7/1/17 Phillipsburg to Bethlehem with Kralc Leahcim (Lerch), Rob Gearhardt, Jennifer Berndt,
This next hike would be the seventeenth in the 911 National Memorial Trail series, and would focus mostly on the historic route of the Lehigh Canal, which makes up most of the D&L Trail on which the 911 route is superimposed.
Historic map of Easton and Phillipsburg
The route is a really great one, and it went overall good until we got to maybe the last quarter of it. It is in fact such a great route that it’s one of the one’s I’ve run more often than most any other hike next to my anniversary hike. Those who know me well know that I rarely repeat the same hike.
Historic view of Easton including the original Northampton Street covered bridge
Officially, the 911 Trail route comes form the north down along the trail following the former Easton and Northern Railroad to Upper Hackett Park, where it deviates a bit, then takes on the Central Railroad of NJ grade to the boat launch near Rt 33 overpass west of Easton, then it follows the D&L Trail out to Bethlehem.
Historic image of Central Railroad of NJ train crossing the Delaware.
It was very important for the trail to reach Bethlehem Steel, however I hated the fact that it skipped Easton entirely. It only skirted the north section, which skipped their arts trail, an overlook, and much more. Among the most important things skipped were the National Canal Museum and the Easton Circle.
Historic view of the former Central Railraod of New Jersey and Lehigh Valley Railroad bridges
Easton and Phillipsburg are some of the greatest transportation history cities. Phillipsburg has been noted for location of the future Transportation Heritage Center for years, and the National Canal Museum has been in Easton since the eighties I believe. I’m also pretty sure Easton is the only place one can take an authentic mule drawn canal boat ride. I considered this to be a major factor.
The other major factor is the fact that the Declaration of Independence, after being ratified, was first read aloud only a few places on July 8th, 1776. Easton was one of them (others were Philadelphia, Trenton, and Gen. Washington had it read aloud to his troops in NY City).
Then and Now looking up the Lehigh. The canal can be seen to the left.
We met at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem and carpooled from there to Phillipsburg where we parked at the boat launch area near Union Square. It would turn out to be the last time we’d do this; the lot was shut down and had just been repaved. I didn’t know what was going on, but I found out later that this will now be a toll area, and it was a couple dollars an hour or ten dollars for the entire day. We’ll now have to park elsewhere for the night hikes and such in Phillipsburg, because we’ll end up having problems. This time, we all parked along the edge and hoped for the best. We fortunately had no problem.
Then and now photos of the Lehigh River up stream. The outlet lock fo the Lehigh Canal can be seen to the left in the historic photo.
We started walking across the 114 year old Northampton Street Bridge, built after the Pumpkin Flood of 1903 washed away it’s predecessor. This was the site of the second ever bridge built to cross the Delaware.
Once on the other side, we continued on Northampton Street to the Easton Circle. I wanted to once again give a dissertation about the Declaration, and recite the first two paragraphs which I remember by heart.
At the circle, there was a crazy street fair thing with vendors everywhere, which I wasn’t expecting. I can’t remember if anyone bought anything, but had I known I would have planned to spend a bit more time there possibly. One of the girls from Spruce Run recognized me and said hello right after the Declaration thing, then we moved on to the west and stopped at a mini mart and tobacco store to get refreshments, as this would be the last time we’d really be to a place any food or drink could be bought to the end.
On the towpath
We crossed the Lehigh River on the Rt 611 bridge, then turned to the left. It’s necessary to do this to pick up the D&L Trail, which at first follows the historic Lehigh Canal towpath.
Because the previous 911 hike covered some of the same ground, I tried to make each something different. On the previous one, we took a side trip to Weyerbacher Brewery, and we remained on the Jersey Central railroad grade to the junction, and we made that hike a loop to cover both designated route as well as what I thought it should do with the historic sites. This time, since most of the route is on the Lehigh Canal, I decided to make the hike more Lehigh Canal conscious.
Historic image of the CNJ bridge crossing in Easton
The canal actually began just a short distance from where we got onto it. It was known as the Lehigh Coal and Navigation System because it wasn’t actually a single canal the entire way; it was a series of locks and dams, where the Lehigh was “canalized” with pools serving as the navigation route behind them. The trail follows the towpath route under Rt 611 and out toward Hugh Moore Park where the canal is well restored and maintained.
Historic Lehigh Canal image in Easton
The section is very nice, and provides great views of the Lehigh River, the bridges, and some of the city on the north side of it. It’s pretty much an unbroken trail all the way to Bethlehem.
Lehigh Canal towpath in Easton today
The Lehigh Coal and Navigation System started in 1818 under Josiah White, Erskin Hazard, and J. Hauto. The realization of the Pennsylvania coal and it’s marketability necessitated the development of a means to carry it. At first, a series of “Bear Trap Locks” were created.
Historic image of a boat exiting Delaware Canal, entering Lehigh River/Canal
This entailed a sort of dam with a lock that could be opened, and the boats would ride a deluge of water down. Clumsy downstream only navigation was not enough, and so the proper lock and towpath canal was constructed. The Lower Division, between Easton and Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe) was completed in 1829.
Historic image of the Easton and Northern Bridge ascending over Lehigh Canal
The Upper Grand Division, which continued through crazy terrain in Lehigh Gorge (the subject of the previous hike) was completed in 1835-36. The canal extended then from Easton all the way to Port Jenkins above White Haven, and a couple of Bear Trap Locks remained north of there.
Lock
The Upper Division was decimated by flooding twice. The second was in 1862, after which they decided not to rebuilt. Instead, the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad was constructed in it’s place. It also extended to Easton. The railroad proved soon to be far more efficient than the canals which continually had to be dredged, and floze over in the Winter. Amazingly, the Lehigh Canal managed to hang on until about 1934, and it reportedly still was used to move some freight around as recently as 1942.
Old canal lock laying on the ground
The first lock on the canal we came to is simply known as the Outlet Lock. This was where the canal boats pulled out of the canalized river above the dam, which was originally Dam #9, into it’s own reach. The lock is more modern than the others on the canal. This is because it’s actually a 1910 improvement, which was further improved upon in 1977. The original outlet lock was Lock #49. It and Lock #48 were both buried by the fill for the Lehigh Valley Railroad when it came through, and the new outlet lock was constructed. To the right of the outlet lock are the masonry ruins of the toll collector’s house.
Old toll house
There’s even sort of a vault remaining to the thing. It’s in very poor shape though. Over head, the former Easton and Northern Railroad, which was part of the Lehigh Valley Railroad system, is overhead on a deck truss bridge. It’s one of the freakiest bridges I’e ever crossed from past hikes.
We took a little break at this site as I tried to tell everyone a little of this history. The section of the Lehigh Canal ahead of Lock #47, which is just past the outlet lock, is well restored and maintained, and looks just about the way it did at the time of operation, with miter gate lock in place. This was reportedly once a twin lock, but one lock was filled in.
Lehigh Canal Lock #47
The outlet lock at last time of operation had a lift of 13.8 feet. The original lock #49/Outlet lock was 5.7 feet and lock 48 was 8.1 feet. The existing lock 47 is not really operational any longer because only one set of door locks still exists, but it had a lift of 8.6 feet.
This was formerly the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad that originally was built and financed by the Lehigh Canal between White Haven and Mauch Chunk, Penn. in the mid 1860s after the canal north of Mauch Chunk to White Haven was wiped out from a flood in 1862. The line was then built southward to Easton and subsequently leased by the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The caption says this was taken near Island Park by Easton. In 1972, the CNJ pulled out of Pennsylvania, terminating their operations in the state and gave their trackage over to the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The CNJ mainline between Easton and Bethlehem was abandoned because of this; the Lehigh Valley Railroad already had their line to the Bethlehem area so the CNJ route was simply redundant and obsolete. Today the right of way is part of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. - Shane Blische
We continued along the towpath heading to the west. I had taken my shoes off when we were at the mini mart in Easton, which slows me down a bit, but I can still move along pretty well barefoot. A paved path followed the towpath a bit, then went to the woods to the right while the towpath remained natural surface, which let itself better to the authenticity.
Historic view of Lehigh Canal and Glendon ironworks
Between the paved path below us and the actual canal towpath was the ruins of the Glendon Ironworks.
Historic image of Easton showing Glendon area with ironworks
There are several masonry ruins through the weeds to the right of the towpath, some of which are still substantial enough that they still have overhead shelter and provide inclement weather homes to the downtrodden of Easton.
Historic view of Glendon with Lehigh Canal and Dam 8
To the left of the canal, the former Lehigh Valley Railroad is on a shelf above, and there are giant concrete coal chutes where ore could be loaded to railroad cars from above.
Historic image of Glendon ironworks area
We didn’t go into the old ironworks this time, just because I wanted to try to save some time. With all swimming opportunities and such, I didn’t want to make it an all nighter.
Historic view of Chain Dam, aka Dam #8 and Lock #8
The Glendon Ironworks was the second Anthracite powered furnace location in the Lehigh Valley. It began operation in 1842, and saw various improvements over the the years. By mid 1800s, the furnace stack was eighty feet tall.
Historic view of Glendon Ironworks
Like most industries, business began to decline. No one needed pig iron any more. More and more ironworks were forging items on site, and so Glendon fell behind in the times.
Historic Glendon view
The ironworks ceased operations in 1896, and demolition of the buildings began just after the turn of the century. Most of the ironworks was demolished by 1914.
Historic view of Chain Dam/Dam #8 and Guard Lock #8
We continued on the towpath, and the paved pathway rejoined from the right, then turned away yet again.
Historic Glendon and canal view
This is the route of the D&L Trail, but this time I wanted to remain on the Lehigh Canal a bit longer. We continued to the old Glendon Bridge, which is closed.
Lehigh Canal, Hugh Moore Park
Guillermo and Delotto waited here, as did I think a couple of others. My plan was to walk up the canal a little bit to the site of Guard Lock #8 and Dam #8. I wanted to cover as much of the historic canal as possible, and just cover the out and back here. It also gave some the opportunity for this break.
We walked the old canal ahead, which is still well maintained and looking just as it did a century ago, to the pen where the mules are kept for the Hugh Moore Park canal boat rides. We stopped to see the mules, and two young girls were tending to them.
Zip line!
There were restrooms, so of course everyone had to take a break, and so some of us went over to the playground out behind the museum building.
I was amazed to see they had a pretty respectable little zip line going back there, off of a higher bit of playground equipment, and balanced well enough that it can really jolt someone at good speed. Of course, I had to try it, as did Jen, Lyz, Martyn, and I forget who else.
Once everyone was about together, we moved on ahead toward Chain Dam, originally Dam #8 for the Lehigh Canal. The lock tender’s house is still in place, and the dam has been rebuilt in much more recent years, although there are talks of removing it.
1920s view of Chain Dam and the Canal
We passed by the canal boat where the tourist ride was run. I’d have liked to have done this with the group, but for this one I couldn’t fit it all into the day. The boat was called the Josiah White II, named after the entrepeneur/industrialist that built the canal. There was an original boat called Josiah White when I was little, which was replaced with this one.
1960s view of Guard Lock 8, Lehigh Canal
Soon, we reached the lock tender’s house and Guard Lock #8 and Dam #8. As with other guard locks, this one didn’t have that much of a lift, just about a foot.
Guard Lock #8 now
We walked across the bridge at the top of the guard lock and over to the towpath on the other side. We could easily see the dam from here.
Down in the canal was the remnant of an abandoned boat. I looked more closely and read “Josiah White” on it. It was a rather sad thing to see, because when I first started coming to visit the Lehigh Canal at Hugh Moore Park when I was little, this boat was the one that did the excursion rides. Josiah White II was only just recently built. Now, it sat in the entrance to the lock, rotten and partially sunken, with lots of weeds growing through it.
To the right of us was Chain Dam, which is a rather new construction. The original dam #8 with stone and crib work had washed out.
Mule bridge above Guard Lock 8
Up stream, we could see the pier of where the mule bridge used to cross the Lehigh to the Island Park. When Lehigh Canal was first built, this was not the route however.
Dam #8 is named “Chain Dam” because the original Lehigh Canal used a chain ferry here to carry the mules over to the next bit of the towpath.
Found a mattress
The chain ferry proved too difficult to work and maintain, so a proper towpath was built up along the Lehigh to the north, and the bridge constructed out to the island. Another bridge or causeway then carried the towpath to the opposite side of the river. The Lehigh Canal and towpath then remain on the north/east side of the Lehigh until Penn Haven far up Lehigh Gorge into the Upper Division sections.
We continued above the lock along the still cleared topwath for a ways, until we got to the site of the old swinging cable bridge that spanned the Lehigh for the towpath.
Historic image of the towpath bridge
Only one cable remains in place across the Lehigh at the bridge site today. In the past, I’ve thought about trying to cross on that, but not any more. It’s a huge mess now.
The mule bridge site today
I got my photo I wanted for the above then and now thing, and we turned back. There is no good way of going on ahead and getting back on the towpath any more except the Glendon Bridge ahead. I wanted to stay on the towpath though, so we continued on.
Historic image of the old bridge
On the far side of the bridge was Island Park, a former amusement park in the middle of the Lehigh. Visitors would use the mule bridge to get there starting in 1894, but the main way of getting there was by way of a trolley line, which had a bridge to the island.
Island Park historic image
Prior to the park, it was known as Smith’s Island or Uhler’s Island, and there was a small ice industry at the downstream side, as there was a spring fed pond known as “The Gut” in the island.
Historic Island Park image
Ice jams wrecked the trolley bridge in the 1910s, and when the Lehigh Canal ceased operations mostly by the 1930s, and then the mule bridge was destroyed by the Flood of 1955, the island was only reachable by boat.
View of the mule bridge site
We started heading back to the south, and I picked three kinds of leaves that looked similar to give everyone a lesson. They were Black Walnut, Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus), and Staghorn Sumac. I don’t think anyone in the group knew which ones were bad or good.
Ailanthus, Black Walnut, and Staghorn Sumac
We continued back onto the towpath, and then went to the left when the paved path turned away, so we wouldn’t have to double back on the same thing we had already walked. Just before the turn, the two women tending to the mules were guiding them on the towpath toward us, pulling the Josiah White II. I was glad we got to see this in motion, because it really looks like it did a century ago, except of course there would have been less trees.
The path led us past the parking area and closer to the Lehigh River, where there were a few more ruins around we had a closer look at.
Guillermo and Delotto went ahead; I guess they got tired of waiting for us and followed the trail all the way back to Bethlehem to finish way before us.
Lehigh Canal at Hugh Moore Park
When we got to the old Glendon bridge across the Lehigh, which has been refit with a pedestrian walkway along the left, we crossed. A paved trail then leads up to the former right of way of the Central Railroad of NJ, previously Lehigh and Susquehanna. It’s paved as a trail on from here to Riverview Park.
When we reached the open area of the park, we stopped for some to use the restrooms, then cut across field to the left to another paved path closer to the river.
Trolley line historic view at Chain Dam
This paved trail follows the historic route of the trolley line that served Island Park. It leads on to Chain Dam and a culvert beneath the Jersey Central main line.
The trolley line at Chain Dam today
When the original dam washed away, the replacement was not put in the exact spot as the old one, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where everything was. In the past, we would have seen in addition to the lock house on the other side, the Keystone Ironworks.
Historic view of Chain Dam and Keystone Ironworks
From this point, we continued the hike on the original Lehigh Canal towpath from before the Island Park alignment. We were able to walk up stream following it as a footpath through woods below the grade of the rail trail.
Chain Dam today
The path is pretty nice for a long while, but it becomes more continuously overgrown as we continued. It’s really hard to stay right on that route along the river without getting torn up with weeds. Eventually it becomes a better idea to ascend to the old Jersey Central grade.
Chain dam as seen in a postcard from 1900.
We followed the paved railroad bed to the west for a while, and eventually passed by where the branch line went off to the right, to gradually ascend to the Easton and Northern line, which was what we did on the previous hike in this series.
Causeway for Lehigh Canal towpath from Island Park
The Lehigh Canal topwath once crossed a causeway in it’s later alignment from Island Park in this area. We continued just a short distance further ahead to the parking area for the boat launch, just before the Rt 33 underpass. Here, we turned left across the lot to leave the CNJ grade, and pick up the Lehigh Canal towpath in a nice slack water section along the river.
Lerch and the rope swing
We followed the dirt surface towpath a short bit, which had some lovely rip rap rock still in place along the river. Soon, we came to the first rope swing off into the river. We took a nice break here and cooled off for a while. There was another couple there swimming, who must have been rather shocked to see this group of hoodlums show up.
We continued from here on the towpath a bit, which follows an old river channel for a time to Hope Road, which is the entrance road to the Bethlehem Boating Club property.
Hope Lock, Lock 46
There was a change bridge here where the towpath switched sides of the canal. Today, the road goes right through the canal site, where a bridge would have been. It affords us a look into former Lock #46, which was also known as Hope Lock.
Historic image at "Hope Lock"
The original lock tender’s house was on the north side of the canal, but it was removed when the railroad was built, and a replacement lock house was built on the other side of the tracks.
Former Hope Lock house?
I had explored an abandoned house on the north side of the rail underpass on a hike back in 2003, and I wonder if it could have been the lock house.
The site also once had a store as well as a stable for the mules.
Lehigh Canal towpath
From this point, it is one of my favorite sections of the entire Lehigh Canal. The old Central NJ Railroad grade is usually nearby, sometimes above on a masonry retaining wall. The canal sometimes holds some water, but is mostly dry and grown in. The towpath is clear and just wide enough for walkers and cyclists. The entire section, although sandwiched between Easton and Bethlehem PA, has the illusion of deep seclusion from the rest of the world. No buildings can be seen easily, except maybe in the Winter time.
Tender's house ruins at Lock #44
The lovely section continued heading to the east, and things were going alright for a while. After a long stretch of woods, we came to Lock #45, which lifted boats 5.7 feet. At this site are the masonry ruins of the lock tender’s house along the trail. Walls were still better in place the first time I had hiked this section. A window opening in the wall was still there, but had since collapsed. It looks as though the remaining walls will continue to collapse if not stabilized some time soon. The lock itself is obscure because it’s overgrown. During the days of the canal, this area was known as Republic, PA.
Rope swing
We continued further along the towpath from here, which remained nice, and reached another rope swing to take a break. Lerch went off of this one, and I don’t remember if I indulged this time or not. We all did go in at another site just a bit down stream from there, as we were all getting overheated a bit. Jen was having trouble, and so Lerch was able to find an Uber, and they could cut out at where Wilson Avenue and Farmersville Road I think it was came to the other side of the canal with alternate access.
Lehigh Canal towpath
I was getting really annoyed, feeling like people were focusing too much on partying and we couldn’t get to any real hiking.
Still, I tried to enjoy it, and we came to a spot that used to have a rope swing, where a group of young black boys, probably ten to twelve years old were jumping off of the stump, and running back out of the water repeating it over and over. It looked like a blast, so I decided to go and try it. I asked the kid behind me where I should try to land before jumping off. He pointed out, and I headed up to jump off. “How old are you??” the kid asked in a surprised voice. I had to laugh, because I’m probably older than his father, and of course these kids aren’t used to someone with as much grey hair as me throwing himself off of a log into the water.
Contemplative
I found myself contemplating a life of balance. I am able to live a somewhat stable life, and still have fulfilling interludes of craziness without losing a comfortable level of control, but so many just can’t do so as gracefully.
I want to cultivate an environment where we can have an exorbitant level of fun, yet still be serious enough to appreciate the challenge of these long distance jaunts.
Now, other hikers were getting upset, and I was frustrated because I’d lost my camera while trying to look out for others. To make matters worse, it started to downpour.
Every time I am feeling in a very low place, all of the negativity of the past six month came flushing back through me. I was walking back in the direction I’d come from, alone, looking for my missing camera and fully intent on just doubling my distance and walking back to Phillipsburg. I didn’t want to deal with anyone or any thing. In every aspect of my life, even when I am making every move I feel to be right, there has been some person or some consequence there to cut me down.
Historic canal image at Freemansburg
Usually, the hikes are my only escape; at this point on this hike I didn’t even feel like I had that. I was dreading the thought of going home, dreading the thought of going to work, and dreading the thought of returning to the group. The pouring rain just intensified my feeling of despair.
Lerch had handed off to me three containers of “complicated orange” as well as a flask of some sort of death drink that he claimed I could not possibly handle.
Historic Lehigh Canal image nearing Freemansburg
I got almost all the way back to Hope Lock I believe when I found my camera. It just then stopped raining. With that, I picked up my phone, and had tons of calls from others in the group wondering where I was, and some were heading back to find me. My phone was going to die. My sense of responsibility to the group urged me to turn around. I couldn’t have anyone else in the group backtracking the distance I was planning to go to find me. And so, I turned and headed west toward Freemansburg.
Gessingers Mill and towpath at Lock 44
The sun started coming out, and it turned out to be a really beautiful remainder of the day.
It didn’t seem to take too long before I reached Lock #44 and the tender’s house in Freemansburg.
This is a particularly beautiful restored canal area. To the west of the lock, the canal is still watered and looks quite authentic. The lock has been refurbished and there is a walkway down into it so one can get the perception boaters would have while locking through. The tender’s house is in beautiful shape, well restored.
The Lock lifted boats 8.6 feet. There is also an intact bypass flume parallel with it.
Historic view of Lock #44
The lock site is maintained by the borough of Freemansburg. The town was founded in 1856, and named for Jacob Freeman, who’s grandfather first settled the area in the 1700s.
Aside from the lock tender’s house, the mule barn is also restured. The foundation of the Gessinger’s Grist Mill is also along the left side of the towpath.
The town developed much more when the railroad arrived, which was around the time it was first incorporated.
Just after the lock house, there is an earthen dam over the canal at a spot that was historically known as “Red Bridge”.
Historic image of the Freemansburg lock
I continued along the lovely section of watered canal to the west from here, keeping a pretty good pace. I could see the town buildings all off to the right of me.
Lock 44 today
The lovely section of canal looks so authentic that it was used to represent the Erie Canal in a movie called “The Farmer Takes a Wife”, filmed in 1935 about when the canal was closing.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/pSS38MOSy98
In this area, it was also about the point where the famous Walking Purchase (basically an unfair relay race land grab by colonists against Native Americans) crossed over the Lehigh River, utilizing an area island.
Historic view of Freemansburg Lock #44.
I continued on through town and passed beneath the Freemansburg bridge over the Lehigh. I believe there was originally a covered bridge at that point.
Lock #44 today
The Central Railroad of New Jersey right of way was parallel with me, but it moved away a bit while in the town of Freemansburg. Just after the bridge, it comes closely parallel with the canal again.
Historic view of the Freemansburg Station
The group was calling me again just after the Freemansburg section. Most of the group had made their way to the Sands Casino on the south side. I was rather fast approaching the Minsi Trail Bridge, which would connect me to there rather quickly.
It didn’t take too long before I reached the steps which ascend back and forth to the deck of the bridge. I had first crossed this on the hike I did through the area in 2003, and it still amazes me how much it’s changed in such a relatively short period of time.
Historic view of Freemansburg
I reached the deck of the bridge and looked ahead at Bethlehem Steel and it’s stacks, with the interesting but not really fitting new construction of the Sands Casino through the area.
Lehigh Canal in Freemansburg
Once on the south side, I took a few photos from locations I had taken them in the past for comparison, then headed down to Daly Avenue and turned to the right.
Historic aerial image in Freemansburg area
I had managed to drink all of the stuff Lerch forbade me from drinking with promise of death, so by this point, wandering through the next area and climbing down to the casino I am not totally certain how I managed.
Bethlehem Steel at what is now Sands, as it appeared in 2003
I turned off of the road, and then cut through the decorative shrubbery down to the entrance area to the Sands Casino. There is a lovely little circle there I crossed to enter the mall section.
Sands and Beth Steel remains today
I headed into the main mall corridor, and I think it was Justin told me they were in the food court type of area. I really needed to get something to eat, so this worked out just fine.
Bethlehem Steel in 2004 from Minsi Trail Bridge on my hike
I soon found Justin and Dan chatting at a table, with Red Sean passed out next to them on the same. There was a place there called “Mo Burger”, so I indulged.
Bethlehem Steel today from Minsi Trail Bridge
It was actually a delicious burger. We sat there and talked for a while, and eventually Lerch and Jen found us there. I gave Lerch back his death flask, and he couldn’t believe I’d drank the entire thing.
The crane bridge in 2003
I hung out and ate some fries and started to feel a bit better after a while. I’d gone up and paid for my food with my credit card, and put my wallet back in the side pouch of my pack.
Crane bridge today
When I got out to my car, I could not find my wallet. I thought maybe I had lost it at Mo Burger, so I called them. It was no ton the counter or at the table where I had been eating. It’s likely that it was swiped because it was along the back of my pack.
The circle at The Sands
I didn’t know until the next few days, because I’d called back several times to check if it had been found.
This was just another depressing thing to end the day with. I had so much stuff in that wallet, some of which I had been carrying for nearly twenty years. The wallet was my toast wallet, which was sort of made to look like a folded piece of bread with butter on it, but it had been badly damaged in the fire that took my home and nearly me in August of 2010. In it, I had my driver’s license, credit cards, my priest ID card, my state credit card, and lots of other moments.
My toast wallet
The wallet had great sentimental value because it had saved all of these documents and items after the fire. It made things a lot easier during an already tough time. I couldn’t get gas on my way home, and the unusual amount of cash I had been carrying was gone.
The place was really pretty busy, so it could have gone anywhere, and the chances of ever recovering any of the stuff in it are almost none.
I drove I think Red Sean back to Phillipsburg before heading home.
Really, the hike overall was not bad at all. It was a great route and only the last quarter of it was any problem. I was dreading the next hike in this series, because it would be the same canal in the opposite direction to Bethlehem as our March on Musikfest, but in retrospect I was too over-stressed at the time, because everything regarding the hikes has been going so well (mostly...barring physical difficulty).
Bethlehem Steel at sunset
In a month’s time, I’d feel much better about the ability to pull together huge groups without as big a fear of negativity, and everyone pulled together in their own ways to improve upon the overall experiences for the better.
This hike for some was a hiccup, for some a test, and for others a learning experience; probably all of the above for me. Still, more than three quarters of the day was great, and that’s what is most notable.
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