Hike #620; High Point State Park

 Hike #620; High Point State Park, Lusscroft to Steeny Kill Lake

4/1/12 High Point State Park; Lusscroft Farms to Steeny Kill Lake with Jillane Becker, Shelly Janes, Jack Lowry, Derek Baker (oh my god), Michaela Clovis, Matt Clovis, Bruce Manley, Paula Scheyer, David "Captain Soup" Cambpell, Jonathan Wilson, Sophia Ruiz, and Laurie Davey.

The group at Lusscroft Farms

My next hike would be another point to point. Getting back to basics since the fifteen year anniversary hike, I wanted to focus on more of the hikes being a bit closer to home. I wanted to revisit parks I had explored to no end, but cover some of the remaining routes I had yet to explore. One of these was High Point State Park.

Lusscroft Farms

Pond in Lusscroft Farms

Lusscroft

Lusscroft

Sugarbush Trail in Lusscroft Farms

Pond on Great Trail, Lusscroft Farms

Great Trail, Lusscroft! With D One and Only.

Americorps Valley Trail, Lusscroft

Amazing maple sugaring collection process along Americorps Valley Trail

Old hollow Sugar Maple on Americorps Valley Trail

It is amazing that there are still so many places I have yet to explore so close to home.

I met my group at Steeny Kill Lake, in High Point State Park along Rt 23. Since it's only a short trail, I had never really tried to use Steeny Kill Trail for a piece of one of the long hikes. Maybe I was only waiting for the right hike to add it on to. This would be the one.

We shuttled as few cars as possible to the beginning point, Lusscroft Farms. This was a relatively new addition to the state park system, on the border between Stokes State Forest and High Point property. We parked on Nielsen Road near the main buildings to begin the hike.

Once we were all together, we headed down past the main farm buildings. It was not signed very well. No one would know it was really a park property without a map. We made our way below most of the buildings down hill, then turned right past the maple sugaring building. I told everyone a bit about the maple sugaring programs and how I used to work with that stuff in Hunterdon County. We continued from here into the woods on the south side of the farm. The trails are pretty poorly marked through the area, with tin can lids and with sloppy spray paint. At least they are done to standard with turn blazes. The beginnings of the trails are marked with carsonite posts with the trail names. We started on Sugarbush Trail.We headed down hill, then turned on a pink trail labeled "Connector Trail". This led us out to a field. It apparently turned right along the field, but there was no turn blaze. We followed the field and then turned back into the woods for a bit. The field was recently tilled which made for some unsure footing.The connector trail led shortly to another turn. Red blazed Great Trail took us further down hill through woods adjacent to the fields. Great Trail makes a loop, but at the bottom of the loop blue blazed Americorps Valley Trail comes in. We turned on this.We followed the trail through woods and along the edges of fields out across the access road to Lusscroft, and then came to an amazing spot where the maple sap was collected. It moved by way of gravity down hill through tubes coming from the taps. The tubes were bright blue. The trees looked like they had IVs going to them, like they were on some life support.The trail continued up hill past a nice pond, sorrounded by nice Sugar Maples, some of them quite old.

Old hollow Sugar Maple on Americorps Valley Trail

Pond along Americorps Valley Trail

Americorps Valley Trail

One of the big old trees was still alive but totally hollowed out on the inside. We stopped to check it out, and I had to climb up inside of it because it was just so cool. I was able to climb up through the rotted section and sit in part of it. Quite neat.We followed Americorps Valley Trail up hill to cross Neilsen Road again. On the other side, blue blazed Explorer Trail continued to climb the Kittatinny Ridge, past an abandoned house on the right.

Outlook Lodge along Exporer Trail

Outlook Lodge

Outlook Lodge

We made our way up hill on the trail, and Captain Soup tried to stand on the roof of an old spring house, but his foot fell through. We passed the pink blazed Tenderfoot Trail on the right, then continued up on Explorer Trail to the amazing Outlook Lodge.

Vultures hollering at us from the window of Outlook Lodge

This is where the building was forced open

Outlook Lodge

Derek peering into the lodge

Inside

Inside

Inside

Inside

View out of the Lodge

Inside

Inside

The building was looking to be in worse shape than it was the previous time we had visited. The boards looked more amazing to me having read more about it. The place was constructed using the historic timbers of dismantled barns from Sussex County, and also an historic old mill. There were some leaks in the roof, but the place wasn't looking all that bad.We walked around the outside and found where the side had been forced open. We had a look inside, and it wasn't all that bad from there either.Historian Kevin Wright called the Outlook Lodge the finest example of Arts and Crafts style architecture in the state. When I worked in the Northern Region Office of the state parks, my boss Steve had me write a resources impacted and mitigation report regarding what was going on with Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which is planned to widen it's existing right of way through High Point State Park to carry the controversial natural gas from Marcellus Shale attained through Hydraulic Fracking. One of the proposals I sent was that to compensate for the impacted resource, they should refurbish the Outlook Lodge as a new Appalachian Trail hostel. When Tennessee Gas replied, they did not even acknowledge that this was ever even proposed.The slate roof of the building is too heavy for the structure and is causing it to buckle. Hopefully it can be saved before it's too late.As we walked around the outside, we startled a couple of Vultures, which were roosting inside an open second story window. They remained very close to us and hissed at us as we walked around. I figure they had a nest inside.

Spanish Overlook above Lusscroft

Trail signs above Lusscroft Farm

Ruins along an abandoned road in High Point State Park

Ruins, High Point State Park

Ruins and old house site, High Point State Park off Deckertown Tpk

We were soon on our way, continuing along Explorer Trail. Derek, despite not having hiked with us for nine years and living in the flat state of Florida for many years, was always one of the first three in the group, even on the steep inclines.

We made our way up, and the other end of Tenderfoot Trail came in on the right. We turned right ahead on Nacho's Trail, a pink blazed trail. Part way up this was a short side trail to the Spanish Overlook, a seasonal view out over Sussex County. We stopped here briefly, then continued back to Nacho's Trail up hill. It rejoined Explorer Trail and continued to climb.The trail soon joined an old roadway, I think part of old DeGroat Road possibly, by the look of the map. Explorer Trail split in two, to North and South sections. I had already done north, so we turned left and did the south route. This simply joined the Appalachian Trail where we turned right. The AT followed the old road route for a bit ahead, after the other branch of Explorer Trail joined on it, then turned away. We continued straight on the old road heading down the ridge a bit.The old road eventually came out to Deckertown Turnpike, but right before that there were tin can lid blazes, either brown or red with white dots in the middle turning to the left. The trail continued parallel with the road, then turned right to cross it onto an old driveway. The driveway and trail led to the ruins of an old house site.

Old house site off of Deckertown Tpk, High Point SP

There was no house at all remaining, just a nice old fire place and cement blocks that the home would have sat on. There were a lot of old appliances laying on the ground throughout the area.

Old house site in High Point SP

There was also an old privy and another sort of out building nearby. Jaque found an old Seven Up bottle that said "You love it, it loves you" with an old label and glass container. We looked around for a while before moving on along the trail.

Seven Up....you love it, it loves you...huh? Old house site.

Old house site, High Point SP

Old house site, High Point SP

Creek crossing on an abandoned trail

Creek crossing

More junk along an abandoned woods road

Along an abandoned trail in High Point

Pretty bog along an unmaintained trail

Nice stone walls in High Point SP

Stone walls and former barn site in High Point SP

Old farm site, High Point Sp

Captain Soup at the Tennessee Gas Pipeline along Iris Trail, High Point SP. Let's see what this looks like when they screw it up in a year.

Along the AT northbound in High Point SP

The driveway sort of ended, and we crossed over a small stream. Beyond, the woods road became trail again and was spuratically marked with the tin can lids with the white dots in the middle. I thought this might have been an earlier route of the Iris Trail which was now further to the south.

The trail was rather easy to follow at first, but became tougher. Jack and I walked and sang "Istanbul Not Constantinople" made popular by They Might Be Giants as we walked. I was surprised he learned this song, because I was big on They Might Be Giants in high school. Their 1990 album "The Flood" was on a constant loop in my art class my Sophmore and Junior year. My friend Robin gave me a tape of them for my seventeenth birthday, when I led the first hike. Funny how things seem to come full circle.

The trail became a mess of barberry and multiflora rose, quite tough to fight through. We lost the trail at some point, but then found it. It led to an old farm site, with a barn foundation and lots of old stone walls. It was just beyond this point that the unmaintained trail joined the Iris Trail where we turned left.We continued on this to cross the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, and further to Dutch Shoe Rock.

View from Dutch Shoe Rock on the AT

At Rutherford Shelter

Rutherford Shelter

Along Rutherford Shelter access trail

Lake Rutherford

We took another nice break at Dutch Shoe Rock. The view was nice, of Lake Rutherford further off. After our break we continued on the AT to the Rutherford Shelter trail. The blue blazed trail went steeply down Dutch Shoe Rock to Rutherford Shelter itself where we took another break.I had a happy box in my car to get rid of, and so I recruited everyone in the group to take a book or random object to leave in the shelter. I had this notion just during this week of doing this such thing, leaving old books in the shelters for AT thru hikers, and random objects places. Like with Geocaches, I could leave random weird objects in Geocaches if I knew where they would be. Maybe we'll try that on a future hike.

We left books on Family law and Catechism, which I found humorous. I also signed the trail register and left lots of metrotrails business cards.

Matt took Jack's guitar and played it a bit as we walked the unblazed section of the shelter trail to the Iris Trail. There was a weird thing up there that looked like a hot tub along the route, but we couldn't figure it out.When we got to Iris Trail, a right turn and immediate left was supposed to lead around the south side of Lake Rutherford, but there were huge "no trespassing" signs, so we opted not to follow my planned route.Instead, we continued to the left on Iris Trail, then bushwhacked to the right closer to the lake, the joined the woods road past the house that had the signs near it. It is shown to be on state property, but I'm not sure who lives there. I only caught a glimpse of the house, which has an amazing view from the ridge. We continued on the woods road north along the shore of Lake Rutherford.

Lake Rutherford

Lake Rutherford

Bridge over the outlet to Lake Rutherford

Lake Rutherford

Dam on Lake Rutherford

There was a side path to the left at one point, which took us to the shore of the lake. It was beautiful, up on the ridge, with Dutch Shoe Rock visible beyond, a ridge on top of the ridge.

We continued on along the woods road and eventually came to a point where we could see people up ahead. I was nervous at first. I wasn't expecting to see anyone else back in this area. As it turned out, residents of the town of Sussex were allowed to use a key to get back to the lake to fish or boat. I chatted with a guy and his son there for a bit, and asked them about Rutherford Falls. The kid told us it wasn't far at all, just down a path next to the outlet. There was an old masonry dam which retained Lake Rutherford, still in good shape.

Rutherford Falls

Rutherford Falls

Rutherford Falls

Lake Rutherford dam

Swamp land on an old road in High Point SP

Peanut and his ghetto fabulous grocery bag rain poncho!

Stream in High Point SP

Woods road, High Point SP

Abandoned building where Jillane met us in High Point SP

Abandoned house porch, High Point SP

Abandoned house porch, High Point SP

Bushwhacking in High Point SP

High Point Shelter

We headed down the trail and soon saw the small waterfall. Rutherford Falls wasn't all that big, but it was still pretty. Secondary cascades a bit further down stream were also nice, falling deeply between eroded rocks.

We made our way back up to the woods road and continued on beyond a gate. The guys we saw had gotten a truck back to the lake.The woods road turned away from Lake Rutherford and skirted a swamp. It started raining in this area, and I had fortunately grapped an umbrella in the morning. We made our way through the rain and past what appeared to be a quarried out area on the right, probably used by the road department at one time.

The woods road led out to Rt 23, and paralleled it a bit on a shelf before ending. We then turned left and walked up hill along Rt 23.

We met up with Jillane, who was waiting on the porch of an abandoned building along the highway. This was a good point for everyone to take a break and dry off a bit.Laurey cut out here; she got her husband to come and pick her up. She did really well though despite the uneven and rather difficult terrain, as well as subjecting herself to the group!

After our break on the porch, we continued across Rt 23 and up hill. I led everyone bushwhacking into the woods needlessly because the woods road I was looking for was now beyond the maintenance yard. We wandered around a bit, then came into the maintenance yard where we walked across to the dirt access road that led to the High Point Shelter. We took another bit of a break here. Jack and I sang and Jillane and I cuddled in the nice little shelter. I think we left some more random stuff there as well.When we were on our way, we followed the shelter trail to the Appalachian Trail and turned left heading up hill steeply.

On the AT in High Point

Ascending to the monument

Monument Trail

High Point Monument

Descending on CCC steps, Steeny Kill Trail

CCC steps on Steeny Kill Trail

Steeny Kill Trail, High Point

Steeny Kill Lake

Steeny Kill Trail at the lake

Steeny Kill Lake spillway

It was already raining pretty heavily now, and many of us were using umbrellas. Jillane even brought an extra ubrella for someone to use.When we got to the terminus of the Monument Trail, also southern end of Shawangunk Ridge Trail, we had the choice of going to High Point itself, at 1803 above sea level, or head across parking lots and such on the other end of the trail to Steeny Kill Trail.Derek and Captain Soup both hadn't been to high point, or hadn't remembered being to high point, and so with not really anyone against it we headed up to the point. There wasn't much of a view at all unfortunately. We continued along Monument Trail around it's long loop. This time there were new trail blazes added to all the others for snow shoeing, which I felt to be somewhat over doing it.We made our way along Monument Trail for quite a ways and finally got to the right hand turn off on Steeny Kill Trail. We finally found it and made our way off of the main part of the ridge to the south. The trail had lots of nice stone steps, and a lot cut back.

The trail work dated back many years, and was the work of the CCC crews probably in the 1930s. The stone steps on the route was very nice.Also, the grade of the trail was well built up , making for very easy footing. The trail came out of woods onto a mowed path next to the spillway dam of Steeny Kill Lake, and followed it back toward the parking area.After the hike we got together at Paula's house for some spaghetti and a few laughs. Paula was good enough to let me use her shower, because at home had a blown out heating element.It's hard after a good day to re-assimilate to reality.

At Steeny Kill Lake

Interesting graffiti on a picnic table, Steeny Kill Lake