Hike #1201; New Egypt to Bordentown
2/23/19 New Egypt to Bordentown with Justin Gurbisz, Michele Valerio, Kevin Kowalick, Jack Lowry, Sarah Jones, Ellie Zabeth, Cupcake (Chris Kroschinski), Rob Gearhardt, Shane Blische, Ric Giantisco, Lyz Abeth, Jennifer Berndt, Lerch (Kralc Leahcim), Craig Craig, Serious Sean Dougherty, Michael Krejsa, Ricardo Alejandro Furstein, David Goldberg, Diane Reider, James Quinn, David Ellison, and Stephanie ?.
Engine 4-4-0 #5 seen in New Egypt NJ in 1935
Some historic dissertations by Shane Blische, shown in italics.
This next one would be a point to point return to some of the old railroad lines we had last followed in April of 2017. On that one, we followed the old Union Transportation line/Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad south from Hightstown and finished in New Egypt.
That section was really interesting, from the former Camden and Amboy Railroad south. The first sections of it were in rough shape, along power lines, but not developed as trail.
Crosswicks Crek
We inadvertently trespassed over farm lands to the south of there, and then it’s Union Transportation Trail from there to New Egypt. After the Ocean County line, it’s mostly unimproved with ties still in place, but in Monmouth County, it’s kind of wide and overdone as far as trails go. The hike I was looking at would be different than that one entirely.
I wanted to do a hike that would somehow connect with where we had been in New Egypt, or otherwise connect with the Roebling NJ area where we’d been on the final NJ Perimeter hike.
Penn Central GE 44-toner #9999 with a Conrail caboose on the Crosswicks Creek bridge at New Egypt on March 31st, 1977. This was the final train to run between Imlaystown and New Egypt. Chuck Killian photo
The rail bed in New Egypt
I started going over the maps, for areas to the east, north, and west. I was at first leaning toward connecting to the Pemberton area, but then realized that the old Kinkora Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad also broke off just out of Roebling, and we had followed a piece of that on the final perimeter hike. I scaled off a route that came to 19.5 miles.
The previous couple of Long Island hikes we’d done were the distance I had scaled them at, and yet we were done super early. I figured this one, on old rail beds that would be pretty flat, we should be able to do at least that. 19.5 wasn’t that bad.
The old rail bed
I found a section of new trail on the maps that had been constructed where the Kinkora Branch was inaccessible on private lands. It looked like a promising hike.
We had a very good showing for this one; much higher than I’d anticipated.
We met at Crystal Lake Park at Kinkora, just south of Bordentown NJ at a little parking area off of Rt 130, where we’d walked by on that last perimeter hike. We then shuttled in as few cars as possible to the New Egypt Marketplace, a mom and pop style grocery store.
Final train to run through New Egypt on March 31st, 1977 crossing Evergreen Rd. Chuck Killian photo.
The turntable at New Egypt in 1947. The turntable is now preserved at the Pine Creek Railroad in Allaire State Park. Thurlow Haunton photo
One of Union Transportation's locomotives at New Egypt in 1946. UT began leasing Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives shortly after as replacements as their own locomotives were becoming antiquated. Thurlow Haunton photo
The Crosswicks Creek bridge at New Egypt in 1947. Thurlow Haunton photo
The rail bed below New Egypt
Everyone had a chance to go in and get whatever supplies they needed for the way, and then we gathered for introductions and to get out to the railroad bed.
We walked around the back of the store to the right, with the Crosswicks Creek parallel with us, and this led us out to the old railroad bed.
The Pemberton and Highstown Railroad was completed for it’s 24 mile length from it’s two namesakes in 1868. The Camden and Amboy Railroad bought most of the stock, and so were in control of the line.
South of New Egypt
As such, Pennsylvania Railroad became controller after it’s future acquisitions. The Pennsy continued to own the line, but the Union Transportation Company was created to run the line in 1888. This is where the Union Transportation Trail takes it’s name. The height of service on the line was around 1910, though another resurgence happened when Fort Dix Air Force Base was constructed and the line was regularly used. Pennsylvania Railroad resumed operations eventually, but because the Pemberton and Hightstown was not included in Conrail, it continued operations on it’s own when Pennsylvania Railroad went to Conrail. Passenger service continued until 1931, but could not compete with buses and growing automobile popularity.
"What fresh new hell..."
Freight service continued regularly until construction of the New Jersey Turnpike. This severed the line, and the first section south of Highstown was abandoned. In 1977, the railroad could no longer fund it’s operations and NJ Department of Transportation made them close. Other sections of the line were abandoned in sections starting in the 1950s, and all but the section to Fort Dix was abandoned by 1980. The remaining stub remained in service, but Fort Dix no longer needed coal for it’s operations, and so the remainder of the line to Mt. Holly was abandoned in 1984. Monmouth County Park Commission purchased the first section and opened it as Union Transportation Trail in 2010, with other sections to follow soon after.
We climbed to the fill and turned to the right. There were nice views to the Crosswicks Creek to the north, and we followed the rail bed out to where it used to cross the creek on a wooden bridge. Pieces of the abutments still remain today.
Mischief
The town of New Egypt, like so many other old towns, was founded around the creek. The earliest known name of the settlement was “Plumstead’s”, named for Clement Plumstead of London, who in 1699 was granted 1,700 acres including the current town location. In 1845, a forty square mile area was named Plumstead Township in honor of it’s founder, and much of the land still bears the name today. At one point, the main settlement was two separate towns named Newport and Snuff Mill.
The rail bed below New Egypt
It has been documented in the 1700s that it was known simply as Egypt, but there is no documentation of when the name was changed to New Egypt.
Briefly, from late 1869 until early 1870, it was voted that the town’s name be changed to “Oakford”, but was then changed back to New Egypt.
We turned the opposite direction from the former railroad bridge and started following the right of way to the southwest. There was a power line on it most the entire way we followed.
Messy bridge
We passed by a few houses, and then came to the former crossing with Jacobstown Road. We followed it through the parking area of a sort of garden center or something on the other side, and I was very happy to see that it was in pretty good shape. Much of the right of way had obviously been cleared somewhat recently.
The right of way remained pretty close to Cookstown-New Egypt Road, but was never so close really that I noticed it. I thought when I planned it that this section might be boring and feel like a forced road walk, but that wasn’t the case at all at first.
Bridge fun
It was such easy walking that the group was immediately becoming segmented.
The first abandoned old farm structure or whatever it was on our left, Lerch was climbing into it. It was good to have him back after such a long hiatus he had in Kansas.
Everything remained clear and easy until we got to some sort of a power line access road crossing. Then, it got a bit more overgrown. We found out why in short order.
A little tributary that flows into Oakford Lake to the east passed under the right of way had a wooden beam bridge over it that was in pretty bad shape. The vertical timbers were all still in place, but only one of the beams across the span was still in place, and a second one was sitting angled and leaning against the only remaining one. A third one was down into the creek, and other timbers were situated in such a way that people could cross the creek below on it.
Usually, I can go across something as simple as this without a problem, but this time I was actually feeling a little bit of vertigo. Justin I think went before me, as well as Lerch.
Bridge site
I held back for a bit, and then finally got myself over it. Most of the group went down to cross the easier way.
Just after the bridge, the rail bed skirted the south side of the California Village mobile home park. Cupcake called me around this time to try to meet up late, and I gave him a couple of places we’d be going.
We crossed the entrance to the mobile home park and continued below more trailers. Just after that, we crossed another tributary that flowed down toward Oakford Lake and Crosswicks Creek.
Bridge ruin
This one was piped, and had clearly washed out from the backup of water behind it over the years. The pipe, which had some bricks lining the outside, was still intact, but all of the fill was gone from the top. We had to climb down and back up the other side here.
Once we climbed up the other side, we were at an apartment complex. It was kind of a crap complex with stuff out back, and people were already looking at us weird. A woman in the back stared at us as we walked by.
Culvert in place, but fill washed away
I didn’t want to have a problem, because even though it looked like a common lot on the rail bed, they were clearly using it as their own.
Tributary to North Run
We turned left and walked around the front of their complex on sidewalks, and then turned at the other end of it again to head into the woods.
I found out later that Elizabeth, who was near the rear of the group, was accosted by a lady who told her that it was private, and that the right of way is where the power lines are, nowhere else. It probably diffused the situation having her talk to them, but I do recall hearing sirens and such after that, and wondering if it had anything to do with our ramblings.
The washed away fill atop the piping
We cut directly into a swath of trees adjacent to the power line, bullied through, and then came to a clearing with a private road access. A sort of farm road continued through a field that was open to the left, with a line of trees on the right, along the former rail bed. We hurried across there. It went past one private home before it got back to more of a tree line.
It wasn’t as easy walking as what we’d been doing, but we go through. It was a little wet, so we had to switch back and forth between the track bed and an adjacent access road.
Washed out fill area
We skirted also a section of a paint ball course known as Fireball Mountain. I think there was also a church property in there. We eventually came out to Meany Road where we regrouped. We skirted closely to one more back yard before coming out, and a house near it had a caboose sitting out front. We didn’t go to have a better look because I just wanted to get out of there.
This area was known as Cookstown.
We crossed another brook on the other side, and then continued to Railroad Ave, which is part built on the old rail bed.
A pastoral section
We walked this out to Jacobstown-Cookstown Road, and crossed over parallel with a private farm lane. Someone using the lane to get from their home slowed and waved warmly at us, so that was nice at least.
We continued into a more densely wooded section after the parallel access road turned off by a house, and eventually came to where there was a large chain link fence blocking the way. It seemed like we were a bit far from the McGuire Air Force Base, but it was an imposing fence.
Shane is happy to see ties
There was sort of a deer path to the left, so we went up that, and then headed to the right to something called North Chapel. There was a paved path there that led off over the right of way to an apartment complex to the north, so we went in there, and were then easily able to walk the rail bed again.
Cupcake joined us somewhere in here, and I’m not sure how he got to us. He just showed up on the right of way somewhere.
We crossed Boiling Blvd and tried to continue straight, but the rail bed got to be absolute crap. I turned off to the right of it, hit another old woods road thing that turned left and recrossed the line, and then emerged at the north side of a development off of Scott Street on a paved trail. I figured we’d follow it to the west just a bit and get back on the railroad bed. We tried to do this, but then there was a giant fence on the other side where we couldn’t get through. We returned to the access road that went across, and then bullied through again on the railroad bed. This was the worst part of the hike.
The rail bed
It was getting terrible when I finally was able to get into a grassy area of a park on the north side of the rail bed. Half the group was still bushwhacking and didn’t notice they could get over where I was faster.
I wanted everyone to regroup, but it was a good thing that Lerch went and scouted ahead. When the rest of us started walking again, Lerch called me on my cell.
He said to continue to the fence, turn left, then go through the hole and be quick.
I didn’t ask any further questions. I shouted out to the group, who were all pretty close at this time, to just hurry and move ahead, cross the next road, and don’t stop.
Dah rail bed
I followed Lerch’s instructions, and there was a small hole, directly on the railroad bed adjacent to the road. I hurried through, dashed across to the tree line, and then looked back. It took a while to get our big group through, but they all got through.
This had apparently been military base housing and we didn’t know it. The gate was open on the east side, and no signs were posted where we went in. Only Mike K noticed one sign that was on a segment of fence not in the direction we were going near the church. Fortunately, we had no problem.
The rail bed hooray
We continued west of Jones Mill Road parallel with yet another trailer park. It was a bit weedy here, but after the trailer park things got a lot easier. There was an access road that came in from there. I was so glad that section was over with.
After a very nice wooded section, we came to another undecked old wooden beam bridge that crosses a branch of the North Run, a tributary to the Crosswicks Creek. This one was in reasonable enough shape to easily walk across.
Just after this bridge, we came to the crossing of Route 680, the McGuire access highway.
Bastards
After that, we had another good section of woods and clear right of way, and we skirted another development to the right. This led us to yet another section of nice woods.
The rail bed
We soon came to yet another beam bridge, the best one yet, over the North Run. This main branch of the North Run is the main tributary to the Crosswicks Creek. Beyond, the rail bed was totally clear and emerged near houses and such entering Wrightstown.
When we got to Main Street, I let everyone know we would be stopping for lunch somewhere in this area. When I found out Taco Bell was just down the street, it was all over. I wanted to go there. Most of us did end up going down there, and I also went across the street to the liquor store for something.
A leased Pennsylvania Railroad bobber caboose at New Egypt in 1950. Thurlow Haunton photo
Penn Central locomotive #9999 at Wrightstown in 1976. Photograph by John Stone.
Wrightstown today
They had literally nothing good, so I ended up buying Four Loco for the first time in a while to have with my meal. The guys at the Taco Bell were really friendly and good humored about us taking up the whole place.
North Run tributary bridge
Once we were done eating, I went up to the Wendy’s to get the rest of the group.
The rail bed
My plan had to change a bit at this point, because I was originally planning to head to the south, but that was a gated entrance to Fort Dix Military Base. It’s an air force facility that started out as Camp Dix in 1917. Now, it’s the joint McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst facility. Rather than go through the more direct way I wanted to, we had to go north. We turned around, and then went to the left on Main Street which became Saylors Pond Road heading west.
We did pass an old church, I think Methodist, on the left, with a cemetery behind it.
Old church in Wrightstown
The windows of the lower level were boarded off, and it looks like they have been for a long time.
The church was built in 1836, or rebuilt according to the date near the peak.
North Run bridge
We continued past other entrances to the base until we got to Rt 68. We skirted the fences until there, and even though some of this highway had military signs on it, we managed to walk south on it for a bit.
US Army ALCo-GE diesel #8653 at Fort Dix in 1958. Fort Dix had their own rail line which shuttled troops and supplies. Supplies were delivered by Union Transportation in addition to coal for their power plant.
Rail bed
Troop trains headed south for Lewistown, switching onto the Kinkora Branch.
Fort Dix began as Camp Dix, established in 1917 as a staging and training compound during World War 1 in honor of Major General John Adams Dix who fought in the Civil War and the War of 1812. During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps were trained there. Camp Dix was renamed Fort Dix in 1939 and in 2009 merged with Lakehurst Naval Air Station and McGuire Air Force Base to become Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Fort Dix trained soldiers during World War Two, the Korea War, The Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq War and Afghanistan War.
In addition to a standard gauge railroad, Fort Dix also had a 24 inch narrow gauge railroad for shuttling troops to proving grounds and shooting ranges.
The Fort Dix engine house and warehouses that were used to drop off materials from trains in 2017. 2017 Bill Grimes photo
The narrow gauge railroad was in operation from 1921 to 1947. Baldwin steam locomotives and Plymouth gas powered diesels were used on the line.
A Conrail train at Mount Holly bound for Fort Dix in the late 1970s. Military vehicles are en route to be delivered at the base. Fort Dix ceased taking in deliveries by rail in 1979, so Conrail abandoned the remaining ex Union Transportation line from Fort Dix to Pemberton along with the ex PRR Atlantic Division from Pemberton to Mount Holly. Track was torn up during 1983 and 1984. John Stone photo below.
John Stone photo
After we reached the intersection with Juliustown Road, we turned to the right briefly, then into the woods. We bushwhacked from there down gradually to reach the railroad bed once again. It would be free and clear from here until we turned off of it.
John Stone photo
Of interest in this section was a spur off to the left. There was actually another to the right that I’d totally missed.
Fort Dix Equipment on flatcar is for a Bomarc missile.
I inadvertently caught a photo with it, but didn’t even notice until looking at the map and going back to compare. Neither this or the one I noted to the left were that consequential.
On the rail bed
They just went a short distance to military buildings and ended.
We continued on the nice and clear right of way ahead toward Juliustown-Browns Mill Road. Just before this, a connection broke off to the right to the northbound former Kinkora Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which I didn’t notice at the time. That line would be our next step on this trip.
The area was once a station stop, and must have been a rather substantial settlement, known as Lewistown, but it looks as though literally no buildings exist from it any more.
The Kinkora Branch is a rather forgotten but quite interesting and very early rail line.
The Camden and Amboy Railroad, America’s first regular civilian passenger railroad between Camden and South Amboy NJ via Bordentown and Burlington, was chartered in 1830 and began development soon after along the Delaware River.
Union Transportation
In February of 1833, the Delaware and Jobstown or McAdamized Road Co. was chartered to connect the Delaware River at the confluence with Crafts Creek through Columbus, Jobstown, Juliustown, Lewistown, and New Lisbon. The name was changed to the Delaware and Atlantic Railroad Co. in 1834 so they would have the ability to continue the line east toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Construction began in 1835 and continued through 1838. This was a mule or horse drawn railroad with strap rail rather than solid metal (straps of metal affixed to the tops of wooden rails).
Union Transportation route
It carried charcoal and lumber between New Lisbon and Kinkora, probably for use at the nearby Roebling site, as the Camden and Amboy had not yet reached that point when service began.
The line was not really successful, and was eventually abandoned, according to The History of Burlington County, in 1850. It found a rebirth as the Columbus and Kinkora Railroad in 1866, after the Pemberton and Hightstown had opened. It utilized the original rail bed from Kinkora through Columbus, and probably the same line south of there.
Kinkora Branch underpass at Juliustown
It was changed to the Columbus, Kinkora, and Springfield Railroad in 1870, and the Camden and Amboy would operate it upon it’s completion.
Because the Camden and Amboy became a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, so too did the Kinkora Branch.
The railroad continued further south from Lewistown to New Lisbon in the newer incarnation, but that last three plus miles was abandoned in 1881, although the tracks remained in place there until 1909.
Undated photo of Juliustown Station
It was no longer necessary with the other line reaching that point out of Pemberton. The entire Kinkora Branch seemed somewhat redundant until the advent of the first World War.
Old bridge on Kinkora Branch
A resurgence of the line occurred and began operating military supply trains in 1917. Service languished again after the war, but the needs of Fort Dix and Maguire again revitalized the line during World War II.
The last troop train rain in 1965, and after the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with the New York Central to form Penn Central, they petitioned to abandon the line south of Columbus in 1971.
The last of the line lasted until Conrail days, reportedly having been abandoned in 1982.
The rail bed south of Juliustown
The old Union Transportation rail bed reached the road at it’s intersection with Fort Dix Road. We could see the Union Transportation right of way going straight. I’ll have to come back to explore that more to the south in the future. It’s not all that far from Pemberton, and then a lot more can be done along the Rancocas Creek. There’s just too much to do.
We turned to the right here on the Juliustown-Browns Mill Road. Shane pointed out to the right where the right of way was that connected to the line we had been following.
Former connection from Kinkora Branch to Union Transportation
It would have been a northbound connection.
The rail bed was often visible parallel to us to the right. When we got to a stream crossing, a tributary to the Rancocas Creek, a concrete bridge parallel to the road bridge carried the railroad bed.
The railroad bed eventually started moving off to the right from the road, behind houses as we neared Juliustown. At one point, a small stream passed beneath and I could see the right of way crossing over a piped crossing.
Juliustown
Like most of the towns of the area, Juliustown dates back to the colonial days. It was conveyed to John Renshaw in the 1690s, and he John Ewan, a weaver by trade. Ewan left he land to his son, Julius Ewan for whom the town takes it’s name. At one point, it was known as Houghton, but it apparently didn’t stick.
We continued up Juliustown-Browns Mill Road to the intersection in the middle of the settlement on Main Street. We turned left, and then right on Georgetown Road.
Horsy
We continued north for a bit, to the intersection with Juliustown-Jobstown Road. A left turn here would take us closely parallel to the rail grade.
Just as we were about to turn, we were called upon by an older couple to the right of us with their small old horse. She called us over to meet him.
We went over, and the old house, which was in it’s teens, was very friendly and seemed to enjoy the attention. The couple takes in older horses and gives them a better life at their little farm property just north of Juliustown.
Shane on the grade
We hung around and pet the horse for a bit before moving on.
We continued on Juliustown-Jobstown Road a bit, and the railroad bed soon emerged from the right, only slightly clear, just after crossing the bridge over Bankers Brook.
Remnants of the Kinkora Branch, ties, plaes, and spikes
Shane managed to get on a piece of it, but I didn’t bother at first, it wasn’t worth the weeds.
We crossed the right of way, and it was on our left as we continued north. As we moved on, it started looking more passable, so I opted to go down and walk some sections of it.
It started to get a bit too overgrown to be enjoyable, so I made my way back to the road to continue northwest. At some point, after the dirt Wells Road broke off to the right, the railroad right of way switched sides of the road. I spotted to the right that a section of railroad ties, spikes, and plates were clearly visible remains of the track bed. It was kind of surprising to see any remnants like that.
I waited for the group to catch up here, and we all continued north into Jobstown.
It was a cute little community with a nice old church to the right.
Jobstown is named for Job Lippincott, one of the early settlers who operated a tavern there on the old Monmouth and Mt. Holly Turnpike.
Historic image of Jobstown Station
The railroad used to cross nearly direct, so we had to go to the right on Monmouth Road briefly and jog left to Jacksonville Jobstown Road.
Old road and railroad in Jobstown
Then, on the right, the original route of the Columbus-Jobstown Road went northwest immediately adjacent to the old railroad bed. The road had been realigned to intersect with Jacksonville-Jobstown just to the west.
The rail bed looked rather clear to the right, but I stayed on the abandoned former road. Shane did get over on the old rail bed.
The railroad bed soon crossed the current alignment of Columbus-Jobstown Road, and beyond it was now part of the Kinkora Trail. It was a paved trail immediately adjacent to the road, and a pretty nice little section to walk.
Kinkora Branch in Jobstown
At about this point, people started dropping off. The mileage was a bit higher than I had anticipated with the bits of back and forth we had done earlier on, but we were still pretty close to what I was anticipating, at least for the time being.
Giant Oak
Kevin’s girlfriend Kathryn showed up to pick them up, and I’m not sure everyone else Ubered out or what. Lerch, Elizabeth, Michele, Cupcake, and I’m not sure who all else at this point all disappeared somewhere around this point. I was saving my phone power by having it on airplane mode, so I didn’t get any messages.
The trail section ended at the intersection with Island Road. It was here that the hike would turn from being mostly railroad themed to having some other stuff. The old Kinkora Branch continues parallel to the road to the northwest, and then cuts across private farms and such, and so when the municipality put in the Kinkora Trail, it was not named the Kinkora Rail Trail, and took on a pastoral route through fields to the north. We turned right on Island Road, which was a narrow, pleasant road due north. The only thing about this section that we missed was the old Columbus railroad station to the north. If we’d done the road walk, we would have seen it, but there’s other stuff in the area that we can merit going back for in the future.
Kinkora Trail
The Kinkora Trail broke off from Island Road on the left shortly after we crossed the Assiscunk Creek. It skirted some nice fields for a long while, crossed over some small tributaries, and hit a couple of swaths of woods where there were some really nice big trees including what I believe was a White Oak.
The trail emerged in the township park and fields after the last woods section, and the paved path broke in two. We took a break there to let everyone catch up, then took the path to the left, which went more to the west. We emerged in a little ball field area and made our way out to Atlantic Avenue where we turned right into downtown Columbus.
Kinkora Trail
This town was another very early settlement, which was originally known as Black Horse, because of the Black Horse Tavern that was in town back in the 1700s. It was once considered such an important center that it was one of three towns considered for Burlington County seat in 1795 (Black Horse and Burlington lost in votes to Mt. Holly).
The town was renamed after Christopher Columbus in 1827.
We turned left on Main Street and crossed the bridge over the large Rt 206. Soon after, we made a right turn on Mill Lane West.
Mill Lane went downhill slightly, and then there were some sort of concrete ruins on the right side adjacent to where the railroad would have been. I’m not sure what this could have been.
Kinkora Trail
We continued along this road, now on the home stretch. The old railroad was always just along the right side of the road for this bit, although it was barely anything recognizable for a time. Not until we passed beneath the NJ Turnpike did it really start to look like a rail bed adjacent to the road.
Mill Road intersected with Hedding-Jacksonville Road at the underpass of Route 95. There, the railroad continued across directly and continues onto private lands. We’d leave the Kinkora Branch for the final time here. I was rather surprised to see some rails still visible in the pavement under the bridge.
An old house that looks like my former home
We headed north to pass under Route 295, and then intersected with Old York Road where we turned right. It was in this area I became somewhat disoriented with what was on the map and messed us up a bit. At the intersection where Kinkora Road went left, Columbus-Hedding Road went right, and Old York Road continued straight, we were supposed to go straight. For whatever reason, I was thinking we were to go right because I mixed it up with the more seamless right turn on Old York Road. We got to the crossing of 295 and I realized I’d gone the wrong way. I felt bad for our newcomers because they were doing so great, but I feel like we might have turned them off with this extra long first one, which I just extended even further.
Kinkora Branch former crossing
My phone was about dead at this time, even though I’d put it on airplane mode earlier. Some of the group walked up Kinkora Road to get to the park, even though it was a longer way around than just walking Old York Road to Crystal Lake Park. I suppose that’s the way Google would send them.
The miscommunication and mistakes at the end were the worst part of the entire hike aside from the messy stuff by Maguire. Group members had gotten Ubered out and I wasn’t always sure who, others got picked up, and people were heading out to pick up other hikers, and we weren’t sure who was getting who.
All that time, Lyz and Ric fortunately remained on the correct route and arrived in Crystal Lake Park as a ranger had arrived to close the gates. I had not intended to be this late, but the circumstances were beyond what I expected.
Old Kinkora Branch
Myself and the group with me backtracked to Old York Road, and walked it to the south entrance to the Crystal Lake Park, and cut directly across fields to reach the parking area rather than follow the regular mowed paths around the outside. The ranger wasn’t particularly happy; this is a county park and it’s well out of the way from every other Burlington County park. Fortunately, he seemed pretty cool by the time I got there and chatted with him. He could have been much more of a jerk about the whole thing, but he was very accommodating.
The old Kinkora Branch
This was the most glad I’d been to finish a hike in a while. We’d been having a lot of them going really pretty well and finishing early, but this one had a lot of unexpected little bits on it that set us back. I think back at the multiple times Lerch asked “What fresh new hell is this?” during the course of the day.
Even trying to have dinner afterwards was problematic. All of the places anywhere near Bordentown were completely packed with a long wait for service. We opted to go to a diner of some sort closer to New Egypt, which worked out well, and the service staff seemed to get a kick out of us.
Fields of Crystal Lake Park
I don’t know when we’ll get around to it, but I believe I have a good new loop hike that will incorporate the remainder of the old Union Transportation line, the Kinkora Branch to New Lisbon, and a bit of the Pemberton Rail Trail. I’m in no hurry to get back to the area, but it could be good with a little more proper planning. I’ve also scaled the new hike at only 13 miles to allow for some goof off time.
Another similar area trip will take us to the wineries outside of New Egypt and into the preserved lands on the north of the military reservation into the Pinelands.
There’s also more we can do on the Rancocas Creek, which I’ve amazingly been lax on. We certainly have more to cover than I’ll ever have time for, but I’ll try!
Onward!
HAM
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