came out again to holler something I tried to ignore, but she left us with “AND WHO HIKES IN A SUIT??? FREAK!!!”. This comedic outburst was the highlight of her incessant trade.
I’m going to have to go to the site and talk to the golf course again, and talk to local police.
When we finally left the guy, I contacted the superintendent who asked me to call park police. I did so, but they said they couldn’t do a report over the phone, and I would have to stay there and wait for an officer to show up. I didn’t have the time to wait 45 minutes for someone because I had to get the group back to Phillipsburg, so I told them I’d attempt to do a report the next day.
The afternoon group at Farmers Fairgrounds
As John and I reached the bottom, with all of the trail blazes along the road painted out, we turned right on 519. It turns out people in the golf course have no love for the guy either, and from across the fence we heard a voice holler out to us “Hey...just so you know, we’re on your side!”. That was a nice little consolation.
Geiger Tract
We turned left on Strykers Road and followed it the short distance to the next section at Farmers Fairgrounds, where the trail turns right along the edge.
This property was a problem because the farmers had planted their crops right up against the field edges which eliminated the trail route. They also plowed down the carsonite posts that marked the trail in many spots. We were still able to follow it around the sides, and at least the tilling work eliminated some of the wet areas from previous trips. We cut through the section of woods and tree line to reach the county owned Geiger Tract which has the same issues.
Sean's duct tape shoes
The trail took us out to Belvidere Road where we turned left. I think it was Alanna Newmark, an old friend from high school saw us and honked on this stretch. Kind of funny because the previous time hiking this we were seen by Art Charlton and Tea Biscuit. Quite a popular road among people I know.
We followed Belvidere Road to the right turn into the Marble Hill state section. The carsonite post where we head up hill had been removed, but fortunately the way was still clear. There is a kiosk that is supposed to be placed on this section, but has not been yet.
Sean's duct tape shoes
When we got up past the houses and through the wooded section to the abandoned piece of old Kelly Lane, Serious Sean acted silly and duct taped his feet to the tops of his shoes to see if he could walk in them that way. That was a good injection of levity after the crazy land owners and their hollering. He managed to finish the hike that way too!
We headed up through the fields with the nice views of the surrounding area, and stopped for a bit at the old spring partway up. I had been told about the spring by Ray Raub, the neighboring farmer who had the state lease, and I’ve been drinking from it ever since.
Marble Hill
We reached the top of the fields and turned left, then right down a brief woods road to the foot path section I had built several years before. It was still follow-able, but could use some cutting back in this area. This took us out on another old woods road section, which led out to the county’s Marble Hill Natural Resource Area. After passing the intersection with the yellow trail and crossing the buried pipeline right of way, we cut to the right through more woods on a foot path I created about three years or more ago.
I was VERY impressed to see it maintained in good order yet again. This was clearly the work of our newest volunteer, David Mashburn, who has personally become a guardian to the property and it’s infrastructure. His work has alleviated a major burden for the county as well as myself.
We reached the intersection with the red dot on yellow blazed connector trail, and turned left to pass over the two deep trenched washouts before the red blazed Lopatcong Connector Trail. These were the older runoff areas from before the new high school was built.
Washed out trail and marker post
Since the area on top of the mountain was cleared for the school, the erosion issues have gotten far worse. The two washes are now usually dry, while the area just below the high school is eroding badly with huge washouts. I’d raised this issue through Board of Recreation in the past, but it didn’t go anywhere until the problems found their way to River Road, a county road below. It came to their attention that the trail was also undermined, and that it could help with the court case. Not only that, I have photos of the site proving the amount of work done there over more than the past decade.
Fulmer Mine
I sent all of my pertinent evidence over to the Warren County Planning Department with hopes that it makes some kind of a difference.
We continued on Warren Highlands Trail to the west, and passed the yellow trail. We checked out the little overlook into Weygadt’s Gap, and then took the orange blazed Iron Mine Trail past the Fulmer Mine works where we had our usual break spot. It was pretty warm in the suit and tie I had worn, but I managed to get by with it.
Lyz didn’t seem to remember all of the places that were on the variation of this hike we did her first time out with us, just barely over five years prior.
From Lyz's first hike with the group!
I realize now in retrospect, that five of the same participants were on this hike that were on it those five years ago, and some of them we barely ever see any more.
We left the mine and descended to Warren Highlands Trail, then back to River Road. We were singing some songs along the way, and there was a weird progression that ended up with us singing Ricky Nelson’s “Travellin’ Man”, another oddity I wouldn’t have thought Sean knew! I wish I could remember what the conversation and music was that led to that!
Of course, we were not going to follow the official trail route from River Road; we were going to go down along the Delaware River and follow it’s edge, then go through the long pipe to North Main area of Phillipsburg.
From there is was a quick walk back toward Union Square and the boat launch where the cars were parked.
Seriously peering out the back
As I recall, after getting cars, we headed into Easton and I think we had dinner at Porters Pub. We had a very nice meal and even though we had the long break in the middle, we did not finish too insanely late.
My infected leg
When we left, Red Sean and I sandwiched James with a big hug, and a man in a car slowed down to yell “What the hell?” out the window at us.
I limped back to my car, and went home considering what I should do regarding the property owner issue, and how to manage this trail at all.
I tried reporting the issues again the next day, but nothing came of it. It just became another point of frustration.
The hike was overall pretty good I thought, despite the fact that someone gave it a one star rating on meetup. Something this complicated is usually a bit messier, but with the trail issues, the event, and the complicated shuttle, it’s surprising things weren’t a bit messier.
The worst mess of it all was that my leg was not healing at the speed it was hoped. It swelled again, and was kind of difficult to deal with. The next morning my socks felt super tight again. I’d struggle to keep bandages on it over the course of the next week, because just like during the hike, they’d keep falling off.
This too, will pass. There’s plenty of good stuff ahead, hopefully more good stuff than there is behind. And that’s a lot of good stuff.
Sweet kitties
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