Hike #760; Pedricktown to Fort Mott

Hike #760; Pedricktown to Fort Mott

3/29/14 Pedricktown to Fort Mott with Lerch (Michael Clark), Jennifer Berndt, Erika Daniels, Lyz Hagenbuch, Ric Giantisco, Stephen Argentina, Oscar Alvaredo, and Omri Afir.

The group in bags...

Our next trip was another in the Jersey Perimeter series, which has come to be a staple at the end of every month. The series has been absolutely amazing since I've shifted doing them from Camden south bound; I've learned so much more about an area that I've never given much thought to, and probably not many others do either.

The weather forecast was certainly enough to scare a good number of people off of this hike. Certainly, the hike was not for the faint of heard. Only the most intrepid within the Metrotrails family would enjoy this hike. For me, the hike was almost pure ecstasy.

I anxiously look forward to each new hike I do, and I daydream about what the places might look like that I know only from maps and a few random pictures. Just as important is the knowledge that I do not have to embark on these journeys alone. Seeing my core group members always seems like a joyous reunion for me, even if it's only been a week since we'd last met. I was especially glad to have such a strong and supportive group for this hike, as the week had been particularly frustrating for me.

The Metrotrails group has always been a second family for me. Of course, when we spend so much time covering so much distance together, we all become so much closer. In my previous hike's journal, I touched on the comparisons people have made to religious groups or cults. Indeed, we are deviant compared to other hiking groups in practice, but we lack most of the key characteristics associated with cult mentality. I don't take excessive control of participants, insist on unquestioning obedience, nor to I attempt to separate anyone from the outside world or make it difficult for anyone to leave should they decide it's not for them. I also tend to think of myself more as a Patriarch than an "Alpha Male" or anything of that sort.

I find that there are people who join the hikes who are at the top of their game, hosting popular websites, holders of great jobs or positions, or whatever, and they come because there is something they want, something special a group like this offers. After time, they find it was something they needed. Similarly, there are people at the bottom, people who knew they needed something more out of life, people coming because they lost a loved one or went through a divorce. They join us and fill that void, then continue to come out because it's something they want. Both groups end up on the same plane, and what we have is something beautiful.

Occasionally, we have people who join us who have that "pack animal" mentality, people who feel the need to usurp a prestigious designation, despite the fact that such designations are rather irrelevant in our circle. Usually, such people decide that the group is not for them (which is not often), and they move on with something of a better fit for them. Unfortunately, there are occasions where such people come my way and feel the need to push. In my years leading hikes through Appalachian Mountain Club, fellow leaders would send me caustic messages insisting that the only reason I was leading long hikes was to receive the annual high mileage award, and I would get complaints for various reasons with the sole purpose of "shutting me down" as I was told. On one occasion, a participant complained that a hike I led moved at a snail's pace, then when that didn't work changed his complaint that the hike was too fast for him. Over the next two years I was "docked 100 miles credit" for trespassing, when an AMC employee was on my hike and determined that we were not, then again for swimming in water over my head. I was even docked mileage because participants on one of my hikes used "crude language", and another time because participants were smoking cigarettes (not even close to anyone in the group). This was all fueled by jealousy due to a designation I was given that I did not ask for, nor did I have much interest in.

In most cases, individuals who cause these conflicts leave on their own accord and it soon merits no further discussion. However, in the 24 hours following my Warren Railroad hike the previous week, a situation arose that I could no longer ignore, and the number of people being forced into the associated drama by no choice of my own leads me to address it here.

The week prior to this hike, I banned a long time participant from Metrotrails, something I had never done in 17 years. I'd dealt with seemingly endless gossip, lies spread about myself and my friends, unwelcome advances, a threat of a lawsuit and police action for frivolous reasons, insulting one of my best friends as a husband and father, and using others for personal favor or to get my attention. I remained patient for longer than was deserved. She even went so far as to warning me: "You can never ban me from this group".

On Sunday, after hearing about more negative comments, I decided I needed to end it once and for all. I could see it only deteriorating again, her presence leading to discord and tension within the group. I knew that her expulsion would be a headache for myself and all mutual friends, but the time had come. Nothing could have prepared me for the Tsunami of e mails and text messages I would recieve. Five came within five minutes of removal. Apparently almost all mutual friends on line received messages complaining about me immediately. I've even got the threatening word "I've got someone taking care of my problem with him..."

And so, if anyone reading this knows to whom I refer, please kindly ask not to be included in this if you are contacted.

Every day during the week I received more and more messages from more people asking what was going on, all as a result of one stubborn and obsessive person. It felt like a poison that just kept spreading, and I very badly needed a positive experience.

The forecast called for rain all day. I set the meeting point as Fort Mott State Park, a former military installment that was in operation from the 1890s until 1922. The previous Jersey Perimeter hike ended up going far over the intended mileage, and there was still a lot more that I'd intended to do. I had originally separated the missing section from Pedtricktown to Fort Mott into two separate hikes. In the weeks prior to this hike, I decided to change it and make it one longer hike.

Lerch was in the parking lot when I arrived, and the others soon followed. We moved cars to a small lot that doesn't get shut after dark, just in case, then shuttled north to Pedricktown. We had walked near here on the previous hike, which ended at Penn's Grove, but the last five miles of that were a road walk. We had missed out on some amazing dredge spoil ponds I wanted to explore, but it had gotten too dark.

We parked at a nice pull off area on the corner of Railroad Ave and Lerro Road. While getting our stuff together, Oscar shared some delicious wine he'd picked up in the previous week. I spotted a police car coming just in time to hide it. Once we were ready to go, we followed Railroad Ave north toward Crown Point Road.

At Crown Point Road, there was an abandoned service station or something on the left, and a business with an abandoned building on the right. We turned right to follow Crown Point Road for a bit.

We reached an abandoned house that I checked out the previous time, and ran to get to it quickly. There was a lot of foreboding graffiti, some saying that trespassers would be shot in the head. Since the last time I was there, the house was in the process of a slow demolition. There were sledge hammers inside and full garbage bags. Erika found a few trash bags laying out in the abandoned house, so we grabbed them to use for ponchos should we need them. We dashed from the back up a pathway that led onto the dredge spoil ponds beyond.

I had wanted to do this section the previous time, but it was far too dark to see anything, and I wanted it to be worth it.

We stayed on the lower of a couple of roads going around the outside as to stay out of sight. Lyz had found an article that said they allow people to walk these things to bird watch, which was of course part of what we do. I recall only seeing Great Blue Herons this time around though.

The road around the outside led parallel soon with Oldman's Creek, then out past it's confluence with the Delaware. The rain was very very light for a bit, and it became very pleasant to walk. Once we were along the Delaware, we passed the pond we were parallel to, then immediately paralleled another.

As we walked, Lerch headed up to the top road, since we were out of sight of the main roads. From there, we found one of those strange metal structures we'd climbed on when hiking in to National Park two months prior. Again, we climbed all over this one, which had decks and some guide wires to cross.

Dredge Spoiling

We continued from there along the edge of the ponds until we reached what seemed like the end and a more main access lane headed south. We heard the loud sounds of a motor that seemed like it was coming from inland, but it's possible it was the sound of tug boats we saw out in the Delaware. We headed quickly into a wooded section from here, even though there was a dock we would have liked to explore. A giant pipe followed much of the dredge spoil roads.

We continued on the sandy road parallel with the river, and I found a construction helmet hanging from a tree and put it on Stephen. We continued until there was an access to a riverside beach to the right, and headed over to it. We ended up following the narrow riverside beach down stream toward some sort of gushing pipe, apparently letting water out of the dredge spoil.

Lerch checked out an abandoned building ruin with Ric, and then we followed the woods road for a bit more. The road went back out to the water eventually, and we had to follow whatever paths we could. Lerch and I tried to climb up a high berm with a view of what was probably a former dredge spoil, now wetland. There were a couple of deer trails which we tried our best to follow, but it got a little difficult. Unfortunately, we went too far and I soon saw the access roads to the DOD Ponds Wildlife Management Area, our next public land. We couldn't find a way back to where we were supposed to be that would be easy, so I waded across a section of mucky silt filled water in a path through the phragmites. The others eventually followed my lead and just got wet. Our feet were pretty much soaked from walking in the rain anyway.

From the road, we headed back over to the river where people were fishing. We avoided their poles and lines and started following the Delaware down stream once more, again following narrow beach. There was a hole in a chain link fence that paralleled the river, and we went through to see if we could find an easy route, but there was really nothing good.

The narrow beach involved us getting a little wet at times, but it was overall very pretty. We soon came into view of the edge of Penn's Grove. We were able to walk in land and through an open gate in a chain link fence, which led us out to Park Avenue. We followed the road and a little swath of a park with some benches, then went left on 5th Ave. This led to a right on Delaware Ave where we passed the entrance to the boro sign. We continued on Delaware Avenue to North Main Street. Lyz was in contact with Omri on the phone, who was to join us late, but somehow he ended up going to Pennsville instead of Penn's Grove, so he would be a bit behind us.

Just before North Main Street, we reached an abandoned and partially collapsed building on the right, followed by an abandoned and collapsing old truss bridge that led out to a small island on the Delaware. This looked particularly interesting, and so we all ran over to it to explore.

Lyz and Ric were out on the bridge first, as Lerch was still in the abandoned building exploring. It looked strong enough to support plenty of weight, although it was mangled quite a lot.

Historic view of Penn's Grove Pier

As soon as Lerch and everyone else arrived, they were out on the bridge climbing around. Lerch of course made it out the furthest of everyone. Some of the span was now out into the water. I wondered what this structure could have been about.

Abandoned Penn's Grove Pier

Normally, I have to do plenty of research to see what these places were, but one of the best things about truly curious people is that they take it upon themselves to find things out. This time, I didn't have to do the resarch, Oscar was able to find some interesting information himself! Here is what he found:

In 1892, the Wilmington and New Jersey

Steamboat Company purchased a piece of land (at the foot of what is now

Main Street) and built a wharf (pier) for steamboats. The original wharf

was frail and destroyed by ice flows

during the winters of 1830 and 1831. Charles Elkinton, owner of the

Elkinton's Grove brought the wharf in 1848, made improvements, and

strengthened the bridge, but once again it was destroyed by the ice

flows in 1854. In 1855, Charles Elkinton sold the old pier for $3,000 to

the Pennsgrove Pier Company. In the winter of 1895 a vast area of ice

in the river broke loose and carried away the middle of the wharf and

the shed at the end. It was not until the dredging of the river, some

years later, that the ice flows diminished. A popular side-wheeler, the

Major Reybold, as it is seen on the picture, docked on the pier in

Penns Grove. The Major Reybold was built in 1853 by the Thomas Reybold

Company. It was well-known for the beautiful tone of the silver ship's

bell that beckoned passengers on board. It was said that the bell was

made from 500 silver dollars.

We continued on from here along a nicely made riverside walkway. It was very cloudy over the river, and to the west I could barely see the Delaware Memorial Bridges, and to the east I could barely see the Commodore Barry Bridge.

The walkway ended when we reached Railroad Avenue. There was an abandoned house there, probably from recent storm damage. It was the first of many vacant homes we'd pass. I had commented at one point that I really like some hikes to be done in gloomy weather, because it adds to the ambiance of a place. This was no exception; the depressed formerly booming residential area where people once commuted to and from Carney's Point Dupont plant (and probably still do to a degree) now had many abandoned homes. The gloomy weather added to the effect, like a movie set intending to provoke a certain mood.

We followed Mill Street to Cove Road to State Street, staying as close as we could to the Delaware. The railroad tracks crossed State Street right by where Cove Street intersected. It was the same line we'd followed on a previous Jersey Perimeter hike, former Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Line that stays near to the river in this area. We had discussed where to stop and eat, and everybody seemed not to favor Pizza for once. I found an interesting looking Mexican restaurant on my phone, and it appeared to be right on our route. Ric reminded me that we'd taken a long time so far, and that we might be better served to continue on or eat on the go. Everyone was soaking with though, and I think we were all getting cold. I stopped into a porta john along the way to have a look at the maps without getting my phone soaked, and found that the restaurant was right there by where we were standing. Everyone else had already gone in pretty much by the time I got out. Omri also met up with us just before this point, having found a spot to park on one of the side streets we were walking. I was concerned that he didn't have a poncho!

We made our way over to El Sabor Latino, right next to the railroad crossing. It was nice just to sit down and get some of my wet clothes off. I went to the restroom and changed into a dry shirt that I'd had in my bag. I think we were all pretty hungry too. It was about $5 for a burrito, which really isn't that bad when you get a big one like they served. Lerch was so good as to even pick up the check.

We really had a nice time at the restaurant. My burrito was a little shy with the meat, but Lerch got Fajitas which actually had a very generous portion, which he shared.

Lunch break!!! At El Sabor Latino

The proprietors of the establishment were happy for our patronage, even though we were sopping wet and left puddles with mud and dredge spoil all over the floor! We left them a pretty good tip I believe for their hospitality.

Before heading out, we pulled out the garbage bags Erika had picked up earlier, and I cut each one with slits for arms and head. We each had an additional garbage bag poncho to finish the hike in, which would keep us warmer, dryer, and happier for the remainder of the trip.

We headed out and followed the railroad tracks for a while. They closely paralleled Plant Road, and we were able to turn off to the right for a bit on a short trail along a berm beside the Delaware. I turned left where the trail returned to Plant Road, but the others kept on the beach. When I saw they weren't following me, I had to run back and get them. The route they were taking would have led them into the DuPont plant, which would not have boded well, as we would soon find out.

We continued along the Plant Road briefly, which came to a fence and was abandoned beyond into the DuPont property. We kept on the tracks, parallel with a few cars, and eventually were parallel with Rt 130, Shell Road in the town of Carney's Point. We passed a sign on the tracks that read "Deep", which I assume was for the yard approaching the next town of Deepwater.

Erika continued to grab random railroad spikes and heavy metal objects to stick into Lerch's pack, joking about the heavy packs he and Brandan had to carry for Rachel on the hike we had done the previous September in Warren County. Lyz, Ric, and I got really far ahead somehow; I figure Lerch was climbing on trains which must have gotten someone's attention at DuPont. Someone pulled over along the road and told Lyz that they were sending security out. We waited and motioned them to get off of the tracks and walk on the road, even though they were exactly parallel. The security guy eventually came out and Lyz apologized to him or something. I don't think that was good enough for him, because he pulled over along the road just ahead of us, and again when we got to another entrance road, where the tracks turned right away from Rt 130, the guy in his white truck pulled onto the nearest road to the tracks and waited to see which way we were going. We continued through an island of trees and just stayed parallel with the tracks.

We stayed on Shell Road to the bridge over the Salem Canal. This canal might have been used for water power, but it is actually the outlet for the Salem River into the Delaware. It appears that the former estuary where the river would have naturally let out had been filled in for the DuPont facility at some time in the past, and the current canal channel was constructed. Immediately after crossing the canal on the road bridge, we turned right on Canal Street, closely parallel with the highway heading to the Delaware Memorial Bridges, at the 295 interchange.

Delaware Memorial Bridges

We continued on Canal Street until we got to where the railroad crossed it's bridge over the Salem Canal. We then turned abruptly to the left to follow the tracks. They were somewhat overgrown in this area, but not so much that a train couldn't get down them if they wanted one to. The tracks stayed closely parallel to the on ramp to the Delaware Memorial Bridges, which were now in good view.

These bridges, the second longest Twin Span Suspension Bridges in the world, are the only bridge crossings between the states of Delaware and NJ. The first span of the bridges opened in 1951 and was dedicated to Veterans killed in World War II. The second span opened in 1968 and was dedicated to Veterans killed in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. After refurbishing the original span, both opened to traffic together in 1969.

The bridge was designed by a firm called HNTB, with consulting help from world renowned engineer <a>Othmar Ammann</a> who designed bridges including the Walt Whitman and Verazzano Narrows.

We continued along the tracks, which paralleled Canal Road. The road was gated prior to the part we were on, but there were no signs saying not to walk this section of the tracks so we just hurried along. The tracks soon turned to the left and led directly under the Delaware Memorial Bridges, with razor wire topped chain link fences on both sides. It was a little weird to see that we were between these razor wire fences, and that it looked as though they were more to keep people our of where we were rather than the opposite. The tracks soon led us into undeveloped land ahead, with brushy vegetation and trees, so we were fine. A former junction with another track was to the left, and it appeared that the rails had only been removed from this section within the year because there was nothing growing out of where they were. Ties were in place, but no rails.

We turned slightly to the right, and a beautiful old power plant came into view to the right. We continued from the tracks across an open meadow heading directly south from here. I didn't want to head closer to any of the buildings. We cut through a section of woods, off trail, and then came to another road, also labeled Canal Street on Google, but unconnected with the previous one. Where we emerged there was a giant hedge row, which I had everyone wait behind while I looked at the maps on my phone to be sure of where we were going. We then crossed the road to a baseball field, then found a trail that led through the woods to the south and out to the Church Landing Farm and Museum property, an historic site with a home constructed in 1860. We were able to follow the driveway out of this place and onto Church Landing Road.

We turned right on North River Drive and began following it south, into the town of Pennsville, an historic riverside town first settled in the mid 1600s, although we didn't really see any remaining historic homes. We remained on River Drive until we got to Riverview Beach Park. A nice pathway followed the waterfront here, and offered splendid views of the Delaware Memorial Bridges to the north. There was also a nice little pond on the inland side.

Delaware Memorial Bridges from Pennsville

We continued out of the park and had to follow a couple of streets around some sort of restaurant building, then walked along Enlow Place, the closest road to the river. Ric and I got up in the front, but then ended up at a dead end that I didn't anticipate, with no good way through. We had to turn back, but we cut across someone's yard to get to Riviera Drive. With all of the rain, I don't think anyone was expected to be outside, let alone would they pay attention to what was out the window.

The homes ended and we were able to walk directly along the Delaware on a swath of grass beside Riviera Drive. There were these giant pipes spewing out water periodically as we went by, which was rather interesting. This was just before reaching a section known as Kelly's Point. I assume the outlet pipe was the way for the water to from Stonebank Creek to flow into the Delaware. The creek is shown on USGS quad maps, but it's confluence with the Delaware is nowhere to be found.

We soon reached the end of Riviera Drive, where Industrial Park Road turned off to the left. There was a guy hanging out and fishing at this area, and a gated roadway to some sort of dump area with a "dump closed" sign on it. Just down Industrial Park Road a bit, a police car sat within plain view. We stood still for a few moments. I knew I didn't want to go out and follow the road from here, because it would mean up to two or three more miles than I'd previously anticipated. I wanted to head directly south along the river and dredge spoils. Along the river there were  no signs saying not to walk the beach section. I decided to just go for it.

We continued walking along the river side south, and we came to the confluence with Miles Creek. Tide was low, so the creek was not deep at all. I waded right across it without an issue, although I think Lerch told me it was very seriously deep where he tried. Lyz, Stephen, and I walked up the dry low tide portion of the Delaware into an area that would normally be under water, in a channel that separated an island full of trees from the rest of the shore. We continued until we found an abandoned blue car sitting in the silt.

Abandoned car in the Delaware silt

We climbed up onto the car in order to step up onto an ATV path out of the tidal area. The others had opted to cross some sort of structure over the creek to continue on the ATV path. I ended up having to go back and check on them. When I looked around the corner, someone was standing where we had first come down, just watching us. I could tell by the figure that he was facing us directly and watching. There was no one standing there before. I figured that police officer must have moved on up to the corner and checked on what we were doing. We just kept on going.

The ATV path followed along the short line, weaving back and forth, and it was actually quite a nice section. We did have to walk through some deep mud puddles, but at this point it really didn't matter, we were all drenched. The path led left out to a field, probably a former dredge spoil area, then cut back into more scrubby woods. We eventually emerged along the river at a beach area, directly below a large dredge spoil.

A strange curiosity of this place is that it is the boundary between the states of Delaware and New Jersey. We actually walked in Delaware for a little bit. The reason for this strange boundary is the 12 Mile Circle. If one were to look at a map of Delaware, the famous Arc Boundary on the north side forms part of a circle that dates back to surveys from the 1700s. The center of this circle was the city of New Castle, DE. Because of this, the boundary of NJ and DE was left at the tide line along the Delaware, rather than the center of the river which is the traditional boundary elsewhere. The area of Finn's Point, an early Finn and Swede community dating to the 1630s, became the home of Finn's Point National Cemetery where soldiers of both the Union and Confederate Armies were interred after losing their lives in local Civil War battles. Following the Civil War, Fort Mott was constructed along the Delaware in that area to protect the nearby DuPont facility, and the area around Finn's Point became an early dredge spoil area, where the silt from digging the Delaware's ship channel was discarded.

The area around Finn's Point began to stick out of the water and grow with the expansion of the dredge spoil, and at some point before the 1930s it was realized that this was no longer part of the NJ boundary; it was Delaware.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated the area Kilcohook National Wildlife Refuge, which still appears on maps today. Unfortunately, the sludge and such at the site did not make for a great habitat, and so in 1998, congress revoked it's designation and turned it back over to the Army Corps of Engineers to re-use as an active dredge spoil once again, which remains it's sole use.

The only other part of Delaware that is attached to NJ is a smaller place called Artificial Island near the Salem Nuclear Power Plant, which we will certainly not be able to walk.

We made our way to the left from this, where there were large pipes heading out into the river, and climbed through some tall vegetation to the top of the dredge spoil and continued south. The road around the rim of the dredge spoil was insanely slippery. We all took a few falls I believe on the spoils during the day.

Nearing the end...in the state of Delaware. Don't tax me!

During the last leg of the way, I became annoyed and frustrated with the drama that had ensued from the previous week. I seem to keep hearing more and more people getting involved, and so it was starting to get to me.

It just kept getting darker as we continued. There was no one around, and we could see well enough. At least we weren't under shade at this point. We started being able to see the lights at Fort Mott as we neared that area. The rim of the spoil pond turned to the left, away from the river side, and there was some sort of woods road that seemed to head toward the park. I wasn't sure this was something we'd be able to get though, so I went ahead on the dredge spoil road to see if I could find a way out near the road we parked on.

I was able to get to the road, and the gate was wide open leading back to where we parked. I hurried back to my car, found my keys, and jumped in to try to retrieve my friends. I actually managed to get my car up onto the muddy dredge spoil road, drove past a sitting bulldozer and went back up to where I could see the Delaware River below me. I was afraid my car might slide on off into the spoils. No one was anywhere to be found, and I couldn't get cell contact. Finally, I heard from Jen, and they were within the park heading to the road. I managed to carefully back out to the bulldozer, where I could turn around, and then headed back out of the spoil area to the park, where I found everyone.

Everyone made plans to go out and have dinner somewhere, but I had a long drive home, and I'd have to do it alone. I knew that if I ate, I'd be very tired and with no one to talk to it'd be hard for me to stay awake (it's hard enough even when I do have someone to talk to). Part of me wanted to go, but I was also just too frustrated and needed to get away and cool off.

It was a good thing I left when I did. The rain began coming down even heavier. It was difficult to see, and I began feeling my fatigue setting in. We covered about 22 miles, and the rain and extra strain of trying to balance over the muddy surfaces takes an added toll. I stopped for a small Taco bell meal and an iced tea to keep me going strong for the ride back, but I was still getting more tired all the time.

With the traffic, limited sight, and slippery conditions it took me 3 hours and 22 minutes to get home, only to find more frustration upon looking on the internet. I was ready for the day to be over, but I was also relieved.

In the weeks prior, things had been improving for me on all fronts from relationship to work. The hikes had been going great, and I'd purged that of just one more frustration that will continue to improve.

The positivity within this group was far too great for anyone or anything to bring down. Even the elements, in conditions that would bring almost anyone down, we managed to have a fantastic day of laughter, fun, and fellowship. I am so thankful to have all of you as friends. You've enriched my life with your support and company.

Check out the video Oscar made about this hike...it was every bit as fun as what it shows!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=823510214329841&set=vb.100000126103461&type=2&theater