Hike #565; Mid Kittatinny

 Hike #565; Mid Kittatinny

Hidden Falls

6/26/11

Mid Kittatinny area with Jude Shabrach, Saudi ?, Shelly Janes, Craig Nunn, and Eric Pace

My next hike would be a loop in the mid section of the NJ Kittatinny Mountains. I had pretty much done this hike before, but I had been doing the "ten years later" series and it was nearly ten since I first did this one. I wasn't planning on doing it until later in the year, but then we planned an event the night before closer to this vicinity, so I decided to swap them around.

The night before, my friends Action Adam and Cupcake went up to an abandoned camp nearby and secured many windows and such that had been broken into. Adam brought fencing and Cupcake brought plywood to assist in this. After working, we had a sort of party up there in the old lodge building. Cupcake was roller blading, Adam was cooking over the fire with his girlfriend and her sister, and many of our friends came up including Amanda, Corrin, Jake, Cory and his girlfriend Crystal, and a new guy named Matt.

Jillane and I left at night and I came back in the morning to see if anyone wanted to hike. Corrin and Jake almost did, but then backed out at the last moment. I was amazed that just after eight AM they were all up, and Cupcake was even cleaning up the old buildings. Very impressive.

I headed to the AT parking area and met up with Jude Shabrach and her friend, newcomer Saudy, Craig Nunn, Shelly Janes, and Eric Pace.

Along the AT near Blue Mountain Lakes

Corrin and Jake were about ready to join, but then Corrin wasn't feeling up to it at the last minute, and so her and Jake left.

The rest of us made our way onto the AT heading north bound. It was a bit more rugged than I had remembered. It headed up and down over some little slopes. We went rather steeply down a ridge into one of the mini valleys. On the right of the trail was a spot that in the past had been a sort of dry lake with a pile of stones in the middle. This was now a full size pond, and the water reached the edge of the AT.

Appalachian Trail near Crater Lake

We continued from this point along the trail which led to a very steep section where we climbed up to another secondary ridge. The AT then reached a woods road on top and turned right.

Steep section of AT near Crater Lake

On this route there was a pretty nice view off to the north of the Poconos across the Delaware Valley.

AT lookout near Crater Lake

AT lookout near Crater Lake

AT lookout near Crater Lake

We followed the AT for a bit, and there were some Day Lilies growing out of sections of rock, which was surprising to see on ridge top. I ate a few of the buds, and everyone else tried them for the first time and were surprised at how good they were.

Day Lily near Crater Lake

We turned off trail to the right for a bit and followed some unofficial paths and woods roads toward the shore of Crater Lake. It seemed like every trail sort of dead ended. At one point we were treated to some nice views of Crater Lake.

Off trail view over Crater Lake

The off trail views were actually quite spectacular, and the areas around them were full of lovely wild flowers. We ended up having to cut through some more dense weeds. Eric went ahead on the AT rather than head down hill and have to come back up. Craig decided to accompany him, which Shelly, Jude, Saudy, and I headed down toward the shore.

Off trail view over Crater Lake

Pretty flowers at Crater Lake

We made our way to an abandoned road which descended toward the shore of the lake, but then petered out. Below it there were some hand rails of some sort, and what appeared to be steps or something down toward the shore. There must have once been a house or something here. There was some collapsing stone work as well.

We found our way to a path that went directly down to the waterfront in a spot I had never gone to before. We could see the rock outcropping into the lake off to the left, and I had only swam to the left of that, or to the far right of where we were this time.

Abandoned road or something at Crater Lake

Walkway, abandoned at Crater Lake

As I got into the water, it seemed shallow enough at first, but then it dropped off suddenly to far over my head. Very interesting. I swam pretty far out and back, and felt cooled off when we left. Jude and Saudy both came in a bit.

Crater Lake

We continued along woods roads which led us to the orange blazed Crater Lake Trail back up to the AT. We then turned right on the AT. I had a call from Craig and Eric that they got caught up talking to some through hikers on the AT and that they were waiting for us where Buttermilk Falls Trail joined the AT.

We had also gotten caught up talking to hikers, as there was a guy that Jude had met a week before out by the Pinnacle in PA.

We continued on, rejoined Eric and Craig, and passed by a small view on a side trail.

View along the AT north of Crater Lake

We next made our way along to Rattlesnake Hill I think. There were some nice views from here to the north out across the Delaware Valley into the Poconos. We continued  here as the AT descended into a saddle of the ridge. There was a side trail leading to the left, and a wooden sign that had fallen off a tree that pointed to the AT to the right, and "Woods Road" to the left. Eric decided to follow the side trail to Woods Road and skip the up hill climb of Bird Mountain.

View from Rattlesnake Hill on the AT

View from Rattlesnake Hill on the AT

AT view of the swamp below along Woods Road Trail. Rattlesnake Hill.

View from the AT on Bird Mountain

We crossed a foot bridge built by the Mansfield Twp. Boy Scouts, and met an AT through hiker named "Loner Boner" whom Jude had also met at the Pinnacle the week before. We continued on up the trail to the top of Bird Mountain. When we got to where the Woods Road Trail joined the AT, we turned left onto a side path to view point to the north. This was our lunch break, and Jude gave me half of a sandwich.

Once we were done eating, Craig and Shelly opted to go back following the Woods Road Trail and meet up with Eric. Jude, Saudi, and I continued along the AT to where Woods Road Trail diverged again.

Descending Kittatinny Ridge on Woods Road

Woods Road

We followed the woods road down hill on switch backs, and passed the turn we wanted, continuing down to the locked metal gate. We had to head back up to the old intersection with the Farmer's Trace Road. It had been nearly a decade since I tried to follow this old road. I didn't know what it was called until we acquired copies of the magic maps from the abandoned camp the week before. Magic Maps were what the rangers for National Park Service called their maps that were not for public distribution.

Old Farmer's Trace Road

We followed the old road, which was easy enough at first, but then as we continued on it went slightly up hill again, and then back down. At times, we couldn't tell exactly where it went because it was grown over so well with beautiful lush green ferns.

Farmers Trace Road

I remember thinking as I looked ahead that unless we knew we had been following an old road, we would be totally lost. The old road came to a sharp bend and descended through a line of trees. This turn was very obscure, but I remembered the spot from my last time at the spot with Tea Biscuit and Peeps ten years before!

Old Farmers Trace Road

It was pretty overgrown as we passed through this section, with weeds coming in on the old road quite a lot. After a short while though, the old road widened back out to a regular dirt road size, and even had the wheel tracks like someone had been using it somewhat recently. I spotted a giant Sugar Maple near this point.

Large Sugar Maple on old Farmers Trace Road

We continued following the old Farmers Trace Road down hill to Mountain Road, a dirt road open to vehicles, and turned left. We followed Mountain Road south for a ways, until I saw where the creek was that I knew Hidden Falls to be on. Both Jude and Saudy were happy to go and explore the falls. It's a good thing we did because it was beautiful with all of the water running over it.

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls

There was room for one car to park at the bottom, and there was someone. He was a photographer, and he warned us that a branch had fallen directly over the trail before he got there!

We continued on, and the unofficial trail crossed the creek, and then ascended slightly on the other side, then came down to the face of the waterfall. I climbed up part of it and got myself soaked. I also layed in it. I climbed up to the upper level as well. So beautiful.

When we descended from the falls, we turned left to continue on Mountain Road. There were quite a few people driving on the road, which was annoying because they would kick up a lot of dust from the dirt base.

We continued until we reached Buttermilk Falls, the highest waterfall in NJ. It was hounded with tons of people. The water was flowing nicely, but it was just far too busy. I ran up to the top of the steps along the Buttermilk Falls Trail, stopping briefly to take a couple of pictures.

Buttermilk Falls

Buttermilk Falls

Buttermilk Falls

Steps on Buttermilk Falls Trail

Buttermilk Falls, upper part

Viewing platform atop Buttermilk Falls

After we reached the top of the falls we took a little break. It was incredibly steep going up the steps, but that was only the very beginning of the trail.

We soon began to make our way up along the rest of the blue blazed Buttermilk Falls Trail. This led steeply up hill on a route that surprisingly does not have more switch backs. It levels partly up, but then goes over more steep stuff.

Along Buttermilk Falls Trail

View along Buttermilk Falls Trail

Along Buttermilk Falls Trail

The trail left the side of the creek before the steep section, but then returned to it again when it was barely just a trickle. The trail then made it's way onto a long section of secondary ridge below the main Kittatinny Ridge. There were some limited views from along this section of the trail. It was a bit more open than I remembered it being on my last visit to it.

The trail descended to the left off of the ridge, and soon reached Woods Road Trail. Eric was not there waiting for us. I called to find out that he had left with Craig and Shelly as I suspected, but then they went ahead of him. He was at Hemlock Pond further down. We continued to the right on Woods Road Trail

Beaver dam along Woods Road Trail

The next spot we reached was a large beaver impoundment along Woods Road Trail. The beaver dam was larger than the last time I had come through this spot. In 2009 we hiked up this Fuller Brook, the creek that drains from the beaver pond, to this site, which was beautiful.

Beaver pond along Woods Road Trail

From here, we continued along Woods Road Trail up hill and then back down slightly to Hemlock Pond. We walked up to the dam, and then headed around to the rocky shore on the south side for a wonderful swim. I had never swam from this spot, but it was well worth it. The three of us sat here for a bit, and I talked to Eric on the phone. He had moved on up to Indian Rocks.

Hemlock Pond

Hemlock Pond swim spot

We continued to follow Woods Road Trail, and there were a few side roads that went to the right to dead end. When we got to the first substantial one that went right, we took it a short distance, and then saw the Indian Rocks on the right. It was a big flat rock outcropping. We walked up the rocks, and then came through an area with scrubby trees out to a fantastic view over the Delaware Valley.

Ascending Indian Rocks

View from Indian Rocks

View from Indian Rocks

There were a lot of glacial erratics strewn about. We could see across the Delaware, but only one spot did the river actually come into view further up stream. Eric had moved on from this site toward Blue Mountain Lakes.

View from Indian Rocks

View of the Delaware from Indian Rocks

View from Indian Rocks

We descended from Indian Rocks and headed back the woods road we came, then turned right to head down another woods road that would go closer to Blue Mountain Lakes. We turned left onto a trail that was for hikers and cross country skiiers only by sign, which we thought might be cooler. Along the way we passed an old home ruin site where steps were still in place.

Blue Mountain Lakes area

Blue Mountain Lakes Area

We came to another old road way, and followed that along the edge of the hillside. The wetland which became Blue Mountain Lakes appeared soon below us to the left.

I was surprised to see tons of kids at the Blue Mountain Lakes, jumping off of the rocks and such. I had never seen so many people at this site. I remembered coming to the site years before when the parking area wasn't even paved yet.

We came out to the road, former Flatbrook Stillwater Road, and turned left heading slightly up hill. We could see along the way where the road had been rerouted at points to make it straighter. There was even an older bridge site off to the left of the road at a creek.

Creek along the road near Blue Mountain Lakes

As we were walking along the road, Shelly and Craig pulled up. They had been on their way out after walking back. We only had like another mile to go up the road, so we must have been making really good time to nearly catch up with them. Shelly said they didn't even really stop.

Shelly!

Shelly!

Shelly pulled into the Blue Mountain Lakes lot to check and see if Eric was there, and he was. She took him back to his car up the hill.

After a while, Eric showed up driving down the road and we chatted a bit. He gave me a map he had picked up of northern PA rail trails.

Eric!

Wetlands along the road near Blue Mountain Lakes

Jude and Saudy headed up to the cars ahead of me. They were moving quick, because I couldn't catch up with them before they arrived. When we reached the AT, I refilled my water jug with the pump. Quite good tasting water.

I went back over to talk to Jude and Saudy before they left, and then walked on down the old camp road to former Camp Ken Etiwa Pec.

Abandoned camp

Jillane had already arrived at the camp ahead of me, with our friends Crystal and Cory, and a couple others. They were wandering around. Jillane and I checked out some of the abandoned buildings, and then went on down to the beach area to hang out. I took a really nice swim out onto Long Pine Pond. Jillane started to come in but it was too cold.

Long Pine Pond

Pretty flowers

Long Pine Pond

 We had a look around the place, and were quite impressed that our friends who had crashed there the previous night left no mess whatsoever. Everything was cleaner than when they got there.

Abandoned camp

Abandoned camp

Abandoned camp

Weird oven thing at abandoned camp

Sign

Abandoned camp

This journal was in the abandoned camp...and surprisingly signed by one of our friends from a year before!

We went around and into more of the buildings, and in the area that was sort of an office check in spot we found an unofficial log book that was signed by our friend Eric Fay the year before when we saw him at this camp.

Abandoned camp

Abandoned camp

We also walked back to the Todd Lodge, probably the oldest building in the park because Cupcake told me it was not at all secure. We went in and were able to lock the windows that were left open, and then relocked the front door on our way out. Hopefully no one will break in. Some of the boarded windows h ad the boards removed (not the ones Cupcake and Adam did. They secured many buildings).

Black bear at abandoned camp

Black bear

Black bear

Black Bear

Black Bear

Black Bear

Black Bear

Black Bear

Black Bear

As we were walking around the main lodge building, a huge Black Bear , which must have weighed about 500 lbs was wandering through the camp. He didn't seem afraid or even concerned with our presence. I watched him and got a few good pictures.

Abandoned camp hall

After a bit Crystal and Cory left with the other two friends, and we wandered around a bit more.

After making our way back to Jillane's car, we headed just a short distance down the road that leads to Crater Lake to see the view off into Warren and Sussex Counties to the south. Perfect way to end another awesome day.

View from Crater Lake road

View from road to Crater Lake

View from road to Crater Lake