Mount Misery Bogs

whitingrider

Explorer
Jun 28, 2007
193
0
Whiting
I was out on Sunday exploring an old canal I found along time ago. I drove west along the Penn Central Railroad right-of-way passing some bogs:
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I walked in along a narrow trail that passes a mature tree farm:http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=39.92702&lon=-74.47213&size=m&u=4&datum=nad83&layer=DRG
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Something I noticed in this area was though there were alot of white oaks in the upland areas, alot were dead and dying.
Gypsy moth larve waiting for spring:
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As i got closer to the "bogs" listed on both topo and google maps I saw large areas that had been excavated, I think this was a "borrow pit" to get the dirt needed for this irrigation canal which follows Mt. Misery Brook a little to the north.
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On the other side of this canal was this beautiful lake:
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I don't know who put this here, possibly the state?
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Then hiking further southwest the canal gets further from the brook:
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The road follows this canal for a while and I came to a nice clearing which had been dug out and there was this tree stand:
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Then there is a small footbridge across the canal that must have replaced a bridge suitable for vehicles:
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Now I am up on top of this berm and the canal is down about 5 feet. Some dead trees for Mark:
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Finally this road ends where there used to be a bridge crossing the brook. There are some old wodden floodgates in the briars:
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Canal re-joins brook:
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To the west of this area is a cedar swamp with many impressive sized cedars, I'm guessing Atlantic White Cedars. There is a foot trail that goes out to Glasshouse Road, a bit north of the bridge over the brook.
A couple shots of the old railroad right-of-way that I love:
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It was truely a great day to be out in the pines, I can't remember when I saw so many other vehicles on the main roads, and there were alot of legal dualsport motorcycles.
Thanks for your time. Tom
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,602
8,177
That is a nice area where the cement structure is. Here is bobpbx on it.

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A closer look.

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Guy
 

whitingrider

Explorer
Jun 28, 2007
193
0
Whiting
Thanks Mike . Thanks Jim, if you still have my phone number, give me a call. There's a PA tour comming up. it's not PB related, but I think you'd like it.
Guy, how long ago was that because it looked like the lake was flooded then also.
Tom
 

ICANOE2

Explorer
Sep 30, 2007
141
1
52
Browns Mills
Very nice! Thanks for posting.

Is this Mt. Misery Brook or the canal?
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This is only 10 minutes from my house I had idea how nice it is out there.....Mike
 

whitingrider

Explorer
Jun 28, 2007
193
0
Whiting
ICANOE, that's the canal. The only thing I can figure is that when these were cranberry bogs, this canal was dug to divert the main flow of the brook until it needed to be flooded for harvest. Looking at Guy's pictures it seems the topo map is pretty old and these bogs haven't been used in a long time.
Tom
 

whitingrider

Explorer
Jun 28, 2007
193
0
Whiting
Ben, Why would the topo map call it "cranberry bog" and what is the purpose of the floodgate on the brook? It had to be at some time.
Tom
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,338
326
Near Mt. Misery
Ahhhh, those bogs are among my favorite. I've spent a considerable amount of time back there over the past 10 years particularly. Here I am at my official "thinking" spot in that area. Thinking in this case about pickerel (what else?)

watermark.php


You were not far off from the ruins of Van Note Camp. Or from the yellow/pitch hybrid nursery. There is a very large beaver community in those bogs. I also saw my one and only otter in those bogs.

As for the "bog" along the rail...it is questionable whether it was actually a bog or not. There are cranberrys in there, but there is a lack of dikes and canals as I recall. The river that feeds that bog, the pole bridge branch, gets real wild after it crosses under the old rail. I am not sure that the topos are 100% accurate in naming bogs. Anyway, I did catch a red fin pickerel in there once. But that was it.

That floodgate is something huh? there is another canal on the oppisite side of the bogs (not sure if you saw that) It appears that there was alot of extra care taken in the construction of these bogs. I would guess the floodgate was an improved form of the wier made to withstand time and weather better than wood construction would. Just a guess though.

Glad you had a great time exploring the area. Terrific photos!!

Jeff
 

whitingrider

Explorer
Jun 28, 2007
193
0
Whiting
Thanks for that info, Jeff I figured you would know that area. I am planning to get around to the other side, didn't know there was another canal (which facinates me), mainly wanted to get to the other side of that bridge. I have been around the area of Goose Pond alot with my daughter, she loves that area. One day I'll check out the woods and swamps in between.
Tom
 

whitingrider

Explorer
Jun 28, 2007
193
0
Whiting
Thanks, Mark. It does look alot like that stretch in Forked River. This website has some amazing pictures of the old trains from the 70's, including one of a train crossing a trestle in forked river in the pouring rain. I could spend hours looking at this site. Also pictures of the railroad crossing Lacey Rd. in Whiting before the shopping center was built.
http://www.thebluecomet.com/cnjsoudiv.html
Tom
 
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