Hiking Local

One of the truly great things about hiking in New Jersey is the fact that you probably live within a couple minutes of a really good hiking spot you probably don't know anything about. For me, that spot is Cheesequake State Park. Cheesequake is a real low stress trail best tackled at full speed, and that's exactly what Pete and I did this week, hiking three of the four major trails that snake through this oft-overlooked slice of New Jersey.

Cheesequake is a silent haven this time of year. Come concert season, Cheesequake is one of the most popular destinations for PNC concertgoers not willing to pay for a hotel room. So, enjoy the solace while you can. That being said, you'll probably run into other people on the trail Cheesequake is Middlesex County's only state park, so there are always people willing to hike its extremely well established trails. The trails are short, none over 3.5 miles in length, but for the day hiker, the trails are godsends. They're all loops, so if you get back to the parking lot prior to your intended return time, feel free to hike another. Winter is also the best time to see the cedar swamps, at least in my opinion. It's like a mini Pine Barrens, and the lessened crowds allow for some quality time amongst the trees.

Wildlife can be found all over Cheesequake. Deer are all over the place, but by far the most numerous denizens of the park are crabs. Yep, crabs. Delicious, nutritious crabs. The shallow swamps of Cheesequake yield some impressive specimens, and the bridges around the park offer some opportunities to earn a tasty shellfish dinner. Just make sure you don't fall in and pull a Hoffa.

Expect pictures later in the week. My laptop died (along with my card reader) so we're gonna have to wait for a second on them.

Update, Cheesequake with Pete:

Monkey Wrench

Sometimes the best laid plans can be undone by the simplest means. Apparently the weather god has frowned upon our hiking plans next weekend, as our trip would be prefaced by some of the worst weather we've seen all year, along with some truly brutal temperatures. So, I think our next hike won't be either of the two options we talked about yesterday. As an added bonus, the Giants have trumped the Bucs to edge their way into the playoffs. I'm a Bears fan myself, but I was raised a Giants fan and two of our hikers (Pete and Ian) are loyal to the Giants cause, so if they win this week, we'll probably have to stay close to home so we can watch the next game.

An added weather related note to anyone going hiking this weekend: there's going to be a very nasty looking Nor'easter coming through, and depending on how the low pressure systems meet, parts of NJ could be looking at about 6 inches of snow, possibly more if the southern low pressure system doesn't strengthen enough to block the strong, cold low pressure system sweeping in from the north. That also means that hikers that have planned to do trips bordering the shore or large bodies of tidal water like Sandy Hook or the Palisades Trail will be met with the characteristic shore-to-land winds that follow Nor'easters. I mean, I really doubt there would be many hikers out this weekend anyway, with the extremely cold conditions that are predicted, but still, if you plan to go, you might want to reconsider.

Let it snow!

Straight Chillin Wit My Set

Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta. Photo courtesy of Ian.

Decisons, Decisions

Just to prove that we never sleep here at Garden State Hiking, we're going to talk about the plans for some upcoming hikes in our itinerary: a trip to Breakneck Ridge near Beacon, NY, and a field trip to Pennsylvania to pick up some gear at Cabela's in Hamburg, PA and see a friend in nearby Tamaqua - during which we'll probably hike the nearby section of the AT.

Breakneck Ridge is a trail that's been gaining a whole lot of popularity. The name itself gives you a gauge of what to expect when you hike it. The trail gains the majority of its substantial 1,260 vertical height in a challenging 1/8 mile scramble towards the very beginning followed by a moderately vigorous loop that extends almost to Beacon Mountain. That being said, there are some options for hikers who don't think they're up to the challenge of the initial trail scramble. While the other three hikers I'm with will invariably want to do the harder trail, I'm probably going to wuss out and hike the trail usually reserved for people descending the hill, a feat made almost an impossibility considering the grade of Breakneck Trail. A nice loop extends from the bottom of the mountain up the yellow Wilkinson Memorial Trail to the red Breakneck Bypass trail cuts out the majority of the real rough section. Once the Breakneck Bypass trail ends at the white Breakneck Trail all one has to do is hike north until the trail merges with the blue Notch Trail, walk to the base of Sunset Point follow the Notch Trail back to the Wilkinson Trail, and follow that over Sugarloaf Mountain and down to the parking lot. All in all, a pretty nice, promising trail.

Pennsylvania's Appalachian Trail features a bit more isolation than one normally gets in New Jersey. New Jersey trails tend to not only draw in natives of the state, but also New Yorkers looking for an escape from the concrete jungle for a while. Nothing against New Yorkers, but this tends to clog trails on the weekends, even during the winer. Central Pennsylvania, on the other hand, tends to be a lot quieter in the off season. Of course, it is a bit of a haul, about two hours worth of solid driving, meaning that it's too far out of the way for most New Jersey day hikers. It would be real hard for us to pass up on this seclusion when we go out to visit a friend out here (who also happens to live within a reasonable distance of Cabela's...a real boon for the average New Jersey hiker, who has to deal with some really pricey hiking stores). Cabela's happens to be within three miles of one of the top rated sections of the AT too, the Pinnacle, which offers great views of the Blue Rocks, the Lehigh Valley, and nearby Hawk Mountain, a hot spot for birdwatchers looking to see eagles and other raptors during their migrations. Unfortunately, the season to see them is pretty much over by this point, though you never know.

Also disappointing is the fact that one of the most spectacular parks in Pennsylvania, Ricketts Glen State Park, has already closed its Falls Trail Loop for the season to everyone except experienced hikers carrying ice gear. In the summer, this trail is one of the most exciting to hike in the nation, leading past 22 named and numerous other unnamed waterfalls.

Stay tuned as we plan out the next hike, and review some of the new gear we've been using. Stay tuned for a quick heads up on our latest footwear buys, including Ian's new pair of Merrell mid-hikers and my new Columbia Sportswear highs.

P.S. -If you do decide to visit thr Pinnacle in Pennsylvania,be sure to check out this website: http://www.harpweb.com/thepinnacle/. It's the best resource online for this scenic hike.

Welcome to Garden State Hiking!

Hi everybody! If you didn't know already (chances are you did if you got to this blog) my name is Ross, and I hike. Or at least I used to. Once upon a time (i.e. before college) I was really into the whole sport of hiking. I hiked most of the major trails in New Jersey by that point, and had done some overnights in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania thanks mostly to the fact that I was a Boy Scout. However, my hiking career came to a pretty abrupt and sudden end with a pretty severe injury to my ankle during the longest hike I have ever completed, a true monster of a trail in New Mexico. A few years passed, and I ruined my ankle another time, eventually requiring surgery in February of 2007.

You can't keep a person who hears the call of the wild off the trail for too long. Thankfully, I have a very understanding and enthusiastic group of friends who helped get me back on my feet (special thanks to my hiking buddies, my friends up at Ramapo College, the always fantastic Edison crew, Tom's three chicks, the kindly folks at Wegmans, Victoria, and as always, Johnny). I also had a fantastic surgeon who I would recommend to anyone who needs foot or ankle care, Dr. Ramos who works under the always kind tutelage of Dr. Roche at North Edison Podiatry. And, of course, my parents, who have patiently put up with me as I've recovered. Much love to all you guys.

With this support system, I've gotten back my ability to hike. This website is a way for me to let people know that yes, we do have trails in the New Jersey area that are every bit as fun and challenging as states we more frequently associate with trails. I'll post the trails me and my group of hiking friends do as we do them (though you might need to wait a day or two for me to fully recover first). I'll also write about points of interest as they come up, like issues involving the environment in this region, the weather for hiking, advice and tips, and gear reviews.

Bear Mountain State Park

This was the first hike in which all three of the Edison hiking team would come with me: Ian, Pete and Tom. If they are separate, they are quiet, reserved guys (except Tom). If they are together, they are a crazed pack of lunatics (especially Tom). So, it seemed fitting that I was taking them on one of the hardest hikes that I've attempted to do in a very, very long time: Bear Mountain. During this adventure we would experience the joys of nature in ways previously unfathomable by common man. By the end we would all have fallen down at least once, some (me) many, many more times than many and others (Pete) in a matter that could only be described as spectacular. We also would tackle the worst grade of trail short of mountain climbing, a YDS Class III romp from Hessian Lake all the way up Bear Mountain. I would throw up. Ian would show his world-class rock skipping talents.

This, kind folks, is what hiking is all about.

The ride was kindly provided by my mother with the promise that we would take her out to dinner for taking up her time. Thankfully, she's retired and has nothing better to do with her time, but hey it was really nice of her anyways. So, at the bright, fresh hour of "what the hell time is it?!?!" we set off. Bear Mountain is easily accessible by taking 287 all the way north to New York State then switching to the Palisade Interstate Parkway, thus also bypassing the toll bridge that spans the Hudson. Or if you want you can take the Garden State Parkway all the way up to the Palisades Parkway and punch a few minutes off the time. Regardless, the first thing you encounter at Bear Mountain is the Bear Mountain Inn. Yes, you do have to pay for parking if you drove up here. Sometimes you can luck out, however, and get in for free. The area of Bear Mountain by the Hudson River is one of the most historically significant areas of the northeast. Several battles were fought here, and Hessian Lake was so named because of Americans dumping the bodies of the Hessian mercenaries into it - according to a park employee. In addition, West Point lies only about one or two miles upstream from this point. Another fun fact: according to local lore, two weeks after visiting a Boy Scout camp on the east bank of Hessian Lake, FDR was struck by the disease that would later partially cripple him. This means that he probably caught it here. Who says history can't be fun?

If it is a relatively clear day (it wasn't when we hiked) you can look up, and up, and up the hill you are about to climb. The peak of Bear Mountain is about 1,305 feet above sea level. If you start your hike in the parking lot, you are at about 250 feet (give or take, I forgot to write down my GPS readings) above sea level. That being said, if you take the white bar & red circle blazed Major Welch Trail, you'll make the 1,000+ foot climb in the matter of two miles. If you aren't in decent physical shape this trail will punish you severely. If you're not at least a halfway decent hiker, you'll end up getting hurt. DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU'RE NOT READY FOR IT. You will end up stranded on the side of a hill with no hope of getting down. Also, if you do hike, especially in winter, don't hike solo. Teamwork is almost a requirement to get over some of the patches of ice. This trail also demands hiking boots, not trail running gear, unless you happen to be a mountain climber. All that said, we ascended the east side relatively fast. The trail itself is exceptionally well blazed, and you won't get lost. However, you'll wonder how the hell the person who blazed the trail saw a trail sometimes. Giant slabs of rock worn smooth by erosion and somewhat haphazard drainage dominate large portions of the ascent.

Now, by this point I wasn't feeling great. Part of this was motion sickness from the ride up, part is because I'm not really a morning person, and part is the orange juice that I was downing on my way up the trail. It also didn't help that everyone else, cramped from the car ride and invigorated from the hour or so of sleep they caught on the way up were flying up the trail with maximum speed. Ian noticed that by the halfway point up the mountain I was as white as a sheet, and having problems keeping my balance. I sat down at the first of two or three major summit points, and put my head between my legs. Then I blazed my own orange trail. As a disclaimer, I'd like to apologize to anyone who had the misfortune of coming across this, and I can only hope the rain that fell that night helped remove the evidence of my lack of intestinal fortitude. I'd also like to thank Tom, Pete, and Ian for helping me get the hell on my feet and convincing me to close the loop.

This part of the trail is classified as a YDS (for Yosemite Decimal System) Class Three trail, or just below the point of needing climbing equipment to ensure a safe completion. It should also be noted that in the winter the mountain tends to ice over pretty thoroughly in places, and the ice and snow pack usually remains on the mountain weeks after the snow has disappeared below. I would not recommend coming down this side of the mountain in difficult conditions, as the possibility of losing your footing and dropping onto Route 9 is high. However, we managed to get to the top of this hill, cresting just at the Perkins Tower (which for all you wussy drivers is accessible by road). The tower is staffed and provides excellent views of the surrounding terrain and, on clear days, views reaching as far away as New York City. If you're truly lucky, you might see Tom doing his Howard Dean impression. BYAHHHHH!The descent is a bit easier than the ascent, though you should take careful stock of where you step at all times to prevent yourself from sliding right off the west face of Bear Mountain. You're still following the red Major Welch Trail. The trail here looks more like a trail found west of the Mississippi, with large expanses of open rock that need to be crossed and fantastic views to the southwest. If it wasn't for the New England foliage, I might have forgotten I was in New York. Eventually, you will end up at Perkins Drive, which also contains the Appalachian Trail. This trail will be your new best friend, leading you back into the woods after a short hike along the road. This is the oldest portion of the AT, conceived of by Benton MacKaye and established in the 1920s under the watchful eye of Major William Welch of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, who lent his namesake to the red blazed trail we were just on. The trail was helped to completion by Arthur Perkins, who lent his namesake to the aforementioned tower. The AT snakes a path southwards through some semi-difficult terrain until it meets Seven Lakes Drive.

We were starting to get a bit tired and the sun was already starting to pass its high point in the sky. We knew that our original plan to hit West Mountain via the AT and Timp Torne Trail - several miles to the south by this point - and cut across the yellow Suffern/Bear Mountain Trail by dark was almost an absolute impossibility unless we really started to run. So we decided to cut across the historic 1777 Trail East along a branch of the Doodletown Brook. According to the same staff member as before, this trail was used by British troops to outflank and overrun two colonial forts in the region. Either way, the trail here is far more forgiving. After a little rest, we continued east on this trail and eventually (about a half a mile) made a left onto the Suffern/Bear Mountain Trail and eventually merging with the AT once again to make a yellow/white blaze pattern. This trail provides some good through-the-trees views of the Hudson Valley and the Bear Mountain Bridge. Truly some postcard moments. The trail nice and moderate here, with some ups and downs but not enough to make you feel like you're not going to finish. We crossed over the top of the resort, past a ski jump that almost got this place picked over Lake Placid to host the 1932 Winter Olympics. We then followed the trail down (well, some of us did) back to the parking lot.

This trail is a hell of a lot of fun. I'd suggest doing in the period of early spring when the temperature is high enough to ensure little ice on the trail, but still cool enough to keep the crowds that sometimes cripple Bear Mountain at home.