Hike #535 1/9/11
Group shot in Pickel Park, near Whitehouse Station.
1/9/11 Oldwick/Potterstown/Cushetunk/Whitehouse Station with Chris "Cupcake" Kroschinski, Matthew Davis, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Joe Tag, Al MacLennan, Dr. Jenn Redmond, Evan "Joe Millionaire" Van Rossum, Eric Pace, Jason Itell, "Action Adam" Stevens, "DJ Ray" Cordts, Jim "Mr. Buckett" Mathews, and Teun Ott
My next hike would be a point to point trip between Whitehouse Station and Oldwick in Huntedon County. While these two points don't seem all that far apart, the circuitous route we used to connect them gave us about fifteen miles or a bit more.
I met the group in the morning at Pickel Park in Whitehouse Station. This hike ended up working out very well, and the group was fantastic and diverse. It was an all around good day.
We had participants of all ages, some I'd known only a short time, and some for many many years. Some were regulars, and some I hadn't seen in a while.
We shuttled as few cars as we could to Pickel Park, and we spotted Dr. Jenn's car at the Whittemore Sanctuary because she had a dinner to attend, so had to leave early.
Cold Brook Reserve
We started out at the Cold Brook Reserve in Oldwick. From the main parking area we walked acros the fields to the right turn, down over the brook and to more fields. Some of my trail marker posts I'd put in along the route showed the way.
Cold Brook Reserve
We walked along the edges of fields until we came to the woods section and followed the yellow blazed trail (which I painted) around that section. Where the yellow blazes continued through the woods we cut off across the stream to the right and up to more fields.
Cold Brook Reserve
Cold Brook Reserve
We walked back to the east and passed by a small pond that the parks department had had installed somewhat recently through a grant program I think. We then continued on back to where we had turned off to the north, where there was a great view over the farm land, then we headed back to the parking area where we started.
View in Cold Brook Reserve
We turned right onto Rt 523 for a bit and headed into town. We stopped for a bit of food at the Oldwick General Store, a place that never fails to have great food. I got myself some sort of italian style sandwich which was great. I think pretty much everybody got something.
Downtown Oldwick NJ
After a long break, we continued along Rt 523 heading south in town. Everyone had a bit of a laugh because there was a dentist named Dick Johnson. A series of cracks about having your cavity filled by Dick Johnson followed as we continued along 523 south. Soon, near the road entrance to a federal style building on the right, the path started that paralleled the road and then turned into the Whittemore Sanctuary. We followed this, though with the snow on the ground we really couldn't see where the treadway was supposed to be.
In the Whittemore Sanctuary
We entered the woods of the Whittemore Sanctuary and turned right. This time, we followed a route I had not done, a left turn onto Half Back Trail. We followed this out to Rockaway Road and turned left, the right Whittemore Way, the driveway to the visitor's center. We followed this for a bit down the road to where there was a kiosk with more maps as well as a building or visitor's center. We turned left here a bit to continue to the trail system south.
Rockaway Creek in the Whittemore Sanctuary
Whittemore Sanctuary Trails
We continued down hill on the trail and came to the water along the Turtle Trail. We turned right and paralleled the creek on a nice path. This became Rolling River Trail and we began to ascend to above the creek a bit. We turned left from this onto the Around the Rock Trail and soon reached Rockaway Road. From here we turned left on the road.
Rockaway Creek in Whittemore Sanctuary
We followed Rockaway Road for a ways around a corner and soon came to the ruins of Taylor's Mill at the corner of Rockaway Road and Taylor's Mill Road.
Ruins of Taylor's Mill,
This was a really cool spot for me with some memories. When I was little, my grandfather bought me a book called "Forgotten Mills of Readington". This book gave details of all sorts of old mills that had once existed in the township. We spent many Sunday afternoons out hiking around those vicinities looking for the old mill sites and their ruins. We ended up finding most of them, and one of them was Taylor's Mill. It had been quite a while since I had seen it, and it was in far worse shape than when I was little. I believe there was even a garage door on it at one time.
Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
We of course went in and had a look around. I don't know who owns it these days, but it was still looking strong standing there.
Inside Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
In Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
We walked into and around the building, and then made our way to the top of it from the back. Although there wasn't any kind of arced roof left, the flat area that kept the lower level covered was still sturdy. We walked out and looked out at Rockaway Creek and the roads from above.
Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
Behind the old mill, the mill race was clearly visible. I figure this mill must have had what was known as an "Overshot Wheel", where the water would have come in from the top since the mill race was so much higher up than on standard mills which are referred to as "undershot".
We slid down the slope from the mill toward the Rockaway Road side, and there was a nice little dam on the creek there.
Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
Mill race behind Taylor's Mill, Readington NJ
Top of Taylor's Mill
Looking down from the top of Taylor's Mill
View from the top of Taylor's Mill
Dam on the Rockaway Creek near Taylor's Mill
Sliding down behind Taylor's Mill
We left the mill and began walking down Taylor's Mill Road. Inside the mill, DJ Ray had found a "Speed Limit 15" sign and started carrying it with him. It looked funny to see him carrying the thing like a flag up the road.
We soon came to a "Speed Limit 30" sign along the road, and he took the sign and placed it over top of the one in the ground as to confuse oncoming motorists!
Oh lordy, what to do? Along Taylor's Mill Road.
Mirror shot on Taylor's Mill Road
Mirror shot on Taylor's Mill Road
We continued walking on the road, and soon Dr. Jenn had to leave to get to her dinner engagement. She turned back and walked Rockaway Road back to her car. The rest of us continued on and came across one of those sight mirrors at the end of a driveway we always like to take group pictures into.
Mirror shot on Taylor's Mill Road
We followed Taylor's Mill Road south and passed under Rt 78, then came to the intersection with Halls Mill Road where we turned right.
We followed Halls Mill for a couple miles and past some lovely old farm houses. Along the way, DJ Ray found an old TV I think it was, and he and Jason fell quite a ways behind smashing the TV repeatedly into the road. They didn't even catch up until we reached the next intersection, Potterstown Road!
DJ Ray preparing to smash an old TV
We followed Potterstown Road, a much busyer road with no shoulder south to the Hamlet of Potterstown, and then turned left out to Rt 22.
We hurried across the highway and turned left heading east. Along the way we stopped for some food at the Spinning Wheel Diner. We didn't dine in, but rather ordered takeout. I got some applie pie, and I found out later from one of my co workers who's wife works there that the girls were mad that we didn't tip them. I had no idea we were supposed to tip when we ordered takeout, I just picked it up at the register. Oh well.
DJ Ray and I in the restroom of the Spinning Wheel Diner
We might have pissed them off further because we just sat in the foyer of the place eating our food instead of sitting down. Again, oh well.
We continued from here along Rt 22 east for a bit and then turned right onto Mountain Road. The Google Maps application I had been using on my phone showed that there was public land on the right hand side we could use to get closer to the Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve, but this was false. We often find the google stuff to be false. We instead had to continue on Mountain Road to the former Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks.
Mountain Road bridge over former Lehigh Valley Railroad, near Whitehouse
We didn't get on the tracks right away; we turned left and followed the road parallel with them, which after leaving Readington Township was known as Old Mountain Road. Soon, we turned left off of the road and over the tracks on an unofficial path that headed over to the Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve.
Former Lehigh Valley Railroad at Cushetunk
It led us to the power line that also paralleled the tracks at the base of the Cushetunk Mountain. We waited here for everyone to catch up, and then turned right on the power line to the main parking lot for the nature preserve.
Somewhat of a view from Cushetunk Mountain
On Cushetunk Mountain, white trail
We turned left out of the parking lot and began the steep ascent up the side of Cushetunk Mountain. I had done this trail as part of my hikes before, but it had been a while. Jason, Matt, and I reached the top first, far ahead of everyone else. It was a great little workout and I felt like I needed more of that. There was a bit of a few back in the direction we had come from, as well as out over Round Valley Reservoir to the south.
Seasonal view on Cushetunk Mountain
Round Valley Reservoir from Cushetunk Mountain
Once everyone caught up, we gave them a minute to catch their breath. We then turned left and followed the ridge trail (white blazed) over rocky terrain. This trail had always been really pretty difficult because the igneus rock outcroppings were always loose and falling, but this time there had been quite a great amount of trail work done. Apparently the SCA kids that do a lot of the Summer trail work for Hunterdon were very active in this area and I hadn't known about it (they had done the new blue trail and I met them there for that, but that was all I knew).
This was another sore subject for me because I had recommended these kids be put in for some trail building awards for their phenomenal work, but I was not eligible to nominate them because I was not their direct supervisor, and that person did not feel rewarding them would serve them well for some stupid readon like they'd get "big headed" or something.
Seasonal view from Cushetunk Mountain
Seasonal view from Cushetunk Mountain
On the ridge, we passed by some excellent seasonal views to the north. Again, Jason, Matt, and I got ahead. The nicely worked section of the trail had some little stone steps and stabilization work done, but it did not extend the entire length of the ridge trail section. It became a bit more difficult, especially with the snow, but we made it down to a saddle in the ridge where a woods road crossed. To the right it led into Round Valley Recreation area, and to the left, it was the route of the white trail back down.
Cushetunk Mountain on the ridge
Cushetunk Mountain, Ridge Trail
We waited here for a while while the others caught up. It was a nice spot for a break. It was at this point that one of my coworkers and I had come to cut a huge tree off the trail.
When everyone was caught up and rested, we descended to the left on the old woods road/white trail. We didn't go too far before making a right turn onto the newest addition, the blue trail to the right. I had reblazed this with paint because when the county put the trail in they used three different color trail markers. I tore down most of the wrong colored ones.
Descending through a saddle on the white trail, Cushetunk Mountain
The trail took us slowly down hill via another old woods road, and then turned sharply right to ascend part of Cushetunk Mountain yet again. This was probably the most pointless trail route ever, as we could see the way we went up only to turn back down when we began to descend again, but again, that's Hunterdon Parks for you.
This time however, there was one difference: Readington Township had installed a new yellow blazed trail from the top of the blue heading off to supposedly another viewpoint. We didn't follow it this time, instead opting to continue down the blue to the power line crossing.
Power line crossing on the Pickle Park connector trail
Along the blue Pickel Park connector trail in the Vislocky tract.
The Readington Township trails group was using markers similar to Hunterdon's, and equally as stupid really. They have many arrows along them and are secured to steel posts. The problem is they can be turned around very easily so the arrows face the wrong direction. In fact, members of my group did just that.
The trail descended into a seasonally wet area below the power line, then through woods to come out at a field in what was referred to as the Vislocky tract.
Group shot on Pickel Park connector trail
We had a group shot here, and we found a whole bunch of buckets and a lot of tools. I figured the trail crew people were probably out here and just left them so they'd be there for the next time they came back out. DJ Ray tried to dump a bucket of snow over everyone for the group shot, but I don't think it was much of a success.
Along Pickel Park connector trail
Fields approaching Pickel Park, Whitehouse Sta.
We walked the blue trail from here to the left along the edge of the field, but then we took a left turn onto another side trail (I forget the color) along the edges of more fields. This led us out into some woods and past the ruins of an old dam site, and then again out to some more farm fields.
Field trails approaching Pickel Park, Whitehouse Sta.
Old dam site near Pickel Park
Field area of Pickel Park
This side trail continued through the fields and then rejoined the blue trail inside a tree line, on an old farm road. We ascended very slightly on the blue trail on a farm road to a left turn, then headed across one final field to the developed portion of Pickel Park. We came to a paved park section around sports areas and the group sort of split left and right. Both led to the same parking area where our cars were.
We all went to Chelsea's pub and restaurant on Rt 22 for dinner to close out another great day.
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