Hike #515 9/25/10
9/25/10 Lower Worthington with Matthew Davis, Evan "Joe Millionaire" Van Rossum, Eric Pace, Irina Vinyarskaya, and her daughter
Group shot on Mt Mohican
This next hike was another keeping with the "ten years later" series. Ten years prior (actually on 9/29/2k) I had done the lower Worthington hike with my brother Tea Biscuit and late friend Ronald Short. This is one of the most difficult hikes I'd ever organized, and I had done it a few times since, but it always ended up finishing late. Due to the closure of Yards Creek Reservoir area, I figured that would cut the high mileage, 22.5 miles, down significantly to less than twenty and make the hike much less difficult.
That may have been so, but it was still difficult, and we somehow finished quite late regardless. Matt said he knew from the beginning that this one would run late, but for some reason I thought it'd be easy. Boy was I wrong this time!
We met in the morning at the A&P in Blairstown. I was surprised we didn't have a larger group on such a beautiful day. Matt always comments that when people know he's coming no one shows up. This is of course not the case and Matt is well loved, and since then we've twice proven that theory wrong.Eric joined for this hike, but he took side trips and different routes, joining us part way, but skipping Copper Mines, and waiting around somewhere for us to close the loop.
This time I'd do the hike differently than in the past, beginning at Mohican Camp Road. I was going to make this an almost-loop by coming out of Yards Creek Scout Camp on old Gaisler Road, but it was heavily posted with promises of virtually everything short of disembowelment for anyone who trespassed. I promptly amended my route to a loop.
Trail head fo Coppermines Trail near Mohican Outdoors Center
We followed the AT very briefly south to the junction with Coppermines Trail and turned right. I was immediately surprised by the amount of trail work done here. The trail was now stone lined, which was good because it's beginning was always obscure due to lack of undergrowth.
Along Coppermines Trail
The leaves as we made our way along the trail were beautiful. We descended through the springs that were the headwaters of the Copper Mines Brook and passed by the waterfalls that were sadly dry.
Bridge over Copper Mines Brook
We continued along the steep shelf above the creek and descended to the bridge over Copper Mines Brook which had been well repaired since my last visit.
Bridge over Copper Mines Brook
Crossing Copper Mines Brook
The trail ascended slightly and began to look like the old mine road that it once was on a steep, high shelf above the creek.
Joe Millionaire and I chatted along the way about how he was once here with me and I took off like a bandit up the hill and he had to try to keep moving. I remembered this well, from a hike on May 22nd of 2005, over five years earlier.
Copper Mines Trail
We soon reached the upper Pahaquarry Copper Mine. It's always interesting to check this one out. We went in and had a look around, took a lot of pictures.
Inside Pahaquarry Copper Mine
Inside the Copper Mine
Inside the Copper Mine
Inside the Copper Mine
Inside the Copper Mine
Inside the Copper Mine
Inside the Copper Mine
Inside the Copper Mine
The outside of Pahaquarry Copper Mine
Outside of the Copper Mine
A sign, what does it say though?
When we came back out, we were greeted by my old friend Alyssa Schuyler whom I hadn't seen in a long time. She brought her dog and was planning to join for the rest of the hike. It was about time she finally made it out, since I had been trying to coax her out since 1998.
We continued to descend along the trail to the junction with the Kaiser Road Trail to the left. From here, I took everyone off trail along a bit of a shelf and past the cinder block bases of what must have been more of the old scout camp, Camp Paquarra that used to be here. Above this site behind a sort of tailings pile was another mine.
Hidden mine at Pahaquarry
This doorway shaped mine was these days much more obscured than it had been in the past. A tree had fallen over the mouth of it, and I wondered if that was done intentionally by park people.
Looking out of the doorway like mine
We went in and had a look around, but this mine was not a very deep one. We were easily able to walk right to the back of it.
Looking out of the mine
Cave crickets!
Inside old mine
We made our way back to the Kaiser Road trail, turning steeply up hill to cut a corner. The ascent on Kaiser Road always seemed steeper once we were on it. I was still having trouble breathing going up it, but I pushed on.
Making our way up Kaiser Road Trail
When Matt and I were almost to the top Lys called me on her cell phone and told me she wasn't going to be able to make it all the way up. She was about to soon have surgery so she definitely gets a break on that one.
View from the top of Kaiser Road toward Lower Yards Creek Reservoir.
When we reached the top of Raccoon Ridge we were afforded a great view south toward Lower Yards Creek Reservoir. We then turned right on the southbound Appalachian Trail. Along the way we got some nice views toward Wallpack Bend, the most dramatic bend on the Delaware River.
Wallpack Bend from Raccoon Ridge
Wallpack Bend from Raccoon Ridge
View from Raccoon Ridge
View into PA from Raccoon Ridge. The old house on Mosier's Knob is visible.
Looking off into Pennsylvania from some of the north facing views, we were able to see Mosier's Knob where we'd walked a few weeks earlier, and even the roof of one of the abandoned farm houses we'd passed!
Splendid view of Wallpack Bend from Raccoon Ridge
On Raccoon Ridge
Raccoon Ridge
Raccoon Ridge
We soon reached the 360 degree views at Mt Mohican, always a fantastic place. There were a lot of bird watchers there on this occasion, and I was talking to them about butterflies and caterpillars. I didn't realize it at the time, but Matt told me later I was freaking them out by being too loud! Also, they probably don't like it when we're loud if they're trying to watch birds.
View from Mt Mohican toward Lower Yards Creek Reservoir
No, I don't know what this is. It was along the AT near Tocks Swamp.
We continued on the AT heading south through Tocks Swamp. Before we reached Sunfish Pond, I hung a right hand turn (after Garvey Springs Trail) on an unmarked side trail now shown on new Kittatinny Trails maps. This trail led to an illegal camp site and a small view from the ridge into the Delaware Valley I did not remember existed. I did a back packing trip in 1997 in the area and accidently ended up on this trail, and this was the first time I had been on it since.
Off trail view near Sunfish Pond
The rest of the group was already down along the shore of Sunfish Pond below. I bushwhacked down and regained the AT to catch up with them. We continued along the shore to the area with the rock piles. As usual, I took a nice swim in the lake. I can't remember who else went in, but in retrospect I probably swam for too long since we ended up so late.
Sunfish Pond
Sunfish Pond
Sunfish Pond
Sunfish Pond
Sunfish Pond rock piles
The group at Sunfish Pond
Sunfish Pond
We continued on our way along the AT which skirted the edge of Sunfish Pond for a while.
Sunfish Pond
AT along Sunfish Pond
Signage at Sunfish Pond, still the same since I was only three years old.
We turned away from the AT at the sign at the south end, and began following Dunnfield Creek Trail up over a knoll.
Along the upper end of Dunnfield Creek Trail
The trail began descending rather steeply into Dunnfield Hollow. The upper end of this hollow is incredibly secluded, and one of my favorite locations in all of Worthington State Forest. We followed the trail downstream along Dunnfield Creek to the junction with the Blue Dot Trail where it became more heavily used.
Dunnfield Creek Trail
Dunnfield Creek Trail
Dunnfield Creek Trail, Worthington State Forest
Dunnfield Creek Trail, Worthington State Forest
Me jumping off the high rock into Dunnfield Creek
I led everyone over to the creek just beyond the junction, to the giant swimming hole I had spent so many Summer days of my entire life. I jumped into the freezing water a few times, and from the highest rock which used to scare me so much when I was younger. Another guy swimming there couldn't get himself to take that jump.
Dunnfiled creek jumping
Dunnfield Creek swimming hole
Dunnfield Creek
Dunnfield Creek jump
Dunnfield Creek
We all moved on along the trail heading down stream. When we got to the lower end of the Dunnfield Creek Natural Area by the parking lot, there had been a new bridge built over the creek. When I was little, there was no bridge over the creek at the first crossing, just a log. Later, a nice wooden bridge was built, but it had been damaged in floods in the mid 2000s. This bridge was a totally new one, which surprised me since the old one really wasn't in that bad shape.
Bridge over Dunnfield Creek. The old bridge abutments are to the left.
We walked across the parking lot at Dunnfield, and I think we used the water pump as well, then made our way to the beginning of the Tammany (Red Dot) Trail and began ascending.
Beginning Tammany Trail
We ascended via Tammany Trail steeply for a while, then came to a little level area with the outstanding view downstream of the Delaware toward Arrow Island.
View toward Arrow Island from Tammany Trail
View along Tammany Trail
We took a break here to admire the view. There were other hikers everywhere at this point, being a popular and accessable trail.
Mt Tammany from the lower end of the Tammany Trail
We continued on our way up following the rock spine that went into woods away from the escarpments, and soon came to where the trail had been rerouted in the late 1990s. As I had done in the past, I led the group up the more interesting climbing section of the former Tammany Trail.
Climbing up the abandoned former route of Tammany Trail
Sun through the trees on Tammany Trail
We continued climbing rather steeply along the boulder strewn section of Tammany Trail, then onto the last ascent to the top. There were some views opening up behind us toward Stroudsburg, but the sun was getting closer to setting so we couldn't see much of it over there.
Steep section on Tammany Trail
Along Tammany Trail
Along Tammany Trail
The view from the top was as amazing as always.
Mt Tammany view
Atop Mt Tammany
Atop Mt Tammany
Atop Mt Tammany
The Delaware making it's way through the water gap from atop Mt Tammany
We probably took a longer break here than we should have as well, because it was getting late. I really didn't realize how late it was until this point. Matt pointed it out to me and I finally got it. Irina and her daughter were going to cut out early a little further back at Dunnfield Creek, but from that point it would have been a gradual up for them instead of all at once, and they'd miss the views. It really didn't make a lot of difference, and Tammany Trail was more worth it, but I felt bad because they were late for prior obligations.
Resting on Mt. Tammany
We had to hurry along I knew. We left the Tammany Trail for the Blue Dot Trail, and took that to the Mt Tammany Fire Road. There was one more view before we left Blue Dot Trail, looking toward Knowlton Township.
View into Knowlton Township from Tammany, Blue Dot Trail
We followed Tammany Fire Road and passed through the helicopter emergency landing spot.
Helispot for emergency copters on Tammany Fire Road
From here it got pretty dark. We turned left from Tammany Fire Road onto Turquoise Trail, a brief left and right on a section of Sunfish Pond Fire Road, and then on Turquoise back to the AT. The sun had gone down completely by the time we were on the AT, and we'd have to navigate it in the dark, though I could see fine either way.
Sun setting
Along Tammany Fire Road as it was getting dark
Sunset
Navigating the trail in the dark
AT after dark, Raccoon Ridge
The moon rose over the trail, and the stars were brilliant. I felt bad for Irina's daughter because she had had plans and they were probably spoiled. I never intended for the hike to finish so late, but Matt reminded me that we just had to focus on getting out, and that really this was a great place to be at a great time. He was right. I really started enjoying that night walk with the stars shining brightly, light enough to see but with a different feeling than hiking it during the day. It was amazing.
We finished late, but the hike overall was really a good one.
The moon over the trail
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