Hike #503; Tobyhanna and Gouldsboro

 Hike #503

8/1/10 Tobyhanna and Gouldsboro with Jillane Becker, Jason Kumpas, Evan "Joe Millionaire" Van Rossum, Joe Tag, "Commando Tom" Petrucci, Amanda Rosenblatt, Amanda Murphy, Carol and Rob Creamer,  ?, and ?.

Resting in Tobyhanna State Park

All of my pictures for this one were lost, but fortunately Amanda, Carol, and Rob all took pictures along the way so it's still been well recorded.

This hike was to be my last before my life was changed forever. I wouldn't get a full night's sleep following this hike for over a week, because it was this night that my house in Port Colden burned. Aside from the the awful events that were to follow this hike, there were also high points. The hike was great, and it was on this one that Commando Tom and I finally shook on it and agreed to create our own non profit agency that was to become Metrotrails.

The hike I had arranged was a great loop to incorperate Tobyhanna and Gouldsboro State Parks, State Game Lands 127, and the next piece we had to do of the former Lackawanna Railroad.

We met at the old Tobyhanna train station and parked in the back. Our hike started walking the tracks south on a route we'd already taken. We were offered a good view of Mill Pond #1 in Tobyhanna. We continued on the tracks until we reached Laurel Drive, then descended onto the road. Google maps says this soon becomes Echo Lake Road. Either way, we stayed on the road until we reached the border of State Game Lands 127 on the left. We bushwhacked through the game lands, which was at times rather rough, out to a power line and turned left.

The group on the power line, State Game Lands 127

Along the power line, State Game Lands 127

Along the power line there were a lot of berries, and so we stopped to eat them continuously. The power line took us basically west and crossed a stream. We then ascended and descended a bit to a second stream, however the path that had been following the power line just disappeared here. We had to continue down through wetlands and then cross the water on whatever we could. Some of the group went into the woods to the right and found a good crossing point.

Eating berries in State Game Lands 127

After crossing the wetland, we reached a junction with another power line and turned right. This section had a very nice path along it and we were able to easily walk it out to Rt 423.

We soon entered Tobyhanna State Park on the right and stopped by the park office, then turned left on a side path leading out toward Tobyhanna Lake. We folllowed a trail getting close to the water, and then out to the beach area where we took a good, long break to swim. The water was great, and the place hardly had anyone around. There were no life guards, just swim at your own risk. This was a great little break, and I think there was even a shower house.

Resting in Tobyhanna State Park

After our break we continued on along the Lakeside Trail to the left. It was a pretty easy trail with a crushed stone surface. Carol and Rob decided to try to walk the roads back to their cars. It went out along the water past the boat launch area which was quite beautiful. When we reached the main dam we could either cross on the dam itslef which had a sort of foot bridge, the road, or on things in the water. Commando Tom and I were bad and crossed the dam thing where we weren't supposed to. We came back upon Carol and Rob next to the dam...they should've stuck with us a bit longer!

I started drinking my Four Loco drinks as well, and shared them with Commando Tom, and we both ended up pretty loopy. Tom was hilarious as he bounded in front of people to consume berries before them. In spite of all the silliness, we had some really good conversations about how we could get a non profit off the ground. The trail was wide and easy and lent itself well to group interaction since it was set up so easy. Tom and I shook on it, and agreed we'd start this non profit and make something of it, both agreeing it was certain to succeed.

We soon turned left onto the Frank Gantz Trail, named for the retired trucker who laid out this and many other trails here and in nearby Lackawanna State Forest. It was a bit more of a rough hiking trail than what we were on, but still not too tough.

We skirted some of Black Bear Swamp and descended on the trail to Tobyhanna Road and crossed. We then descended further and cross the former Lackawanna Railroad tracks. The trail took us soon across a brook and then north past some formerly developed area, I think maybe there were barn ruins or something, and then north across access roads to Gouldsboro Lake in Gouldsboro State Park. It was getting ready to rain, so we all sought refuge next to some restrooms. Commando Tom decided to run and jump into the lake here, which was hilarious because he was stopped by a ranger who told him to stay out of the water. When the rain let up a bit we headed back south for a bit, then took a side trail that followed some of the original access road to Gouldsboro State Park from former Rt 611.

We soon reached old Rt 611, now just a trail, and followed it to the left. This took us sort of parallel with Rt 380, but out of sight and sound from it. The road paralleled some beautiful wetlands before it sort of dead ended at the former Lackawanna Railroad. We then followed the tracks back out to Tobyhanna, stopping along the way to check out an abandoned building that there really wasn't much left to.

Everyone headed out except Joe T, Joe Millionaire, and Amanda went to eat at a nearby bar and grill while Jillane and I admired a tiny park with a little dock on the outlet stream of Mill Pond #1, I think it was Tobyhanna Creek.

Joe Millionaire drove Jillane and I home, and we said we'd see him next week. The next week though, there would not be a hike. I wasn't released from the hospital till Sunday afternoon, and I was in no shape at all to be hiking.