Hiking at the Delaware Water Gap

Woofs to all! I haven`t written for a little while as I had to have surgery. The operation wasn`t especially serious---a small anal tumor removed---but a 2 week rest period post operation was required,thus no long hikes for me. Finally the 2 weeks were over and I was eager once again for a long hike. Dad and I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail on the PA side of the Delaware Water Gap. Dad hadn`t been here since the mid 90`s and was interested in seeing the place again. We did a 2 day hike here with an overnite campout. Highlights of our hike included Wolf Rocks---an impressive rock formation along the Appalachian Trail---and a side trip to Columcille,an early Celtic Christian church. An album of pix with descriptions follows.

Hiking at the Delaware Water Gap

Mist and fog

Yesterday was a cool rainy day here. Dad and I decided to try something different and take a hike in the rain.My dad brought a small tent along so that we could have our lunch out of the rain and off we went to the pocono mountains. It was about a 100 mile drive to state game lands 38 near Tannersville,PA. This is a large wilderness area with numerous small lakes. It adjoins Big Pocono state park and it is possible to do long loop hikes on the trails here. Hiking in light rain and fog is a peaceful,somewhat eerie experience as the link photo and the 6 following it illustrate.It was cool,however and dad was wearing gloves at times even though it was the end of April!

Hiking in the fog

A fine spring day in the NJ Pine Barrens

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day here. There was nary a cloud in the sky and the temp was a pleasant 72 degrees. Dad and I undertook a long day hike in the NJ pine barrens. It was warm enough for some brief wading and swimming in the Mullica river here. Dad took a few underwater shots as the tea colored rivers here and colorful vegetation almost beg to be photographed! We then hiked along an old abandoned railroad line into a secluded part of the Pine Barrens. The link below is to an underwater shot in the Mullica river as I was swimming there.The 4 pix after it were also taken yesterday in the pine barrens.

Underwater in the NJ Pine Barrens

New hiking discoveries near home!

Woofs to all!
Dad and I just love it when we discover new hiking areas right in our own backyard. Such was the case recently while we were geocaching near Washington Crossing state park in NJ. A geocache was hidden in the Ted Stiles preserve on Baldpate mountain. Both of us hiked there to find the geocache. We discovered that this preserve is actually a rather large hiking area with numerous trails and stunning views of the Delaware River. Exploring the Stiles preserve,we came upon 2 old farms,one of which has its own little pond! The other old farmstead has a modern lodge on its property complete with a greenhouse and a stone patio that affords nice views of the Delaware river below.
Still in the spirit of geocaching,we hiked the trails on the Stiles preserve to their end,then walked some country backroads to find another cache. This cache was hidden on a parcel of land known as Goat Hill overlook. This is a historic spot as both General Washington and British General Cornwallis used it as a lookout point during the Revolutionary War. Once again there are fine views of the Delaware River from this point. Thanks to hunting down geocaches,we are now aware of 2 magnificent areas near our home that we`ve never known before. The link to the album below has some pix of these areas.

Goat Hill Overlook and Stiles Preserve

Early spring hike in the NJ Pine Barrens

Finally after a cold March and a cold start to April,warm spring weather finally arrived! Dad and I celebrated by taking an overnite hike in the NJ Pine Barrens. We had done a short day hike along part of an abandoned railroad here the week before and we were curious about using this abandoned railroad---the old CNJ(Central New Jersey)line---as a hiking route to link up 2 other trails in the area. The plan worked! We hiked the Batona trail from Batsto village several miles to the trail xing of the CNJ tracks. We then proceeded to hike about 5 miles along the tracks to the small village of Atsion. The line hasn`t been used in over 40 yrs,thus tall trees have grown up all along it. Most places were too overgrown to hike along but fortunately we always found a dirt road or path paralleling the CNJ tracks.We had to cross 4 wooden RR trestles spanning streams along the way. It was a wonderfully secluded hiking route that took us thru a remote area of the pine barrens.At Atsion,the tracks crossed the Mullica jeep road and we hiked a few miles down it to camp by a nice lake. Nice lakeside views at sunrise next morning! A link to some pix follows.

Early April in the Pine Barrens

P.S. My Dad happened to notice a small growth on my anus during the hike. We had a vet visit scheduled for the following Mon and dad asked the vet about it. The growth is about the size of a marble and is called a perianal adenoma. I have an appt scheduled for May 6 to remove it. In neutered dogs---like me---such growths are often malignant. The biopsy won`t be done until after the growth is removed. My paws are crossed!

Hiking in the Pine Barens

Dad and I decided to celebrate St Patrick`s Day with a long hike in the NJ Pine Barrens. We hiked a new section of the Batona trail south from Batsto village. The trail passed mysterious cranberry bogs and old wooden bridges. We hiked as far south as Martha bridge where there is a nice beach and swimming hole. Dad waded out into the stream for a bit but it was really too chilly for a swim. The photo indicated in the link as well as the following 10 pix document today`s pine barrens journey. We have now hiked about 2/3 of the entire Batona trail in the NJ Pine Barrens.

Pine Barrens hiking 3-17-13

Day hiking in the Pine Barrens

On our recent backpacking trip in the NJ Pine Barrens,Dad and I discovered an interesting swamp along a sandy forest road. Dad wanted to hike it all the way to its terminus in Atsion and return to Batsto by looping around on the Mullica River trail. Thus we returned about a week later to do just that.It was the first warm spring day of the season so it seemed like the right time to do it. The forest road passed by the interesting Great Swamp and was a bit challenging to hike as there were numerous deep pools of water along it that had to me circumvented. The day was warm,but we didn`t want to get our feet wet in the still chilly water. the forest road ended in Atsion where we connected with the yellow blazed Mullica River trail for the 8 mile hike back to Batsto. In Atsion,we discovered an old church and cemetary. There were some old graves there,people who had died back in the 1880`s. Some pix with descriptions are in the link.


Hiking in the Pine Barrens

Backpacking in the NJ Pine Barrens

Dad and I recently took a 4 day hike in the NJ Pine Barrens. This is a mysterious area of dense pine trees,sandy forest roads,and tea colored rivers and streams. Hiking here gives one a sense of total seclusion. We hiked the Batona Trail from Batsto Village out thru the cranberry bogs and then back again. Our trip included 3 nights of camping out in this secluded wilderness. Some pix with descriptions follow.

Backpacking in the Pine Barrens

OBX Trip`s End

Dad and I had originally intended to journey straight home from Florida at the end of our trip. However we fortunately encountered unseasonable warm weather as we journeyed thru the Carolinas so we decided to visit the Outer Banks and do some last minute hiking. This was the very end of our fall trip and a great way to wind things up!


OBX Trip`s End

Florida

All good things must come to an end or so they say. Our West trip of 2012 was winding down when we stopped in Florida to visit with Dad`s sister for Thanksgiving. While there,we hiked a few sections of the statewide Florida Trail. It was even warm enough to do some kayaking in the everglades! just amazing considering that it was late Nov! Some pix with descriptions follow.


Florida