Hike #487 5/23/10
The group resting at Edison Bog Preserve
5/23/10 Sparta Mountain Area/Canistear Road to Ogdensburg with Amanda Rosenblatt, Matt Casey, Joe Tag, "Amish Paul" Hassler, Carol and Rob Creamer, Dave "Captain Soup" Campbell, Eric Pace, Chris Herbig, Christina Manley, Jason-Michael "Jamal" Flintosh, Wayne Meiner, Shelly Janes, Chrissi Carney, Alex Chujko, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Russ "Lord Byron" Rapp, Erin Rapp, and Paige Foley.
For this next hike, I wold do something I'd been wanting to do for a couple of years: host a group hike through the Sparta Mountain Day event organized by Mitchell Morrison. I'd ended up on his e mail list through my dealings with New York/New Jersey Trail Conference, the Highlands Trail, and Bob Moss who was the former HT Supervisor.
I frameworked the hike around the event, starting on the HT at Rt 23, then heading to Ryker Lake where the event was taking place. The hike would then end at Shelly's house in Ogdensburg. So many things worked out in our favor for this hike it was amazing.
At Carol's request, I made this hike a "neon themed" hike, and I wore my pink HELBING 13 shirt Carol made me for part of it. Everyone did a pretty good job wearing bright stuff.
It was also this hike that justified that we could still have a great time following Kyle's passing.
After meeting in the morning at shelly's house, we shuttled cars to the parking area on Rt 23 and Canistear Road. We crossed and then paralleled the highway for a bit.
Starting the hike, Highlands Trail where it crosses Rt 23 at Canistear Road
We then crossed over a bridge and turned into the woods heading up hill.
Highlands Trail along Rt 23
We ascended the hill for a while, but just before reaching the top it was too much for Paige. She hadn't been on a hike in quite a while and had been up all night drinking, so was in no shape for a hike, which I suppose I should have known. I gave her my car keys to go to sleep in my car, then called Shelly to see if she could turn back and lead Paige to her house. Shelly dropped some of us off, but wasn't joining the hike till a bit later.
The Highlands Trail ascended gradually with some obscured views of Oak Ridge Resevoir. It was far too foggy on this trip to see much of anything for the first half of the day.
We continued along the trail, which was pretty easy to follow At some point we must have crossed Holland Mountain Road. I can't remember exactly where, but it went across and we descended to a little party spot back in the woods. It was a tough section trying to follow ATV paths down hill for a section. I remember having to regroup when we got to one particular stream crossing. At some point we ended up on Rock Lodge Road. The trail followed the road briefly and then headed along an abandoned road into the woods. Wayne Meiner parked at the Sparta Mountain event and hiked in to meet up with us up there, and we caught up in the woods. Somehow the others behind me failed to follow the teal diamonds and got lost after the woods road section. They started following totally different audobon society diamonds instead and ended up way out in the Edison Bogs Preserve.
We soon came out to Ryker Lake and turned off of the Highlands Trail along the shore to the parking area where we met with Mitch Morrison. There were all sorts of displays everywhere, and all sorts of wonderful green things being promoted. I talked for a while with a couple from Somerset County about some products they were promoting, Bob Moss and some trail conference guys at their set up, and then extensively with another guy about a new trail system going in to the south of where we were. I could see already by the exciting new prospect trail that I'd have another good hike to do through the Sparta Mountain event the next year.
In addition, Mitch gave each of the hikers a neon yellow Sparta Mountain event shirt! How ironic that I make a neon themed day hike and that's the kind of color he was passing out!
The rest of the group did finally catch up to us, and were on time enough to still see some of the displays and talk to people before they were all packed up.
Even better, Mitch invited us all over to his house for a party following the regular event in his beautiful home just a short walk up Edison Road from where we were.
Along Edison Ave heading to Mitch Morrison's house
There was all sorts of food at the Morrison house, all of which tasted absolutely amazing. Mitch had told us that his wife prepared amazing food, but no words could do justice to the incredible tastes we were treated to at their party. We mingled and chatted with many different people, all involved in green nature based interests of all kinds. I talked to Bob Moss some more, the ranger from Somerset, and a few others. I knew for the next year I wanted to do more to help them promote the event. It's not often one gets the opportunity to attend an event with such positive energy, and we all left with satisfied appetites and good feeling. Shelly joined also at the Sparta Mountain event, and so the group grew.
We continued down Edison Road to the entrance to the Edison Bog Preserve at the site of the mines, and northern terminus of Ogden Mine Railroad.
We waited for a little bit and were joined by Chrissi Carney and Alex Chujko. I'd talked to Chrissi on the phone earlier, and she said she had neon clothing. I said "Well, I'm sure you do, but I don't think anyone is really going to beat Carol". I couldn't have been more wrong. Both Chrissi and Alex showed up in the brightest flourescent colors I've ever seen.
We waited for a little bit longer, and then were joined by DJ Ray Cordts, Russ "Lord Byron" Rapp (who finally accepted that as his name because Kyle called him that), and his sister Erin Rapp for her first time out with us. We all headed out along the trail straight ahead into the woods. Along the way Rob took a fall and cut up his leg. Also, Chrissi found a snake and a newt or something!
When we came to a trail that went left, I believe we took it. Another one would wrap around the Edison Bog area and out to the Highlands Trail. We took the other one, as well as a dead end spur trail out to a viewpoint onto the bogs. We took a bit of a break here for a while.
In Edison Bogs preserve
Next, I had to head back and try to find where we steered wrong off the trail that wasn't a dead end. I soon figured it out and we were on our way. We continued along the trail past some old mines, and then onto the rights of way of some old tram ways of some kind that once operated in the area.
The trail led us out to the large quarried area of the Edison Mines.
Edison Mines
We walked through a hole in the fences and hung out here for a while. I climbed down into the thing and a few followed. There were beautiful new flowers growing all along the rocks at the bottom. Alex, Captain Soup, Jamal, and I spent some time climbing around on the rocks of the quarried area which was a lot of fun.
Once we were all tired of this, we continued along the trail briefly to another mine pit that was fenced off. I took everyone off the trail in this area and over to the right of way of the Ogden Mine Railroad again, or at least I think so, which led back out to Edison Road. I hadn't followed this particular section, but I think it led to the tramway system or whatever it was.
Once we were on Edison Road, we folloed it down hill. There were signs saying that the road was closed ahead, and I figured this was perfect because it would be like using a trail. It couldn't have been at a better time for us that road work needed to be done. There was only one house on the left a short distance down that used this section of road. Just ahead it was blocked off seriously. There was a washout, or a pipe being replaced or something in the road where it crossed over a finger of the lake there. On the left of us was a large swimming beach area and some docks. We of course had to make use of this so a bunch of us ran and jumped in without having to worry about anyone driving the road. DJ Ray, Matt, Herbig, Alex, Lord Byron, and I all jumped in I think. We swam across the lake and ran out onto a dock to jump in off of. It was pretty cold getting back out though.
We continued down the road from the lake. Just up ahead were giant pipes laid down alongside the road I guess to be used for the repairs they were working on. We of course had to take the opportunity to climb through them like little kids.
Giant pipes...how can you pass them up?
We continued down the road, and it made a sweeping turn that gave us a bit of a view to the west as the sun went down. I remember being able to see the Kittatinny Ridge and High Point Monument from up there. We continued to descend and crossed over the NYS&W Railroad tracks, then came to a tons of signs set up to keep people out of the area. Judging by the wording they were quite serious, but of course the way we went in didn't have such signs in place.
Ogdensburg NJ...where nothing is allowed.
We descended a bit more onto the open part of the road through the residential area into Ogdensburg. We then crossed over the main street and followed Passaic Avenue out to Shelly's house on a side street. Paige had apparently fallen asleep in Shely's son, Danny's bed, and was discovered during the day by her daughter Dana, to her great surprise. I would've loved to have seen that reaction.
We all hung out for a little bit to put a close to a fantastic day.
Hiking in Ogdensburg NJ
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