Hike #530; Port Murray to Mountaintop Road

 Hike #530 12/11/10

Group shot at the base of Point Mountain

12/11/10 Port Murray to Mountaintop Road with Matt Davis, Jason Itell, Teun Ott, Carol and Rob Creamer, Chris Metaxas, Chris "Cupcake" Kroschinski, "The Colenel" Chris Nani, Rich Pace,

 

It was time again for my annual North Hunterdon Backroads Hike; each year I managed to do this hike differently, and this year was no exception. While I put together a route that utilized many of the same places as previous hikes, this time it would be in different order and with a few new places added.

This hike was also the subject of annoyance for me regarding my work. In Hunterdon County Parks, it is required that for a group of over 15 a courtesy permit must be filled out. I complied with this. In addition to my group, my old friend Terry Berntsen of AMC was hosting her own hike through that group on the same day, and I was considering merging the groups for a portion of the way. She had assembled a huge group, and I told her about the courtesy permits. She complied as well.

While driving home from work the night before, I recieved a call from the Parks Department saying I couldn't lead that hike, because there would be hunters in the woods there. I was well aware of this, as well as the fact that hunters are obligated to know where the trails are, and public is urged to wear blaze orange during these times. I told them it was impossible for me to just cancel the hike with people certainly showing up, in addition to the fact that Terry would already have at least thirty more participants (combined, I believe there was a total of about sixty hikers at the main parking lot on that day). Hunterdon did not try to call Terry, and it's a good thing because I'd be willing to bed she'd have given them a piece of her mind. In the end, I was told if I must hike there, only to be in the woods from 11 am until 1 pm. This was of course impossible, but I agreed to appease the secretary who was asked to call me.

This was just further proof of the fact that the administrating body of Hunterdon Parks has more focus on hunting than any other public recreational opportunities, a handicap that could possibly add to the growing list of issues that may spell an end to that department, sadly.

Cemetery in Port Murray NJ

For this hike, we met at my grandfather's house, 104 Mountain Top Road in Lebanon Township, and then shuttled cars to a church in Port Murray, just off of Cherry Tree Bend Road where I'd gotten permission to park.

This was the first week for Jillane and I living in our new home on White Lake in Hardwick Township, so it was a bit more of a commute to come to the place that would have been at the most a fifteen minute or so drive originally.

I decided to go with the ghetto theme for this hike, though I didn't tell anyone else really. I passed out orange shirts to a lot of the group, and though it was hardly a theme hike. I had a pair of Fubu pants I'd gotten on a hike in the Lehigh Valley back in 2002 or something, an orange Pure Playaz shirt that was in a gift bag of clothes, I think from my friend Damien Mohan, a sideways hat, white shoes, and sunglasses with rhinestones set in them that Amanda Rosenblatt had left in my car once. I looked ridicules.

WORD!

We crossed the cemetery and then reached Cherry Tree Bend Road. We only had to walk a short distance before reaching the trailhead that would take us down to the former Morris Canal towpath. We turned right and descended across a little foot bridge, then down and across a puncheon over the former canal prism to gain the towpath.

Morris Canal Towpath just east of Port Murray

The towpath had been nicely cleared and took us along a section that seemed to retain a little water, then to a large former turning lagoon that still had water in it. In the past we were only able to see this from up above at the cemetery, but now we could walk the section. It came out at a driveway and homes, that were now build along the former canal towpath.

Morris Canal Towpath just east of Port Murray

We followed this nice section and crossed Port Murray Road next to the former canal store. I had never walked the section ahead, though it was quite nice, because it was always considered private property and until recently had no trespassing signs on it. I had recently met the owner through my grandfather, and I was also told through the board of rec that there was an understanding that we could walk through.

Morris Canal Towpath in Port Murray

We walked through this section, and it was absolutely fantastic. The towpath was wide and clear, and very nice for walking. When the section ended though, there was a shed built over the site and we had to skirt properties between yards to reach Hoffman Road. The canal beyond was impassable really at this point.

We turned left on Hoffman Road and descended to the post office back across Port Murray Road, and the old railroad station. We crossed the tracks and then followed a dirt road out to behind where the old creamery used to stand.

Behind the old creamery site, Port Murray

Trail in Mansfield Township Memorial Park

It was here we picked up the trail of the Mansfield Township Memorial Park and turned left. The trail took us down hill slightly through woods, and then to a junction with another trail. Come to think of it, I'm not sure if we ever even followed that trail off to the left yet. I may have to go back there to explore further.

We ended up going right up hill at a tree line next to a Warren County easement.

Trail in Mansfield Township Memorial Park

Mansfield Township Memorial Park, Port Murray

We headed to the southeast corner of the park and then headed west again along a line of trees near the Colombia 2 junk yard. There were old cars in the woods parallel with where we were walking. The trail led us to another spot where it turned to reach the parking lot, but we went straight, and climbed onto some huge mounds of dirt.

On the other side, a farm road that had obvious recent heavy equipment on it other than tractors led off to the southwest, to behind the Mansfield police station. I assumed this was the route of a new recreation trail that would connect with the school. We took this to the mowed area and then followed the tree line south toward the parking lot. It was here we were joined by Carol and Rob Creamer, and their dog Bruce.

Together, we descended through the school yard of the Mansfield Elementary School. We made a stop at the parking lot to talk to some hikers that were meating Terry Berntsen later. She was using the school as parking since the Point Mountain lot was certain to be full.

We crossed Rt 57 and then descended along Point Mountain Road across the old truss bridge over the Musconetcong to the main point mountain parking area.

Sorry Paige, someone already claimed this Vanity Plate

Most of the group went with me to do the blue trail loop along the river heading down stream and then back to the main parking area. We also crossed the puncheon that Jillane and I built one day after work along the way. We passed through the woods and came out where the power line used to cross the road to the parking lot.

Some of Terry's hiking group started showing up, and we hung out here for a while. We waited until all of that group showed up, and some of them were even going to join my hike, but they were taking too long to sign their trip waivers, so we just took off. Rich cut off from my group to join Terry's at this point.

The most full I've ever seen the Point Mountain parking lot

Bad Ass Hika Yo

I had never seen so many people at Point Mountain in my life. We all headed along the blue trail beside the Musconetcong up stream. The river was flowing pretty well. We kept on the trail as it became a woods, road then a footpath again.

Along the Musconetcong at Point Mountain

Rosan fields, Point Mountain

We then ascended on the trail up to the Rosan fields, and turned off of the blue blazed trail to the orange, out to the parking area at Penwell. On the way down the driveway access we turned off for a bit to have a look at the old Rosan Barn, this historic old barn that had fallen into ruins under the management of Hunterdon County Parks. Years earlier, my former boss Vance Calvin of Works Date had his son do a scout project to restore some flooring, but that was all wasted.

Old Rosan Barn, Penwell NJ

The place was full of giant beams, and the wall was unique for the area, in that it's stone facade was full of holes for ventilation of the hay. The roof, in the past few years, had gone from having only a small hole to completely collapsing in the middle.

Rosan Barn, Penwell NJ

Rosan Barn, Penwell NJ

Rosan Barn, Penwell NJ

Ventilation holes in the old Rosan Barn

Old Rosan Barn

Rosan Barn

Rosan Barn with ventilation holes.

We left the barn and continued down the gravel driveway, which I continuously have pushed to have repaired by the parks department, but the employees saw fit to use the gravel elsewhere. We turned left on Penwell Road and crossed the Musconetcong. I walked across the parallel gas line bridge to the left, which was similar to the one in Long Valley, only this one was right next to the road bridge.

We turned right on Old Penwell Road, which was cut off to vehicular traffic in the 1990s.

Along Old Penwell Road

We passed the rope swings where I spent so much time during the Summers, and then made our way out to Rt 57. Here, we came to the old lime kiln as we passed along one of the most scenic sections of Rt 57 near the river.

Penwell Lime Kiln

Side of the Penwell Lime Kiln

Major Tom at the Penwell Lime Kiln

Lovely Musconetcong view from Rt 57, Penwell.

We walked along Rt 57 here for a while, then turned right onto Old Turnpike Road across the scenic stone arch bridge. We passed the Baer Farm and then turned right into the parking lot for Point Mountain North. We took the white blazed trail up hill from here, first through successional former pastures parallel with the abandoned lower end of Hermits Lane. We then entered woods through a giant blowdown Keith Monahan and I had cleared at work, and up hill on a former woods road.

Point Mountain North

We turned left from this woods road onto another trail on a secondary woods road to the left, blue blazed I think, with some seasonal views. The trail then took us around a hairpin turn and up hill to a red blazed trail to the left. We followed this to the giant stone wall.

Point Mountain North

The red trail took us back to the white trail where we turned left and began gradually descending back toward Penwell Road.

Descending from the northern section of the Point Mountain Reservation toward Penwell

Brook crossing in Penwell

After reaching Penwell Road, we followed the new connector trail past where the house was torn down earlier in the year, then crossed over the brook on stones to continue on this white blazed trail back to the orange Ridge Trail.

We continued on the Ridge Trail out across the top of Point Mountain, then slightly down to the main overlook. We took a nice break here before moving on.

Viewpoint on Point Mountain

At the overlook on Point Mountain

Wattles fields, Point Mountain South

We then descended from the view point on the yellow blazed trail and crossed Point Mountain Road. We ascended a bit more, then reached the white blazed trail and turned right towards the Wattles Fields. We were quite loud, and certainly annoyed one hunter we could see up in a tree very near to us.

Wattles Fields, Point Mountain South

We emerged in the Wattles Fields and followed the trail route out past the new wetlands restoration project Don Donnelly had started, then reached Mountain Top Road. We followed the road to the left out past the Addicks Orchard, and to my grandfather's house where we finished with a pizza lunch.

End of the hike at my grandfather's house

End of the hike at my grandfather's house