Hike #708; Hackettstown/Waterloo Loop

Hike #708; Hackettstown/Waterloo Loop

6/28/13 Hackettstown/Waterloo Loop with Brandan Jermyn, Michele Valerio, Steve Levy, Carol Van Giezen, Dan Lurie, Sue Olivar, James DeLotto, Kristina Garlick, Kyle Garlick, "Pirate Dennis", and ?

The group on Waterloo Valley Road.

Our next evening hike would be a loop beginning at the Hackettstown Hospital.

I have recently been having sharp pains in my chest, strange headaches, and some dizziness and wanted to get to the bottom of it. It's getting close to three years since my brush with death and I wanted to find out just what shape my lungs are in.

Exerting myself could easily be causing headaches, and maybe something with dehydration since my blood might not get oxygenated as quickly. I showed up to see the doctor who I got to prematurely "release" me since my benefits had run out at Hunterdon County Parks. I never went back, although I should have at least gone for the year check.

I still feel short of breath but I push myself pretty hard. I'll probably never be in the shape I was in; the doctor told me that indeed I had cilia in my lungs missing because they were burnt away, but that remaining ones did get larger to compensate for those missing. I was thrilled to hear after a series of tests that my lung capacity was higher

than average! I may still have troubles that others wouldn't, but he gave me the green light to more seriously train with my running (though I'd been doing a little of that anyway).

The unfortunate part was that I was diagnosed with Esophagitus. My esophagus is raw, probably from all the junk foods and such that I consume. I'll have to be more careful what I eat in the future or I could end up with cancer from it the doctor warned me.

In the middle of my appointment, as if I weren't stressed enough, the fire alarm went off and everyone in the building was evacuated. We all had to stand outside and wait for the fire department to clear us to go back in.

I had scheduled a hike since I knew I had to be there anyway, and unfortunately left the group waiting for a bit longer.

We started walking from the hospital along Willow Grove Street to Bilby Road where we got on the Morris Canal towpath. I had originally intended to finish with this, but I'm glad I didn't because it was so weedy.

I was surprised when we got to the washout site that someone had placed a double log bridge with a walkway over the water below. I took a picture and sent it to Steve Ellis immediately. I still have to send it to Warren County. The county has been talking for over two years about funding a bridge over a purged section of the canal, but it never really needed to be done for footpath purposes. Someone had placed rocks over the spot so it could be walked, but this time this new bridge was well in place. Sure, it won't last forever, but it was a nice surprise to see.

We continued on the canal beyond, and turned left onto the access road from a former quarry operation. We then followed a power line to a woods road back out to Waterloo Road. We turned left and followed the Highlands Trail route back up to the canal and onward to Saxton Falls. From here, we followed the shore of Saxton Lake on the old towpath, and took a nice swim. We then continued on the towpath and headed up to a set of old stairs past where another building stood until somewhat recently, then headed out to Colony Road. We continued on the road out to Waterloo Road where my co worker "Pirate Dennis" and his female friend joined is near the site of Lock 4W. We continued on the Highlands Trail and Morris Canal Greenway along Old Waterloo Road, then turned off to climb up hill on an old roadway that was rather overgrown.

I wanted to find an abandoned mine that was supposed to be up the creek a ways. There was once an ore dock along the Morris Canal below, and I was eager to find it. We started heading up hill, but the girl that came with Pirate Dennis couldn't handle it so they turned back. It was probably a good thing because it was really rough continuing up. We ended up not finding the mine, and it was treacherous climbing over tons of fallen branches and trees, and over slippery rocks, through Japanese Barberry.

We finally reached the spillway dam at Deer Park Pond and I went for a needed swim while the others caught up. We then turned east on Deer Path Trail, which led us out to Waterloo South Trail. This trail headed down hill as a footpath then woods road to Waterloo Road. Dan and Sue met us at the bottom where there was parking, and the Morris Canal Trail went back into the woods just beyond in the section that bypasses a house built on it. We followed the canal trail out to Kinney Road and headed down it to the former Tilcon Quarry, now a lake. While walking the canal, I randomly got a text from Jim DeLotto, who was driving from work home. I told him how close we were and to join us, and so he headed out.

At the lake, we were joined by DeLotto, Kristina Garlick who I used to work with and her brother. We went for a swim (well most didn't go for a swim amazingly...I don't know how they don't!) and continued around the shore of the lake. This time, due to the heavy rains, some of the road around it was under water. We had to double back and follow Kinney Road to Waterloo Valley Road.

We all followed Waterloo Valley Road on to where it crossed the former Morris and Essex tracks, and Kristina and her brother left, followed by DeLotto, and Carol went with him because she hurt her toe (probably a good thing she didn't try the one on Sunday following because it was much tougher!).

The rest of us soon cut into the woods on the Serpentine Maze Trail. This time we did the southern section of it, because the previous time we did the northern one. It really is a circuitous trail. The sounds of the Spring Peepers and all the other noises were amazing.

We reached the white trail, turned right, but then followed the woods road connecting back to Waterloo Valley Road because it goes so far out of the way and it was getting way dark. We'd cut back in to Stephens State Park when we reached the Highlands Trail, which follows the river and is much clearer. We continued out along the river, then crossed at the main park office to follow Willow Grove Street back to the hospital.

This was really a great night hike. Especially near the end with the vernal pools as it became dark was outstanding. Such a nice experience.