Apple Pie Hill Tower Smashed Again

[Furball1]

Where's the angst? Why hate a firetower? Is it symbolic? Does its presence offend them? Does it encroach on their freedom? Does it represent "the man" ? Or "big government"? Or "pop who beat ma and left me when I was 2?" I just do not get it. Does anyone get it? The scenario: " Hey Quagmire, let's drive to APH, drink some Boone's Farm, get loaded, smoke some weed, don't forget your industrial lock cutters, smash the bottles, find rocks, spraypaint, smash the hell out of APH.--Ahhhhh---life don't get no better than this." "Hey, let's meet here next week and try to push the F-ing APH tower over!" Freakin unbelievable. (my words, not theirs). Just don't get it.
Dave

 

[Teegate]

Where's the angst? Why hate a firetower? Is it symbolic? Does its presence offend them? Does it encroach on their freedom? Does it represent "the man" ? Or "big government"? Or "pop who beat ma and left me when I was 2?" I just do not get it. Does anyone get it? The scenario: " Hey Quagmire, let's drive to APH, drink some Boone's Farm, get loaded, smoke some weed, don't forget your industrial lock cutters, smash the bottles, find rocks, spraypaint, smash the hell out of APH.--Ahhhhh---life don't get no better than this." "Hey, let's meet here next week and try to push the F-ing APH tower over!" Freakin unbelievable. (my words, not theirs). Just don't get it.
Dave

That about says what some people are thinking. Hard to believe but they do.

Guy

 

[MuddinMommy]

Hi...I'm new to this forum...my husband actually joined too...I just moved to the toms river area and have started exploring the pine barrens...I didn't go to apple pie tower (rightnow we're in our quest tofind hollow field cemetery)...

Well along our drive down the trails i just can't believe how much garbage you find everywhere...Aside from carusoville (which looks like it is nothing more then a garbage dump)...all over the trails there's tons of garbage bags and just trash everywhere...what i really don't get id if you're going to take the time to clean everything and put it in 10 garbage bags...why can't you just take those bags out with you...I just don't get why people go through the trouble of going way out there just to throw out their trash...

i think these places are just too easy to get too...once you get to the more beated trails the trash ends...if they made it a little harder to get back there at least it my stop your avergage passer-by vandals...Just such a shame that the few last nice places in this state have to be destroyed too...go back and destroy your own home

I think next week i may try to make the trip to apple pie tower...I'd love to get some pictures from the top(assuming you can still get up there) I think I still have lots of research to do before I find the cemetery...

Candice

 

[Teegate]

There are no graves there anymore. In fact, if not for the steel cross there you would never know it was a cemetery.

I am glad you are doing the research and trying to find it on your own. It is more rewarding that way. Each time you head out, walk a different trail off of Dover Road and you will eventually find it.

Guy

 

[MuddinMommy]

Yeah...I know there's not much back there anymore...I just find it intriguing that a cemetery can just be that forgotten in the woods... and the harder it is to find the more I want to find it...is the trail one that has to be hiked down or can a truck make it back there?

 

[Teegate]

Yeah...I know there's not much back there anymore...I just find it intriguing that a cemetery can just be that forgotten in the woods... and the harder it is to find the more I want to find it...is the trail one that has to be hiked down or can a truck make it back there?

It has been many years since I have been there and we walked. You may be able to drive though.


Guy

 

[MarkBNJ]

Yeah...I know there's not much back there anymore...I just find it intriguing that a cemetery can just be that forgotten in the woods... and the harder it is to find the more I want to find it...is the trail one that has to be hiked down or can a truck make it back there?

You might be interested in this story of one that is in the process of disappearing, and that I explored last year. This is up north and not Pine Barrens related. However, you seem to have an interest in this stuff, so I will apologize to Ben for spamming my blog here and post the link. There is a link to a gallery of pics at the end. This particular graveyard is perhaps 10 years past the death of the last two people who really cared what was in most of it, and has begun its slide.

http://www.markbetz.net/2008/07/16/buried-in-brambles-the-vancampen-cemetary/

 

[secretwolfeyes]

Too many roads. Put up some gates and make more areas accessible only to foot, bike, and horses. If people can drive there then it will be trashed. If it was just a quarter of a mile hike to the tower 90% of this would stop.

Its a shame because I am friends with a ton of 4-wheelers who LOVE apple pie hill and it disgusts them to see what people have been doing to it. They have even brought up just staying up there one night so they can catch who's ruining it for everyone..
The guys I know even help out and lend their trucks to do Clean-UP every year in the Pine Barrens..I know whenever we see trash we actually pick it up.. it's a shame that a bunch of bad kids give all 4-wheelers a bad name. My guys took me up their teh first night I met my boyfriend who I am still with now.. It was breath taking to me.. and I'm glad THey gave me that experiance.. Once again.."it's a shame that a bunch of bad kids give all 4-wheelers a bad name."

 

[MuddinMommy]

Very interesting article...although it sounds like quite a feat to get to that cemetery...I used to explore north jersey quite often around echo lake and the surrounding area...might make a side trip up there one day this winter on of my snowboarding trips...thanks for the tip!

 

[Old Crazy]

I hike through Apple Pie Hill probably 15-20 times a year and I would really hate to see the fire tower closed down because it's a nice place to stop and have lunch and enjoy the view.

I think the #1 attraction to vandals is the apparent thrill they get by throwing some object off of the top of the fire tower and watching it smash apart as it hits the ground. A close second would the porta-potti style graffiti written all over the place.

I am in total agreement with those who think putting up some type of fence along the roadway that forces people to walk the last 1/4 - 1/2 mile to reach the tower would deter some of the vandalism. People will be less likey to throw a television off of the tower if they have to carry it a half mile to get it there. I also think they should put up some signs warning that the area is patrolled and under 24 hour video surveilance (even if that's just a bluff)

 

[ecampbell]

You might be interested in this story of one that is in the process of disappearing, and that I explored last year. This is up north and not Pine Barrens related. However, you seem to have an interest in this stuff, so I will apologize to Ben for spamming my blog here and post the link. There is a link to a gallery of pics at the end. This particular graveyard is perhaps 10 years past the death of the last two people who really cared what was in most of it, and has begun its slide.

http://www.markbetz.net/2008/07/16/buried-in-brambles-the-vancampen-cemetary/

Great blog, and I think it will interest many who read here.

Ed

 

[MarkBNJ]

Very interesting article...although it sounds like quite a feat to get to that cemetery...I used to explore north jersey quite often around echo lake and the surrounding area...might make a side trip up there one day this winter on of my snowboarding trips...thanks for the tip!

Going in there was probably one of the most foolish decisions I've made while out exploring, and the fact that it was 100 degrees with very high humidity that day didn't make the situation I got myself into any easier to get out of . But I do like the pictures. I wouldn't go back without a friend and some brush cutters.

 

[MikeBickerson]

It came third hand (my roommate works for the forest service), but there are supposedly gangs of thugs hanging out at the firetower pretty regularly.

*sigh*

 

[MuddinMommy]

Going in there was probably one of the most foolish decisions I've made while out exploring, and the fact that it was 100 degrees with very high humidity that day didn't make the situation I got myself into any easier to get out of . But I do like the pictures. I wouldn't go back without a friend and some brush cutters.

Yeah, at least i know if i decide to go out there to be prepared for some bushwacking (i'm pretty tiny so the vegetation would probably swallow me whole) Be quite a sight to see though...

 

[Teegate]

It came third hand (my roommate works for the forest service), but there are supposedly gangs of thugs hanging out at the firetower pretty regularly.

*sigh*

Apple Pie Hill???


Guy

 

[PBFog]

I've been to Apple Pie Hill numerous times day and night and have never seen "gangs of thugs". Perhaps some shady characters, but what do you expect at nighttime?

 

[MikeBickerson]

Eh, there have always been shady characters there, most of the time who turn out just to be bored kids from Tabernacle who check to make sure you aren't a cop and then offer you a beer. Occassionally you'll get the car with twitchy people who are obviously smoking up.

From what I heard (again, third hand, my roommate heard if from a guy that also works in the forest) there has been a group of more menacing people up there of late than the usual Apple Pie Hill nightdwellers. Could be completely made up, I don't know.

It certainly won't stop me from going there, especially if this really is the tower's "last chance".

 

[woodjin]

I proposed to my wife on that tower. I would hate to see it go.

 

[Teegate]

I proposed to my wife on that tower. I would hate to see it go.

As good a place as anywhere else in my book. I wonder how many others have?

Seriously, I don't see the tower going anywhere. All in all it is still in fairly good shape, it has electricity where the Cedar Bridge tower did not, and location makes it pretty much irreplaceable. Plus, the cost to run all those poles for the electricity had to be enormous. They will do whatever it takes to keep it there I suspect.

Guy

 

[LARGO]

I proposed to my wife on that tower. I would hate to see it go.

I never actually proposed to my wife. We were standing on a beach in LBI
one night and I held her and I said 'I am going to marry you"
That's all folks.

g.