J
JeffD
Guest
This afternoon I hiked the JCRR from High Crossing to the bridge over the Basto River. I've been reading about some of the washed out roads in the Pine Barrens recently, but it warmed up and dried out and I thought I'd give the sand road a little past the Carranza Memorial that leads to High Crossing a chance. It wasn't bad. There were a few ruts dug along the road, but I was able to straddle them. The hill shortly before you come to the tracks was a little mucky, and I was concerned about mounting it on the way back. I won't leave you in suspense. I got a good run - I assulted the hill at about 20 mph and blew my horn just before I climbed in case I slid and someone was coming the other way. I didn't even spin my wheels but just slid slightly at that speed.
I only saw a Willy's, Wrangler type jeep coming the other way shortly after I turned off of the paved Carranza road when I entered the sand road. Shortly before I got to the Carranza Memorial on my way in two horse trailers were going the opposite direction. I saw nobody on the hike, which is suprising for suddenly having such a nice day.
I had to weave in and out from the tracks, as trees stood in the way in the middle of the tracks in some places. I passed by areas where there had been a fire. Standing and downed trees were very charcoled. There was more small and medium size trees on the ground than standing. Some trees had fallen across the tracks. I was an ugly scene for awhile, intermittently, until I got close to the bridge. I was the picture that accompanies Smokey The Bear's exortation that ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES. Maybe next time I'll take photos. The photo of the logging between the lakes on another forum may have shown the forest bare. But this was bare, but unlike that scene, where the forest floor and trees were clean, the breakdown on the forest floor here was indeed ugly. With all that breakdown, I wonder how the forest will ever regenerate. It may eventually, but not as fast as if the forest was cleaned up.
I'm glad I took the sand road to High Crossing, as that saved me two miles total.
When I finally got to the bridge, the water flowed at a fair clip underneath. I felt the ground around a cedar on the side away from the river which was about two feet from the water's edge and about two feet above it. It was practically bone dry. I'm constantly amazed at what a difference a foot or two in elevation in the Pine Barrens makes.
I could hear a stream gush into the Basto as well as the toilet-like sound of the river gurgle under the bridge. My dog Dolly and I took a drink from the stream. It tasted bland. I guess I'm not used to having water without a touch of additives. Also, it was slightly acidic, which is why it is safe to drink. In places, some foam gathered in the nearby streams that fed into the Basto. I guess they are naturall phosphates or nitrates that are precipitating out.
As I headed back towards High Crossing, about 100 yards from the bridge, was a narrow path that crossed the stream, further upstream from where we drank, that lead away from the tracks in the direction of Hampton Furnace. I followed it for about half a mile. It soon rose at least ten feet above the River's edge, and, except for a few places where the sun must not hit much, the trail was bone dry. It got wider. At one point I looked to the left and could see the river. The river then disappeared, blocked by the woods. I wonder if this was a road used when Hampton Furnace was in operation. This was closer to the RR bridge over the Basto that was the other, wider road that our group drove on an outing. Maybe both roads were used. About 1/2 mile in a stream crossed the road and the water was ponded so I turned around. I managed to return to the car a little before sunset, so I had no problem finding my way back to Carranza Road.
In very few spots some snow remained. There was also strips of slushy ice on the slower, sheltered streams by the railroad tracks. Spring thaw has begun!
I only saw a Willy's, Wrangler type jeep coming the other way shortly after I turned off of the paved Carranza road when I entered the sand road. Shortly before I got to the Carranza Memorial on my way in two horse trailers were going the opposite direction. I saw nobody on the hike, which is suprising for suddenly having such a nice day.
I had to weave in and out from the tracks, as trees stood in the way in the middle of the tracks in some places. I passed by areas where there had been a fire. Standing and downed trees were very charcoled. There was more small and medium size trees on the ground than standing. Some trees had fallen across the tracks. I was an ugly scene for awhile, intermittently, until I got close to the bridge. I was the picture that accompanies Smokey The Bear's exortation that ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES. Maybe next time I'll take photos. The photo of the logging between the lakes on another forum may have shown the forest bare. But this was bare, but unlike that scene, where the forest floor and trees were clean, the breakdown on the forest floor here was indeed ugly. With all that breakdown, I wonder how the forest will ever regenerate. It may eventually, but not as fast as if the forest was cleaned up.
I'm glad I took the sand road to High Crossing, as that saved me two miles total.
When I finally got to the bridge, the water flowed at a fair clip underneath. I felt the ground around a cedar on the side away from the river which was about two feet from the water's edge and about two feet above it. It was practically bone dry. I'm constantly amazed at what a difference a foot or two in elevation in the Pine Barrens makes.
I could hear a stream gush into the Basto as well as the toilet-like sound of the river gurgle under the bridge. My dog Dolly and I took a drink from the stream. It tasted bland. I guess I'm not used to having water without a touch of additives. Also, it was slightly acidic, which is why it is safe to drink. In places, some foam gathered in the nearby streams that fed into the Basto. I guess they are naturall phosphates or nitrates that are precipitating out.
As I headed back towards High Crossing, about 100 yards from the bridge, was a narrow path that crossed the stream, further upstream from where we drank, that lead away from the tracks in the direction of Hampton Furnace. I followed it for about half a mile. It soon rose at least ten feet above the River's edge, and, except for a few places where the sun must not hit much, the trail was bone dry. It got wider. At one point I looked to the left and could see the river. The river then disappeared, blocked by the woods. I wonder if this was a road used when Hampton Furnace was in operation. This was closer to the RR bridge over the Basto that was the other, wider road that our group drove on an outing. Maybe both roads were used. About 1/2 mile in a stream crossed the road and the water was ponded so I turned around. I managed to return to the car a little before sunset, so I had no problem finding my way back to Carranza Road.
In very few spots some snow remained. There was also strips of slushy ice on the slower, sheltered streams by the railroad tracks. Spring thaw has begun!
8)
