Congratulations to everyone who completed the Harriman Hike! That was a full day of hard work, fresh air, and trail navigation. Our stats varied depending upon tracker, but we clocked somewhere between 10.2 - 11.2 miles, enjoyed an elevation gain between 2,100 and 2,600 feet, and get this ... took 27,500 steps, at least according to Stacey's tracker. Regardless, this hike squarely ranks first in length, total ascent, and duration - the sun was just setting behind the mountain as the last group was crossing the field to the Elk Pen parking lot.
Highlights were extensive, here are just a few
Everyone made it back! A few got a little lost and at one point Lou headed down the wrong trail, but for such an extensive trail system we did very well. Special thanks to Sheila for her keen eyes and Barbara for her cartography skills.
Everyone completed the rock scramble, awesome job! Not sure if it was peer pressure or willpower, but many hikers take the side route so we'll pat ourselves on our backs.
Lichen Trail for the win. We were originally planning on skipping this section as no one in the group had tried before, but a few hiking websites mentioned how great it was and it did not disappoint.
Group tea-pot stretches at Bowling Rocks
Finally, the last section of trail along the river was quite lovely, hopefully folks weren't too tired to enjoy it.
Some pictures below (click to enlarge), but be sure to look here at the full album, some really great photos. This one and all albums are also permanently linked to the right. As usual, please share any pictures and will add them.
The reward for first up the initial incline was a break atop this rock
Island Pond, definitely a place to come back to in peak foliage next year
Unfortunately a dark photo, but look closely and you will see our group trekking up the hill.
The stony faced fellowship heading into the Mines of Moria - courtesy of Stacey
The "lemon squeezer" - courtesy of Lee
The rock scramble after the lemon squeeze
Crossing a stream on the Long Path
A stream crossing on Long Path - courtesy of Stacey
Jeff either contemplating the meaning of life or thinking on chicken pot pies
Lunchin' on Lichen - courtesy of Stacey
The Fire Anchor - courtesy of Stacey
"Bowling Rocks" courtesy of Stacey
Bob attempting the tea-pot
Lee exploring the abandoned iron-ore "Boston Mine"
One of several cascades along the route (courtesy of Stacey)
Hike Date: Saturday, July 10 Postponed Our last route was intentionally on the easy side to help get everyone back into the swing of hiking. This time we up the difficulty a full notch with an 8 mile route through Bearfort Ridge and into Wawayanda State Park. The loop is called Terrace Pond north has some rock scrambling, a few nice viewpoints, and a scenic (though sometimes crowded) pond. Neither Lou, Jeff, or Karen have hiked this one so let's discover together! Start Time - 9:00 AM Length - Appx 8.0 miles Elevation Gain - ~1,100 feet Difficulty - Moderate with Difficult, rocky sections Expected Duration - 4-5 hours Park Trail Map - Trail Map Parking Location – Side of the road on Warwick Turnpike, West Milford, NJ: 41.15744782812143, -74.36746903484052 Restrooms – None at the trailhead, best option is one of the Gas Stations on Route 511 Our Route:
"The Cliff Trail offers some of the most spectacular overlook views in the recreation area of the serpentine Delaware River valley from atop the Raymondskill Ridge. This view was so inspiring to early film makers that several westerns were filmed using this magnificent scenery as stand-ins for the landscapes out west. Early 1900s actors Tom Mix, Walter Miller and Mary Pickford are just some of the stars who once stood on these vary cliffs." .... The National Park Service Time has gotten away from us this Autumn, but we're hoping for some good weather for what very well be the last hike of 2017. On November 18, we'll head to Milford, PA to hike Cliff Park. Cliff Park has an excellent effort to reward ratio with one large hill and then almost constant views of the cliffs overlooking the Delaware River. Also within walking distance of the parking area is the largest waterfall in Pennsylvania, Raymondskill Falls (not to mention a lovely pond and Hackers Falls as we...
Mercer County Park proved to be what one would expect from Central Jersey hiking. The trail itself was a little repetitive and the views were sparse, but the company was excellent and the day was thoroughly enjoyable. Also, the blazes on the trail were sparse and the online map colors did not match the blazes in some areas ,which proved to be difficult. As a result we missed eastern most parts of the park (Kuser Trail). Regardless, we pushed on and only backtrack once, or twice, or maybe it was three times? Luckily we ran into someone who pointed us in the right direction. We also "saw" Philadelphia! Or that could have been a water tower on the horizon, but let's stick with Philly and pat each other on the back for great eyesight. The group clocked in 8 miles in about 4 hours including a 15 minute break for "lunch" so we collectively made the best time so far this year. Nice job everyone! Here are some photos and please send along any goo...
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