hikes32

              Hike #32
Frenchtown to Lambetville
(Fireman's Eddy)
Jeremiah submitted this hike to me at the end of Hike #30 and I was immediately interested.
This hike follows about 19 miles of the Belvidere Delaware railroad, which also follows, and is built on the right of way of the Delaware and Rariton feeder canal. The canal itself still exists from near Lambertville to Trenton.
We started hiking at 8th street access in Frenchtown, NJ. From here we followed a very clear, flat trail that follows the railbed/filled canal prism through Frenchtown's center along the scenic Delaware River to Bull's Island. Here, we rested for a bit and drank some red tainted water that tasted bad.
As we began hiking again, we bagan to see that the leaves on the trees had begun to open in the few hours since we started.
The next town we passed through was Stockton, where we stopped for food and drink.
By now Cathy was in a great deal of pain, however we continued on thinking that we were for the most part finished.
Just before reaching Lambertville, the Canal Prism, now off to the right of the railbed, became visible and soon after that was water filled. In Lambertville the rail bed and canal separate for the largest distance. There were still rails overgrown with weeds and an abandoned car looking like a passenger carrier.
Before leaving Lambertville Jeremiah had considered jumping into the canal, which Cathy soon discouraged due to the murky grossness of it's water. The last mile was the toughest as the compimentary map was wrong and we had to walk a mile further than anticipated.
           Hike #33
   Lower Delaware Water Gap
Yet another all new hike to add to the list. We had originally planned to do the Lower Worthington Hike, however when many cancellations occured due to a rainy forecast, we opted instead to do this hike I had recently scaled off. Joining me this time were Tea Biscuit and Ron, and newcomers Peeps and Alf(                              Ron's brother and cousin). After no one else showed up at the Port Colden Mall, we headed to the Water Gap and the Dunnfield creek parking lot. Tea Biscuit found twenty dollars lying near the water pump, which was lucky because he'd forgotton to bring money. We'd called Conrad to see if he was still meeting us, but he decided not to.
We then drove to Hainesburg to begin hiking. We began on the abandoned New York, Sussquehanna, and Western Railroad, now the Paulins Kill Valley trail, walking under the DL&W cutoff viaduct to the Junction of the NYS&W with the Lehigh and New England Railroad, also abandoned. We followed it to the Paulins Kill

River bridge where we stopped to take a look around. On the was Peeps found the shell of a dead snapping turtle.
Also, this hike was the first ever to be videotaped. All the taping was done by Peeps and Ron.
The railbed was tough to get through as far as the first road crossing, where it got significantly clearer. There was a large fence built over the railbed in Knowlton Township just east of Colombia that had not been there years ago when I had last hiked here. We walked around it through a scenic farm area.
The railbed is completely destroyed through Colombia from the construction of Route 80 (consequently, route 80 was built on the right of way of the northbound NYS&W railroad through the water gap in New Jersey). All that remains of the L&NE in Colombia is the remains of the bridge abutments where it once crossed the Delaware just above the footbridge.
In Colombia we stopped at the McDonalds to see if my cousin, Tanner was working. He was'nt, but he got there before we left and I got to see his new car. We kept ourselves busy while waiting by trying to walk through the drive thru.
Soon, we headed for the footbridge into PA. On the footbridge there were two young girls smoking whom we explained the group to.
We stopped at Port Mart for nourishment before hiking the DL&W to the water gap. In Slateford, at the Junction to the DL&W and it's cutoff railroad, we went inside the old control tower where my great great uncle once worked.
The tower was a mess, no stairs, lots of junk, but it was cool. Heading through the water gap there were several snapping turtles, or what appeared to be snappers, basking on the tracks. They were able to duck into their shells which I had thought Snappers were incapable of doing.
Soon after that we reached the falls at the end of Caledonia Creek. Because they are located along the railroad tracks in it's most narrow section through the gap, they are almost completetly unknown.
Next, we took a break at the Water Gap station. There appeared to be work going on there. According to a recent newspaper article, the DL&W cutoff was to be rebuilt, which would require using part of the main line through the gap.
We then used a dirt road up to the main roads which we followed to the town of Delaware Water Gap. We had lunch in a small Pizzaria before following the Appalachian Trail up Mt. Minsi.
On the way up, Alf surprisingly stayed caught up with me rather well. We took breaks at Eureka Creek as well as at the main viewpoint. It had begun raining just as we reached the top, and the view was not the best due to the fog/clouds. We did'nt stay long at the viewpoint before ascending to Mt. Minsi fire road. Ron, Peeps, and Tea Biscuit fell pretty far behind as I power walked at the top. Alf was still doing rather well.
After a short break we followed the AT to the absolute top of Mt. Minsi near the site of the old fire tower.
The AT became much easier to follow at that point, as it followed the dirt road to the tower. There was one spot where a power line crossed the mountain and I believe we inadvertantly interrupted a couple's

sensual moment. Oops.
We followed the AT only as far as Tott's Gap. There, we explored a cave (which has been given the name the "Bear Cave" which was used to test dynamite. We then followed a washed out road down the Kittitinny Ridge to National Park Drive, also an unpaved road.
We travelled east as far as Slateford Farm where we picked up Arrow Island Trail. We followed this trail, jogging sometimes, to the Arrow Island overlook along the highway. Next, we walked along the road, except for Ron who decided to run back down to the tracks, as far as Slateford Road. Along the way Peeps and I took turns climbing an old pole to retrieve an insulator. Peeps finally got it, then we moved on to follow the DL&W cutoff.
Just before climbing onto the Delaware Viaduct, we were approached by a man who saw us hiking hours before, and was amazed at how far we'd come.
By the time we got onto the viaduct it had begun raining hard. We sped up out pace to get off the bridge, as the storm became electrical.
The walk from here back into Hainesburg was terrible, the rain kept getting harder, the thunder and lightning louder and more frequent. With only four miles left now, we figured it would happen eventually; we got lucky not to get caught in a real downpour for the earlier parts of the hike, as the forecast was calling for it.
By the time we reached the Hainesburg Viaduct, the rain had reached it's hardest, and became mixed with hail stones. Rather than be the tallest objects on a 300 foot tall, 1500 foot long structure (one of the top ten largest concrete structures in the world), we decided to make a run for the manhole near the center of the bridge which leads down into the construction tunnels that move through the arches to the other side of the bridge.
Inside, we were dry at first, but soon the wind started blowing terribly, throwing masses of rain upon us. Also, that ladders were like climbing up waterfalls, as rain continued washing through the manholes into the bridge. Each of the bridge's piers were full of water from the constant flow. The first pier forced us to walk through the water. This one has a rope lowered into it to replace the ladder. I climbed through and shined the flashlight (which miraculesly still worked despite it's dampness) on the rope for the others.
The second arch is always full of water, but never had I seen it as deep as it was this time. There is a log I put across the inside of the pier (the piers run deep, and it is necessary in most of them to climb down and back up on the other side.) years ago still there, along with a metal wire to hold onto for balance (which has been there since I was 9, when I first visited here). The water reached to the bottom of the log when it is usually several feet shallower.
The final pier is easiest to cross, although the plank bridge crossing it is rather slippery.
In the last arch, tall trees prevented the rain from blowing in on us, so Ronald allowed us to use his cell phone to let our loved ones know we're alright. I called Cathy and she informed us that there was a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for the Blairstown area (where we were, incidentally). We waited out the storm's wrath inside the viaduct before heading back to the car in Hainesburg. Upon leaving the large bridge, the sun came out. We all ate a hearty meal at the Log Cabin Inn.
And another hike is added to the list.....