| Hike #22 Sarepta to Washington This time joining me were Tea Biscuit, Ronald Short, Jamie Pene, and her boyfriend, Skylar. We did not attempt to walk on the actual DL&W right of way until not far from the Manunka Chunk tunnel, as it had been raining and we did'nt want to fight through wet brush. The only real struggling we did was behind Hoffman LaRoche again where we tried to stay quiet while moving amidst tall wet weeds. At this point it also began raining. However, we made it out okay and had no problem reaching Belvidere this time. By the time we reached Bridgeville Jamie was tired, so she and Skylar dropped out at the halfway point, but not before Skylar and Tea Biscuit took a dip in the Pequest river. We were all oddly tired that day, and even Ron, Tea Biscuit, and I quit a bit early. Hike #23 Tranquility to Washinton This second time on this hike I was joined by only Tea Biscuit. Our grandmother dropped us off at the Allamuchy-Green firestation as before and accessed the railbed through the cemetary. Everything went smoothly up until we reached the sewage treatmetn facility. We decided to walk the dirt road that runs parallel to the railbed rather that fighting through the weedsthinking that we could jump across a small ditch (which appeared to be an irragation canal) when we wished to get back to the path. Unfortunitely the ditch became wider and my have been part of a sewage disposal system. We had to walk across it to meet the railbed. By the time we reached Pequest, Tea Biscuit was dead tired. The large rocks make for rough hiking, yet we still finished the hike. Hike #24 Delaware to Colombia overnighter This hike was for the most part improvised. Tea Biscuit, Moo Moo and I parked my car (my Corsica) at my Aunt Bonnie's house in Knowlton Township just outside Delaware, NJ, and walked into town along the DL&W right of way. In Delaware, we switched to begin walking (and, incedentally, attempting to find the remains of) the long abandoned New York, Sussquehanna, and Western Railroad. This track once existed where what is now route 46 south of Colombia NJ, so we followed the highway as far as the Log Cabin Inn where we saw a trail. We attempted to follow it, but it led to someone's back yard. We followed a road back to Rt. 46. In Colombia we picked up the existing right of way where it turned away from the Delaware and began following the Paulins Kill River. We followed this railbed, now a legal hiking trail, through White Twp. past Colombia Lake, through Warrington and Hainesburg, and into Blairstown Twp. In the small town of Vail we followed a road to Hemlock Glen. From there we continued to follow the road to Mt. Pleasant, and then to Mt. Vernon. Next, found our way to the Lower Yards Creek Resevoir. We followed the dirt road in to the scout camp. There we began our ascent. |
| We used Kaiser Road to ascent to the Appalachin Trail. By this time we were running low on water. Neither Tea Biscuit or Moo Moo remembered to bring any. We had stopped at a mini mart in Colombia to stock up, but neither of them baught enough. Moo Moo got a big bottle of Mountain Dew. By the time we reached Sunfish Pond, we had almost completely exhausted our rations. I laid down on a rock and blacked out twice while Tea Biscuit and Moo Moo bathed in the pond. Next, we continued down the trail to Holly Springs Trail, which we followed to Dunnfield Creek Trail. We jumped into the creek, then followed the trail in to the Delaware Water Gap. At Kitittinny Point information station I called my beloved Cathy to report that we were safe. Next, we used the route 80 bridge to get to the town of Water Gap. We ate a wholesome meal at the Water Gap Diner, then attempted to find the trails as it got dark. We set up camp at the base of Mt. Minsi in nearly the same place Tara Hardman and I camped two years prior. The next morning we walked the DL&W railroad to Portland Pa. where we used the footbridge to get to Colombia. All three of us were exhausted by this point, and called for a ride home from the Colombia McDonalds. While waiting, I poured a large cut of water on Tea Biscuit and exclaimed "Accidents do happen!". He'd looked as though he'd wet his pants, and it went on to become an in-joke. Moo Moo had to be to work in less than two hours. Hike #25 Lower Worthington Hike Ronald and Tea Biscuit both joined me for this new hike, the first Helbing Hike not to use any railroad right of ways. We began in the Dunnfield Creek parking lot and began to ascent Mt. Tammany's ardous red-blazed trail to the top. Wet slippery rocks were a hazard for this hike's constant ups and downs. On the top, also known as "the Indian Head", we took a break and observed the clouds hovering below us. We were at 1,549 feet. Next, we followed the blue dot trail across the blue mountain ridge. Not far from there we picked up the Mt Tammany fire road and followed it as far as the Upper Yards Creek Resevoir.Interestingly, along the path there was a helicopter landing spot. At the upper resevoir we began following the Sunfish Pond fire road south to the lower resevoir. Then, like on the last hike, we followed the scout camp road out to Kaiser Road, then ascended to the top of the ridge to Appalachian trail. This time, however, we followed the A.T. northeast to Mohican Camp Road, then Copper Mines Trail back into the Delaware Valley to the mines themselves. We explored all the way to the back of one of the mines before picking up this side of the Kaiser Roadback to the top of the ridge. There, we followed the Appalachian trail to Mt. Mohican and to Sunfish Pond. We took the unconventional route around the south shore to Dunnfield Creek Trail. We used this trail to take us back to the parking lot. |
| Hike #26 Portland to Washington 10/29/2K For this trip, only Tea Biscuit joined me. Moo Moo and Ronald cancelled. An odd hike, for Halloween we both wore our Star Trek uniforms. I wore the Captain's rank, Tea Biscuit the Commander's. In Delaware Tea Biscuit called the A&P collect, which they accepted, to talk to Moo Moo. He was'nt there. We continuously tried not to get dirty on this hike, for example we took the path over the Manunka Chunk tunnel, rather than risking the mud and water. The fields above the tunnel were very pretty with the colors of changing leaves and small cornstalks. Throughout this hike we were constantly honked at by mororists ackknowlaging our garb. We met a group of people in Knowlton twp. looking for Christmas trees. They acted like they did'nt notice the Starfleet uniforms. Also noteworthy, this time around the railbed through the sandpit was completly destroyed, and the part just beyond, hardly accessable. We adopted a new route that crosses the flattened part of the sandpit and uses an existing trail near a farmer's field leading back to the right of way north of route 46. It was a good addition with nice scenery and even a deerstand. Hike #27 Sarepta to Washington 11/24/2K This hike was Moo Moo's last Helbing Hike before moving to Florida. He, Tea Biscuit, and I were the only ones to come on this one. Before reaching the Manunka Chunk tunnel we attempted to climb trees and picked large icecyles. Along the Bel Del railbed near Hoffman LaRoche we saw a man walking down the access road not far from us. We hid under an old conret culvert below the right of way for him to pass. We then thought it prudent to walk near the river's edge as not to be detected. This worked out very well this time, as the water was very low and it's edge was oftern a bit ice covered, providing us with additional foot room. Just after passing Hoffman LaRoche, Moo Moo declared that he had to use the bathroom. Seeing as though it was not the easier of the two forms of excretion, he refused to go in the woods. When we reached the abandoned roads near the former Hercules powder plant, we teased Moo Moo, telling him to "poop in the road". When we reached Skoogy's Deli in Belvidere, I casually went up to the clerk and asked "Excuse me, could my friend use the bathroom? He really has to go poop." She told us someone was in there. Moo Moo was embarrassed and angry at me. By the time he built up the courage to ask for himself, they told him the bathroom was broken. We then had to walk around Belvidere until we found a restaurant where he could use the bathroom. Just outside Belvidere the Seniors Community was more than halfway built, and the railroad only a memory. Part of the side closest to the main road was still under heavy construction. Moo Moo simmered down and the rest of the hike went well. We freaked Moo Moo out in Washington twp. watching a light in the sky looking like a UFO. Probably nothing. |