Hike #711; Phillipsburg/Easton

 Hike #711; Phillipsburg Easton Area Loop

7/8/13 Phillipsburg/Easton Area with "Commando Tom" Petrucci, Scott "Tea Biscuit" Helbing, and Amanda Lance

Big Pipe Group Shot

Commando Tom had been texting me to see if I wanted to do a night hike from time to time, and I always had different stuff going on that I couldn't. I had originally had plans to do stuff with the house moving on this occasion as well, but was having a bad time. I simply told  him I'd get back to him; when things weren't getting any happier I texted him back and asked if he could meet me in Phillipsburg, and he could.

We met at the NJ side of the Northampton Street Bridge, and shuttled in my car to the on street parking areas near Lopatcong Park. I had to check out the status of my trail system up there. We followed the red blazed Lopatcong Connector Trail like I usually do from the park. The one section was really easy to do, but from the regular mowed section it had gotten badly overgrown. People were still following it, but it was tougher to get through.

We headed down into the woods and the trail was much better. We turned right then on Warren Highlands Trail.

At first this trail was fine, but after crossing the two big ditches and it began climbing up hill it needed to be cut back pretty bad. I still haven't gotten a chance to go up and fix it up  yet.

We followed the trail out to the gas line cut, which was now overgrowing with grass to the point that I'm not as worried about it washing out so much. We turned left on the yellow trail and headed down to the parking lot on Marble Hill Road where we were joined by my brother Tea Biscuit and his girlfriend Amanda, and their dog Chance. Together, we headed onto the yellow trail back toward the Warren Highlands Trail in the other direction. It was pretty well open and not a problem. We took Warren Highlands Trail to the Fulmer Iron Mine Trail and stopped at the mine for a bit, then descended to Warren Highlands Trail and cut across the railroad tracks to the river again. I we went for a much needed swim here. It was so hot out.

After this, we headed along the river to the giant pipe. As usual, we walked on through it to North Main Street and headed along the WH Trail on the road. We crossed the Rt 22 Bridge, then like usual made our way to Lafayette College and the views on the hillsides. We crossed on through the Fisher Campus, headed down beneath Rt 22 and picked up the Arts Trail, which was built on the old LV Rail right of way, as well as an old cemetery road. We reminisced a bit about the past hikes there. Tea Biscuit said if police showed up we could just go across on one of the pipes. I had to let him know that these pipes we'd previously crossed over the creek on were now rusted through and no longer crossable. It's amazing what time does.

We came out to 13th Street and followed side roads from here on to Wood Avenue, then got back on the Palmer Bike Path, which follows the LV right of way. This time, when we reached and crossed Northampton Street, the all new Taco Bell had just re-opened to much rejoicing from us. Eric Pace had told me recently that it was now open, so we had to go. We had some glorious food and continued on our way.

The trail was clear and easy on out past the Wallgreens and beyond over William Penn Highway and to 25th Street. This time, we continued straight across to try to follow the old rail bed beyond again. I had not walked it since maybe 2002, and I'd only hiked it twice before anyway, once with a group of nine and once with my ex girlfriend Cathy. I had seen on line aerials that showed that it was now a trail, but a previous visit seemed to be like it was still overgrown.

This time, we found our way onto the rail bed. It was clear and in great shape, with a gravel surface. Apparently the city was working on turning this into an extension of the trail. We followed it on and it passed beneath 23rd street by way of a small concrete box culvert, clearly made for pedestrians. It had lights on under it, and was already littered in graffiti. At this point it was already paved. Beyond, it remained clear. I remembered the earlier bridge being of steel construction, and we could climb up the slopes on the sides. The trail seemed to stop just ahead, and we soon reached the old deck girder bridge over Iron Street. We'd walked across this only in February 2001. The bridge is not in good repair and the ties have grass growing out of them. We made the attempt to cross, but the noises we were hearing from it, and the fact that it was now totally dark and had been since before Taco Bell was enough to force me to turn back. We climbed down to Iron Street and turned left, then right on Spring Street to pass beneath a second high trestle made of iron. The first bridge still had wooden beam piers. We walked a sidewalk and probably former Spring Street road alignment in front of what looked to be an old hotel of sorts, and continued on Spring Street, then turned left when we got to Palmer Street. We crossed the LV right of way once more, and part of me leaned toward wandering onto the right of way, but then sense set in and we continued up to Jefferson Street on the right, then right again on Butler. We followed this back through town and stopped at the convenience store for chocolate milk and drinks before heading back over the Northampton Street Free Bridge and to Commando Tom's car. He got us back from there.

I was so glad I got out for this hike. I really needed to get out and have a good time, and we did.