Hike #643; Phillipsburg/Easton Loop

 Hike #643; Phillipsburg/Easton Area Loop

8/1/12 Phillipsburg Easton Loop with "Naaron" Young, Tyler Bender, and Jillane Becker

Taco Bell break

This next trip would be similar to some of the past Phillipsburg/Easton loop hikes we have done. With the great success in recruiting people for my previous hike, I figured this one was a sure hit, and I would do a great hike that everyone could enjoy with a lot of opportunities to stop and swim. I also wanted to check my Warren Highlands Trail which I'd nearly finished constructing the previous spring. It seemed like a lot of coworkers were interested, and many of the regulars in the group also, but then only Naaron and Ty showed up. Ty was probably the one of the co workers that would be most into it anyway.

We met at Union Square at 4 pm, then headed out to Red School Lane and parked at an elementary school in the outskirts of town.

We headed right on Belvidere Road and then ascended through state land on my projected trail route. It was still easy eno

gh

to follow, but was getting overgrown fast. I was able to follow it well enough. The farmer who farms the fields, Ray Raub, was apparently furious that I constructed the trail along the perimeters of his fields, and so the county intervened and worked it out that we would use the right of way of an abandoned road known as Kelly Lane, and another farm lane to get into the woods at the end of the fields. I agreed, sadly, because that route eliminates the lovely view from the top of the fields. Hopefully one day it will get better and we can use it. For now, my blazes were still in place around the edges of the fields, but the corn was planted all the way to the edges which meant that we had to walk through it. It was tough to get through this section, and the view was more obscured because of the height of the corn. I ate some, but it was a bit starchy.After the top of the fields, we got onto the trail I'd constructed and followed it down to the woods road section, then headed west. Most of the trail was still in really great shape. Even after it turned away from the woods road and followed the foot path I built, it was still very easy to follow. It even looked as though people were using it. I was so happy to see this. There were a couple of blow downs before reaching the ATV path and two washouts below the future Phillipsburg school site, but nothing too major.

I was texting Major Tom along the way, who was supposed to meet up, as well as Scott from work, but neither of them were able to come. Only Jillane was still planning on meeting us late.

We continued on through the Rhododendrons and got to the iron mine trail, and turned left. We followed it to the old Fulmer Mine and took a break there for a bit, having a nice sit down inside with the cool air.Next, we made our way down the Iron Mine Trail back to the Warren Highlands Trail and followed it to the base of Marble Hill. We turned off of it, crossed the former Bel Del Railroad tracks and reached the Delaware River. I took a dip, which was much needed at this point. We then followed the river down stream on the wide path along the edge. We then reached the giant pipe.Before passing through the giant pipe, we took another break and Ty took a dip in the river.

We had no flashlight, but we didn't need it to get through the pipe. It was cool as usual, and we emerged near North Main Street. We followed the Warren  Highlands Trail route along the roads from there to Rt 22.Next, we headed up to Rt 22, then crossed on the Bushkill Street Bridge (the true name of the 22 bridge) and I gave a little history of the area and Getter's Island.

On the other side, we made our way to Bushkill Drive and walked the road to the entrance to Lafayette College where we climbed the giant steps to the Civil War monument overlooking the city circle. We only took another short break there before heading through the campus. As usual, we followed the edge of the ridge there and passed through the amphitheater of the Fisher Campus, then descended via the access road. There was a campus security guy there, so we made our way hurriedly to the Rt 22 overpass, and descended over rocks to beneath the bridge, back to Bushkill Drive. We then climbed quickly down to the Lehigh Valley Railroad bed, now a city trail. There were new signs on the trail that were not there before, calling it some artists trail. I forget the name of the guy, but they named it for a local artist who was considered to be the founder of the Easton arts community.The trail left the rail bed and followed the old cemetery road on the opposite side of Bushkill Creek. We continued on it, and passed a new gate at an underpass to the Easton Cemetery, with an artsy look and walk through area. When the rail bed crossed the river, we wandered on over to the trestle and I took another dip in the creek. New chain link fences had been installed to keep people from crossing the trestle on the old ties. We followed the rail bed back out to the trail, where trees, saplings, had been planted to block the right of way. I think they should re-deck the bridge to make for another access point.

We followed the trail from here to 13th Street and turned right past the old Silk Mill. The trail didn't continue ahead, so we skipped it and headed to Bushkill Drive and turned left. We were going to go to the next road bridge and access to the rail bed, but instead we headed down a short path to the dam over the creek I had stopped at last  year. Since both Ty and Naaron were into it, we just carefully walked across the top fo the dam and climbed over to the rail bed at another chain link fence, which we had to climb over. We then followed the rail bed north past an apartment complex, and then beyond to the connector trail up to Upper  Hackett Park. A cop pulled through while we were walking in, but a ball game was going on, so we weren't bothered.

We continued on the trail down to Lower Hackett Park, across Rt 22 on the pedestrian bridge, and then out parallel with Wood Ave. It then regained the Lehigh valley Railroad bed, and we continued to follow it. Jillane met up with us in the dark in this stretch.

We continued on from here out across Northampton Street and stopped by Taco Bell for a bit. I had a bunch of stuff, and bought Naaron a couple of things. I threw a potatoe taco at him and he barely caught it, sending potatoes and lettuce flying over him into the next booth.

No one was into eating as much as I was, so we continued along the rail bed past the abandoned Dixie Cup Factory. The full moon was rising just beyond the big dixie cup and the smoke stacks, which looked amazing, with a shade of clouds framing it. We soon crossed 25th Street and I think William Penn Highway and Freemansburg Ave until the trail came to an end at 25th Street again. We had the option of extending the hike on the former CNJ rail bed, further looping, but only Jillane and I would have been into that.

We turned right on 25th Street shortly, then left on Front Street to cover some new ground. I'd not seen this part of town yet. We turned right on Stewart Street which took us to a small access road past the middle school and down hill rather steeply. I think only one car passed us on the entire street.We took a nice little break and sat on the grass along the road for a bit. We then continued down hill on the road as it passed some sort of gym and buildings in the woods. I figured this must have something to do with a school or something. Nearby on google maps shows "Childrens Home of Easton". Maybe it was an orphanage. The next building we came to was a beautiful stone mansion. The road with it's winding turns seemed like an estate road. I wondered what the origin of this building was.

We continued down hill along the road, and soon a bike path turned off of it to the left. It led down hill rather steeply and reached the former Central railroad of NJ right of way, near the newer Glendon Bridge.

We turned left and followed the rail bed, which was clear, but the pavement ended right there. We remained on this out to the next road and the old Glendon Bridge over the Lehigh River, now closed. This is a great old truss bridge, and I always love walking across it. We didn't see anyone around, and so we crossed, then turned left into Hugh Moore Park and made our way to the Lehigh Canal towpath. This was a great place to be with the full moon and dim lights of industries in South Easton shining on the water. We never needed a flashlight because it was easily light enough to navigate.

We continued on the towpath out to the lock where the canal enters the Lehigh, and then followed the towpath trail out along the water and under Rt 611. When fences ended, we climbed to 611 on a path and followed it through Easton, stopping at a gas station for Chocolate milk, then crossed the free bridge at Northampton Street. Ty drove Jillane and I back to my car, and I took her to hers.

We finished this one surprisingly early for the mileage, just over 15. Even though we stopped, Ty and Naaron and I must have been moving along at a really good pace. I also wasn't nearly as tired as I was on previous night hikes.I ended up staying awake till after 3:30 am though, because I helped Jillane pick up her car from the mechanics (she borrowed her sisters in the meantime), and other stuff. I was dead tired at work, but it was worth it.