Hike #506 8/28/10
8/28/10 Newfoundland/Charlottesville Farney Highlands with Evan "Joe Millionaire" Van Rossum, Jack Lowry, Susan Duncan, Christina Manley, Jillane Becker, and Bill Thompson.
Crossing the outlet of a lake on a fallen tree, Four Birds Trail
My next hike would take us on a loop I'd been planning on doing for some time. Starting in Newfoundland NJ, we'd loop and do some old railroad grades, woods roads, active railroad, and the remainder of the Four Birds Trail I had yet to cover.
From Newfoundland, we parked in a commuter lot along Old Rt 23. We headed west out to the current alignment of the road and then crossed at the traffic light. We headed to a mini mall heading north along the southbound side of 23 and stopped at a little convenience store before moving on. We headed then left onto Green Pond Road briefly. Instead of walking directly to the tracks, I saw an old road to the left that seemed to go where we wanted it to. We walked back, and to my surprise it led to a very nice abandoned house with a lot of "no trespassing" signs. We didn't try to get in or anything, just moved on.
Abandoned house
I remembered thinking it reminded me of "Demon's Alley", an abandoned developement that used to exist in the area. We passed the house and came to an overgrown field.
Abandoned house
We entered the woods and descended a bit toward the Pequannock River below. There was a really nice berm to walk on here, with a path on it so someone had to have been using it. I assume this was some kind of old mill race, though we didn't see the remnants of any kind of mill.
A berm along Pequannock river, Newfoundland NJ
We continued along and soon came to the old cemetary along the Pequannock River after the berm ended. I'd visited this site a few times before on hikes, and it's always pretty interesting. We then followed a pathway that was parallel with the active NYS&W railroad tracks heading southeast. Everyone else cut from the path onto the tracks but I tried to keep following it. It got really overgrown and I had to bushwhack back out. We then continued on the active tracks ahead. We went around a bend and passed the junction with the former Wharton and Northern Railroad abandonment, the later alignment from after the construction of the Charlottesburg Reservoir. This time, our route would be trying to follow the original alignment from before the construction of this water body. We continued across a small through style girder bridge over the river and ahead parallel with the reservoir which was behind a big concrete wall.
On the other side of the reservoir, we crossed a grade crossing and then entered some woods followed by a giant trestle crossing of the Pequannock River, deck style girder. This one was much higher than any of the others and would certainly have been bad news if a train were to come.
Bill on the old NYS&W Railroad trestle over the Pequannock River at Charlottesburg
Along original alignment of the Wharton and Northern Railroad, Charlottesburg NJ
Just on the other side we turned right onto the original alignment of the Wharton and Northern line. This took us into some woods with the Pequannock River far below to the right.
The old railroad grade soon became sort of obliterated by the main dam of the reservoir. We had to turn slightly to the left onto a woods road around the perimeter of the reservoir. The old railroad passed through what was now under water, though it seemed like that was far below us.
I was a little concerned going through this section because it was so close to the reservoir, and I wasn't sure we should be there, but we kept going. Jack was playing some songs, and for the first time since the fire I tried to sing a bit. I couldn't do a whole lot, but I could hold a note. I remember doing "Across the Universe" and trying to do the high Paul McCartney harmonies that were never included on released versions, and if I could do those I felt like my voice might return.
At the south end of Charlottesburg Reservoir, we turned left away from the woods road along the lake heading toward Split Rock Reservoir, a Jersey City water authority land (Charlottesburg was Newark/Pequannock Watershed). This woods road led to Misty Pond, or Mystic Pond...I've heard it called both. I'd originally thought this pond was a natural water body, but there was an old stone dam on it. I'd crossed it once before on a hike in the area around Split Rock.
Misty Pond
We took a nice little break at this pretty spot before moving on. The old dam ahead had been purged in the middle, but beavers active in the area had re-dammed the purged site and the pond was refilled. We crossed the dam and then followed the shore of the pond a bit on the other side.
Old dam site on Misty Pond, now with a beaver dam.
We soon came to the Split Rock Loop Trail and turned right. We weren't on it for long before we came to the Four Birds Trail. The trail had four bird emblems on some of the plastic blazes I don't remember seeing on our previous trips along it. We turned right following the Four Birds Trail north.
Four Birds is certainly not an easy trail, nor does it take any direct route. It took us down hill and it must have gone south and then north again because it seemed far. We must have also crossed part of Timberbrook Road but I don't remember it. We ended up descending to near the shore of a large swampy lake and headed north along it's shore. There was at one point a vehicle access, and then we actually passed one parked there on the trail. We just went around it and continued. The trail then went along the north end and I think there was an old dam there. We crossed over the outlet on a large fallen tree.
On the other side the trail split in two. To the left was the main route, but to the right it read "high water route". We kept with the main route to the left. Soon, I spotted a black bear on a hillside straight ahead. In front of us was the old Wharton and Northern Railroad grade and the bear was sitting above it. I got a crummy picture of him before we kept moving.
Black Bear along the Four Birds Trail above the railroad bed
Once we got to the rail bed, Bill had to cut out due to prior obligations. I instructed him to follow the railroad bed back to the active tracks and then turn left to get back. I don't think he had much problem, and when he called Joe Millionaire directed him I think.
We followed the Four Birds Trail up hill from the rail bed, and it was much less used in this area. We ascended rather steeply for a bit, and then came to the top of Copperas Mountain. When we reached the top the trail turned right on an old woods road along the top. We continued on and we soon were afforded a great view to the northeast toward Charlottesburg Reservoir.
View from the Four Birds Trail on Copperas Mountain
We then continued on the trail and woods road together until we came to a giant clearing where people had obviously been camping and partying with an outstanding view over Charlottesburg Reservoir. We took a good break here.
Charlottesburg Reservoir from the top of Copperas Mountain
Once we were done with our break we continued as the trail stayed on the woods road for a little bit. It turned off of it to the left on an obscured path. We then descended. Jillane was meeting us at the bottom, on Green Pond Road/Rt 513 and I was anxious to meet up with her so I hurried down faster than everyone else. There was ATV damage on this section soon, and it made it a bit easier to follow. The trail followed a wall and then headed sort of parallel with the road shortly before coming out to it. Jillane had found a nice place to wait for us there. I sat with her, and she had bought me a sandwich from the Sub Shack in Hackettstown, which was great. We ended up having to wait a while for the others to show up.
Once we were all together, we crossed 513 and entered the woods. This was just a bit northeast of the Craigmuir Recreation area that Morris County had purchased in the previous years. We could hear music coming from the facility, part of some event going on. The trail took us through some beautiful woods along a creek, and then ascended a bit to a power line. A path following the power line to the left must have led down to Craigmuir or another access point because we saw a guy jogging down it away from us. This was the only time we saw any other trail users all day. We ascended on the access road to the power line toward the top, and then turned right off of it onto the ridge of Green Pond Mountain. There were a lot of boulders up there on this nice trail section.
View from Four Birds Trail on Green Pond Mountain
The views started opening up through the trees from this ridge. It leveled off and we took a break before moving on. It was pretty pleasant walking from here, and we soon were treated to a fantastic view into the valley below, of Craigmuir, and the talus slope directly below.
View from Green Pond Mountain, Four Birds Trail
It was evident that the trail must have gone far south and then north again to get to this section. Jillane and I also realized that so many times we'd admired this beautiful ridge with exposed rock from Green Pond Road and wanted to get up on it. We had finally made it there together.
View east from Green Pond Mountain
View northeast from Green Pond Mountain
As we walked many of the trails along this entire hike we were seeing a lot of scratches across the rocks that we couldn't explain how they got there. We talked about it on and off all day wondering what they were. They were even on the section as we descended from Green Pond Mountain toward Newfoundland.
The trail spat us out along a driveway access just off of Rt 23 in Newfoundland. It was an extremely obscure trailhead, and unless you knew how to get to it we'd never have found it on this end. Even the point to find it along Rt 513 was difficult, as Jillane had to drive back and forth looking for it. A kiosk barely visible from the road gave it away.
We turned right onto the drive, and then started following the tracks to the right. Soon, a path led off of the tracks to the left, and there was a few businesses including Drago's Pizza, where Jillane and I had enjoyed stopping in the past. This guy running the place was the only one ever there, but he made good pizza. The stop was perfect timing. We were less than a mile from completing the hike, hungry and thirsty. Next to Drago's was a bar and liquor store. Joe Millionaire went and sat at the bar for a few drinks. I got myself something to bring outside.
After our nice break we walked back up along Rt 23 and to the commuter parking to finish the day.
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