Sun 3/17 Old Putnam/Westchester NY Hike and Fri night hike!

Hey all! Let's gear up for some great St. Patty's Day theme hiking! We have old Putnam Sunday and another friday night hike. Read toward the end for info on the night hike, but here is the info for this Sunday, 3/17 Old Putnam St. Patrick's Day Hike!
Join us for an interesting point to point hike, using public transportation, on the Old Putnam line, most of which is now the South and North County Greenways in Westchester County, as well as a few lesser developed parks both along the Hudson, through little towns, and in the Bronx!
We will be meeting at 9 am at Hastings-On-Hudson train station, located at 134 South Side Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson. That is actually the address of the station cafe, obviously we'll be meeting at the station. Those coming from the city using public transportation can obviously meet us at the start of the hike, which is at Riverdale which is where the train is scheduled to drop us at 9:36.
It doesn't really matter which we meet at for the hike, but the participant is responsible for finding the group upon arrival, which brings me to the next item:
This hike is St. Patricks Day Theme! Let's celebrate by dressing in all green for this hike! Most of the route will be very easy, and much of the Old Putnam line is now a paved trail. We will never be very far from civilization.
The hike is between 15 and 16 miles (The short trails near the end are not to scale, so an approximation must be accepted. The park is very small, and so it should certainly be under 16 total).
The hike will start by following the Hudson south, then heading east through the Bronx and small pocket parks to Van Cortland Park. Here, we pick up the Old Putnam Trail, a surprisingly secluded and beautiful rail trail with original cinder surface much like the ones further to the west. It is surprising such a place exists within the confines of NY City.
When the trail leaves the Bronx, it becomes a more developed, paved trail. We'll continue on it north until we must follow a few roads to reach Hillside Park, a lesser used park with several trails leading down into Hastings-On-Hudson. We'll remain in parks until we reach a short section of Old Croton Aqueduct, then descend from it to the station, and admire the views along the Hudson before completing our hike.
This should be a great time!
THIS FRIDAY NIGHT: Join for a 15 mile night hike between Long Valley and Mansfield! Meet at 4:00 pm at Penwell, Mansfield Township NJ. From the traffic light in Mansfield, where Rt 57 intersects with Point Mountain Road and Port Murray Road, head no more than a half mile east and Penwell Road descends to the right. At the bottom of the hill, just before the bridge over the Musconetcong, turn left onto the abandoned former Penwell Road route. It's blocked at the end. We'll be pulling off on the left side at an angle within sight of the intersection.
We'll shuttle to the beginning and hike the Patriot's Path and Highlands Trail in to Hackettstown, and then visit Weiss Market where free samples are being given out at their "Meet the Manager" special. We'll then head west on a rail grade, then follow pleasant back roads through lovely farm lands and descend to Penwell. Only a very short distance walking along Rt 57. The rest is mostly fantastic back roads, beautiful foot paths, a scenic vista, an old iron mine, and more!
For both of these hikes further information, call or text me at 908 343 8374

M'ke

Sunday Washington's Crossing/Lambertville Hike and Phillipsburg Night Hike

Hey all!
 More good stuff coming up as always! This week, there's the 3/10 (Sunday) hike between Washington's Crossing and Lambertville along foot paths mostly, which should be amazing!
Additionally, I'll probably be doing a night hike on Friday, again in the Phillipsburg area to work on a bit more of the Warren Highlands Trail system (I may be reblazing a section), and then we'll head south to follow the Morris Canal Greenway route, a section which has recently been refurbished! For that, we'll probably meet at 4 pm in Phillipsburg along Charles Road near the intersection with Belvidere Rd. If you want to join, please contact me.
And Sunday: Join us for an incredible point to point hike between Washington's Crossing and Lambertville covering at least eight different parks! The now contiguous trail system leads between Washington's Crossing and Lambertville without even getting on the Delaware and Raritan Canal, although we will walk that briefly as well.
We will meet in Lambertville at 8:45 am Sunday morning. The parking area is somewhat hidden, but it's a good one. From NJ, take Rt 202 south to the Lambertville exit on Rt 29. Continue into Lambertville and turn right on Bridge Street.
DO NOT park at the station on Bridge Street. Pull into what appears to be a large hotel parking lot right by the bridge, after the station. Drive behind the building to the left, and there is state park parking along the river on the right! It sort of looks like you can't even go through that way.
If for some reason there is a storm closure or something in that section, park in the parking lot for the building and wait for me to show up. You can always call me at (908) 343 8374. After meeting, we'll do an easy car shuttle to our beginning point.
The route will be about 15 miles as usual, but I have not scouted the section from Baldpate into Lambertville, so it could vary slightly. I simply took the trail map and drew a line closely tracing it on Google Earth to get 15.
We'll be walking across the Washington's Crossing bridge from the Historic Park in PA, then along D&R canal briefly to the foot bridge into Washington's Crossing State Park. We'll weave through the trail system there, then head north. There is a connector trail that leads into the Ted Stiles Baldpate Mountain Preserve. We'll hike the Baldpate trails past an old farmstead and some limited views, then head down the north side. Dry Run Creek now has a trail connecting from the north side here, and we'll take it north to the new Rock Hopper Trail, which leads into Lambertville. Depending on the time, we may visit Goat Hill, or wander through town to complete the hike!
This hike is somewhat rugged at times, but not the type of difficult terrain one might find in the northern NJ Highlands or Ridge and Valley districts.

Sunday Paterson Texas Weiner Hike and More!

Hey all,
As usual, a lot of good stuff coming up!
Sunday, we're doing the Texas Weiner Hike around Paterson area hike with co-leader Craig Nunn! Also, I will host a usual Friday night hike as well, looking probably like it will be a loop from Spruce Run using the Highlands Trail as well as abandoned rail rights of way, and a few back roads. Contact me if you want to join in on that, and read on for details of the Paterson area hike!!!

• Sunday, March 3, 2013. THE TEXAS WIENER TRAIL.
  Starting downtwn Paterson and the falls, walk through parks and neighborhoods past old factories and historic sites, including no less than five historic Texas Wiener restaurants in Paterson and Clifton, NJ. End in Clifton.  For a scholarly treatment of the Paterson Hot Texas Wiener tradition, see http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/paterson/essay6.html.
  
  This hike will be around eighteen miles, and we park at a train station and take the train the start.
  
  Helping us this time with leadership is Mr. Craig Nunn, somewhat undisputed king of long distance industrial urban hiking!
  While most of the hike is somewhat urban, it is an incredible trip with history imparted to us by Craig. We will also visit sections of parks and trails offering a break from the roads.
  Meet 9:20 AM at the NJ Transit Delawanna train station on Delawanna Avenue in Clifton.  The parking lot is just east of the RR tracks on the south side of Delawanna Avenue.  There are 137 spaces and parking is free on weekends according to the NJ Transit website.  We will take the 9:46 AM train to Paterson, scheduled to arrive at 9:59 AM.  Participants need to arrive early enough to park their cars, purchase a ticket from a ticket machine, and get to the platform to board the train.  The fare should be $2.25/$1.00 seniors. Here is a link to the station information on NJ Transit:
  http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainStationLookupFrom&selStation=33&x=26&y=0.
  For additional information about Delawanna station, see Craig's comment below.
  The hike will start from the Paterson RR station with a short tour of downtown Paterson followed by the Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park including he falls and the raceway system.  We will then make our way to Garret Mountain by way of West Side Park, Libby's Lunch, and the old Stony Road Reservoir.  Next, cross Garret Mountain Reservation in part by some new trails which form part of the Passaic County Morris Canal Greenway and visit the historic but somewhat obscure viewpoint known as "Garret Rock".  Exiting Garret Mountain via Lambert Castle, we wander through Clifton and south Paterson (for the New Corral and a great Turkish bakery) eventually reaching the Paterson Farmer's Market.  Then there is a long somewhat erratic walk through Clifton which picks up two more hot dog restaurants plus the Olmstead brothers designed Weasel Brook Park, the remains of the oldest US animal quarantine station, and a short walk along the old Newark-Paterson branch of the Erie Railroad.  Then Third Ward Park and a few historic factories in Passaic City and back to Clifton for Rutt's Hut and return to cars at Delawanna RR Station.
  For those who wish to cut out early, at several places along the hike, there is a half-hourly NJ Transit 74 bus which will take participants to within a half mile of the Delawanna RR Station.  It is a bit tricky.  The bus is an exact change only bus and the rider would have to know where to get off the bus (Main Ave. and Delawanna Ave. in Clifton) and where to go to get to their car (east a half mile on Delawanna Ave.), although most bus drivers will be helpful about this. If you plan to cut out BEFORE the half way point, be sure to have exact change! We also pass close to the Clifton and Passaic train stations which have service to Delawanna, approximately hourly.  That might be better for people who aren't familiar with the area. Between the two - bus or train - there are adequate options for early drop-out.  Which works best depends on where one wants to drop-out.  More options by bus in the first half - the train options in the second half. There will be a lot of participants on this hike, so BE READY WHEN WE ARRIVE!!! Be prepared to get your tickets as quickly as possible, because we are relying on public transportation rather than car shuttles. Everyone will be responsible for their own transportation, so please be responsible and arrive with plenty of time to prepare for departure on the train. If there is enough time, find me to sign the liability waiver, and introduce yourself. I will arrive in a red Stratus with Metrotrails on the side. Otherwise, we will handle this at the beginning of the hike. I usually put everyone in a circle to make introductions and talk briefly about the hike. We can try to sit in the same vicinity on the train, but it might be difficult, so everyone must pay attention to get off at the correct spot. Please be prepared if we don't have time to make any introduction prior to the train ride.
  For more info contact me
  M'ke 908 343 8374
  

Metrotrails This Week!

Good stuff coming up!
This Coming Sunday's hike will be the next in the Perimeter of NJ series near Atlantic City! Also coming this week is the Metrotrails monthly meeting this thursday at the Applebees in Mt. Olive! It's located in the International Trade Center, near the Wal Mart and such! Come join if you'd like to get more involved! There will also be a night hike Friday! Read on...

Join us for the next hike in the series to walk the entire perimeter of NJ! This will be a 16 mile point to point trip between Clark's Landing and Oceanville Sunday!
We will be meeting in Oceanville NJ, at the US Post Office, 174 New York Road (which is Rt 9), Oceanville NJ, 08231
Park in an out of the way spot. There are other businesses in this place. We may have to move cars after arriving, this is just a meeting point. Take exit 48 for Rt 9 south to Oceanville. In town, it should be on the left.
We will meet 8:30 am on Sunday 2/24. After meeting, we will shuttle in as few cars as possible north to where we left off at Clark's Landing (pictured).
We will follow the sand and paved roads south, with a side trip into Clark's Landing Preserve. We'll then follow abandoned roads parallel with the Parkway through Port Republic Wildlife Management Area, and cut across at the first overpass. We then follow Old New York Road, a sandy road parallel with Rt 9 south. We will have to hike along Rt 9 and other paved roads for portions of this hike, a it is unavoidable to hike the perimeter of the state. We will follow quiet side roads to Leeds Point, the legendary birthplace of the "Jersey Devil", and then hike wooded trails of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge most of the way to Oceanville.
The terrain will be very easy for the most part, with possible brief bushwhack and side hill walking near the beginning. There may not be anyplace to purchase food along the way, so be prepared with lunch/snacks and water.

Additionally, there will be another night hike this Friday night!  This time, we will meet at 3:35 at the A&P in Clinton to do a night hike using rail trails, a couple parks, and back roads! I hope to be finished by 10 pm, as this is quite an easy one.
If anyone has any other questions, feel free to call or text me (908) 343-8374 or of course e mail sneezehorse@hotmail.com
M'ke

Night Hike Friday, and Upcoming Stuff!

Hey all!
Our next trip is a night hike on Friday night!
Join for another Phillipsburg/Easton area almost loop hike. This time, we will showcase some of the all new trails I've been working on over the past year~ then the usual easton area rail trails and loops!
Meet in the municipal lot just north of the free bridge in Phillipsburg. We'll shuttle in as few cars as possible a short distance away to start walking the almost loop.
As for this weekend, Jillane and I are taking a trip together, and doing a hike with just the two of us...
So...
This week newcomer to the group Stephen Argentina has offered to host a hike at Six Mile Run! Here is a message from him:

Hello everybody! This week Michael is busy with an important matter so I will be stepping in to lead the weekly hike (I being Stephen). Since I was given the choice as to the location, I decided to go with what I know. Six Mile Run Park. How I stumbled upon this humble plot of land I'll be happy to share Saturday.
Now, I would like to have everyone meet up at about 8am at a small parking spot near the intersection of Blackwells Mills Road and Canal Road. There's signs regarding its whereabouts posted in the area.
Regarding the hike itself, the hike should last anywhere between 10 to 15 miles. I'm not really sure because I still can't seem to figure out the distance. So lets assume 6 miles until the trails let out by soccer fields, and then 6 miles back to the lot (we'll take a break by the fields because they have benches and stuff, so pack a small lunch if you'd like). Now about the terrain... It's not bad. It can be a little uneven at one or two spots but it's basically a smooth, slightly hilly, winding trail. Now I don't have much info about the park but if you have questions about it's history, be sure to ask Michael the next time you see him or look it up.
The exact address of the lot is 635-661 Canal Rd, Somerset, NJ 08873.
...and please RSVP so I have an idea of how many people are coming. My number is 732-710-0540 and my email is basicallysteve@aol.com. Hope to see you there!
Also, as a side note. Be careful on the roads in that area because they're real thin and two-way streets.

Here is out schedule of events coming up otherwise:
2/15 Phillipsburg/Easton Night Hike
2/21 Metrotrails Monthly Meeting
2/22 Undecided location night hike
2/24 NJ Perimeter Series; Clarks Landing to Oceanville (with Forsyth National Wildlife Refuge and more)
3/3 Paterson-Rutherford Texas Wiener Themed Hike with special guest co-leader Craig Nunn!
3/10 Hunterdon/Mercer county Lambertville and Washington's Crossing Area
3/17 Old Putnam Trail; former rail line turned trail north from the Bronx
3/23 16 year anniversary Warren Railroad Hike and possible campout!
3/29 Undecided Good Friday Hike

Note also that there will certainly be night hikes in between some of these, usually fridays as the times near.
Contact me for further details!
M'ke

Saturday 2/9 Bethlehem/Allentown Hike and Buckettfest!

For this year's annual Buckettfest Hike, we will hike an almost completely new route, this time between the Buckettorium and Emmaus area once again!
The route will include many small parks, back streets and roads, the Little Lehigh Parkway trails, part of Jordan Creek Trail, old rail beds, cemeteries, and much more!
Most of the terrain will be somewhat easy, but there could always be unexpected turns.
The route should be considered mostly suburban, though much of it will be in woods and along creeks and rivers. Some trails are paved or crushed stone, while others will be natural surface or grass.
The hike will be 15.2 miles as scaled.
We will be meeting at 8:30 am at Dunkin Donuts, 1870 Catasaqua Road, Bethlehem PA. To get there, take Rt 22 to Airport Road south. Make the first left on Catasaqua Road, and the Dunkin Donuts is on the right.
After meeting, we'll shuttle with as few cars as possible south to Emmaus, and retrieve them after the hike. The party will begin that evening immediately following the hike.
We will be passing by stores and such, so only water and maybe a snack should be needed on this hike.

I MAY do a night hike this week, and it'd have to be Thursday. Otherwise, I am continuing my trail work on Marble Hill/Phillipsburg area regularly if anyone would like to join. Warren  Highlands Trail is nearly done. Now focusing efforts on the new yellow trail!

Contact me for any needed info!
M'ke 908 343 8374 call or text

Hey all!
Lots of good stuff coming up in the near future including trail work, the Allamuchy Hike, night hikes, and Buckettfest!
We're hoping to do a night hike Friday, but watch www.meetup.com/metrotrails for info. Here is this week's regular hike description:

Join us for a point to point 15.5 mile hike in Allamuchy Township on 2/3/13, showcasing the best loved and best unknown points of interests in the township, traversing the namesake mountain, many trails, historic buildings, hidden paths, the Morris Canal, and abandoned rail beds!
We will be meeting at 8:30 am at the Long Bridge lot, along the abandoned Lehigh and  Hudson River Railroad bed, the last leg of the hike.
From Interstate 80, take exit 19, then turn right, heading north on Rt 517 shortly, then immediate left into the village of Allamuchy proper (google maps calls this "Old Hackettstown Road"). Go a short distance and turn left on Alphano Road, then continue a couple miles and turn right on Long Bridge Road. Cross the Pequest River and the parking is on the left, gravel lot along the river. This was the former Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad crossing, abandoned 1986.
Here are the coordinates of the
Lattitude: 40°55'17.40"N
Longitude: 74°50'26.59"W
After meeting, we will shuttle with as few cars as possible to our beginning point and hike a lesser known section of the Morris Canal Trail.
We will continue to Saxton Falls and the strange Colony Road area, an abandoned and forgotten development that is nearly empty today.
We will then ascend Allamuchy Mountain via the former switchback junkyard, an unofficial trail that leads to the former home of a recluse who used to horde old cars on the mountainside. We'll follow a vague trail up to the Deer Park section of Allamuchy Mountain State Park, and follow trails in a looping fashion, visiting Deer Park Pond, the scenic overlook along Rt 80, the weird rooted tree on Barberry Trail, and then the new Allamuchy Pond Trail to Rutherford Hall, which is currently being renovated!
Next, we'll continue along woods roads and off trail through more park land, and continue near Panther Valley to a hidden overlook, then descend to Alphano where we'll pick up the abandoned Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad (1886-1986) and follow it to Long Bridge, our end point.
We may go to optional dinner in Great Meadows following the hike.
Hope to see you all soon!
M'ke Helbing
President
Metrotrails