Batsto Africa, a PBX Hike

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,984
8,737
All,

After several postponements, our final major PBX hike of the season was today. Bob titled it Batsto Africa, with each location named after a county in Africa. Our meeting point was on the West side of Quaker Bridge where we would hike along the West side of the Batsto River. Participating in this trip was bobpbx, teegate(me), Jessica, rednekf350 and his son Mike, woodjin, and long-a-coming. Here is the route we intended to follow with Quaker Bridge just off the map at the top.

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Checking out some plants early in the hike.

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Blue Flag Iris.

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They were all over the route today, and here along the Batsto River.

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Jeff with one of the numerous frogs we captured or saw today.

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Bob and Jeff are betting men, and this shows Bob trying to win $10. The operative word is “trying.”

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One of the many washed out curves the river takes.

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A prime area for orchids.

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Dueling frogs.

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An oil spill? No, just iron leaching out of the ground. Anyone want to start a furnace?

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The closer to Batsto we went, the more intense it became.

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I turned my back for one second, and Jessica thought she could walk on the iron. Little did she know she couldn’t! It took Tom and I to pull her out.

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Here she is again at the end of the hike. Bob made her ride in the bed on the ride back. Can’t blame him!

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Then off to the Wading Pines campground for much needed showers and some great food. Tom and Scott were our cooks today and made some mighty fine burgers, dogs, and venison. Along with food and refreshments from everyone, we really enjoyed ourselves. When the final tally was complete it was rated a 9.7. This was one of the highest ratings to date. What next year will bring is hard to imagine, but we will try our best to make it just as nice.

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Guy
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,984
8,737
Looks like you guys had a great time, and a more convivial gathering than the one pictured at the end I can't imagine. How far in did Jessica sink?

Bob has some photo's that should show us. He would not let us pull her out until he had them :) She really did not go in deep, she just fell and could not get up.

BTW, The gypsy moths are a problem in that area. They are really doing some damage.

Guy
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,358
340
Near Mt. Misery
Great shots from the trip today Guy!! Here are a few I took:

Start of the hike
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This is the largest ore pond I've ever seen, note how clear the water is despite the high iron content. It went on and on, too much to capture in one photo.
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Bob provides perspective to size of this river cut

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I came across this stinkpot on my way home.

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Jeff
 
Apr 6, 2004
3,620
564
Galloway
I missed a great hike! That little stream looks very enticing. I helped install a sign on the Batona Trail today and was calling for you guys on my way down Goodwater Road.
 

whippoorbill

Explorer
Jul 29, 2003
675
121
66
Bridgeton
These photographs are so nice. It's a shame you guys hang up the hikes for the summer (but I understand why); the reports are fun to read and the photographers on-hand certainly understand how to capture the essence of the pines, their waters, and their beauty.

Hurry up fall, eh, guys?

Bill
 

MarkBNJ

Piney
Jun 17, 2007
1,875
73
Long Valley, NJ
www.markbetz.net
These photographs are so nice. It's a shame you guys hang up the hikes for the summer (but I understand why); the reports are fun to read and the photographers on-hand certainly understand how to capture the essence of the pines, their waters, and their beauty.

Hurry up fall, eh, guys?

Bill

After bushwhacking at Union Clay and Red Oak Grove last week I can understand why, too. I'm still scratching.
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
5,064
3,341
Pestletown, N.J.
It was really good to get the warm weather perspective of the savannahs and the river with all the plant growth and birds in full swing.

Here is a river vista photo that I took early in the hike.
Click to enlarge it and it feels like you are there.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/8897

Here is Jeff negotiating the river's edge.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/8896

The underwater view of the ore stream that we explored.
http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/8893

It was a relaxing, beautiful day in the woods with good people and we all scored the outing very highly.
My son and I were both impressed with all that we saw in a very narrow band sandwiched between a road that I have travelled many times and the river bank.
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
5,064
3,341
Pestletown, N.J.
Very manageable.
2-3 ticks and no chiggers in 4.5 hours of woods time.
I sprayed 40% deet around my boot tops, tee-shirt sleeves and wiped some around my neck and I was good to go.

I set a new personal record for ticks 3 weeks ago while turkey hunting. 17 in 2 hours of woods time in Atco. I did not spray though.
 
Oct 5, 2007
31
0
Gibbsboro
Wow looks like a great time! Sorry I missed it!!:bang:Where do you post these hikes, cuz I'm in on the next one. Also what would I need besides boots (hipwaders), 'stick', and a camera?
 

jerimichelle

New Member
Sep 20, 2008
13
0
Wow looks like a great time! Sorry I missed it!!:bang:Where do you post these hikes, cuz I'm in on the next one. Also what would I need besides boots (hipwaders), 'stick', and a camera?
Good question - where are these posted? Cuz even though I'm not a local, I'd really like to make the trek down for one of these group hikes, meet y'all, have some fun.

Have waders, will travel.
:D
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
5,064
3,341
Pestletown, N.J.
Is Turkey season still on ? Did you bag any Turkey ?

Jim

Turkey is done for now. There is a fall season too.
I did not bag one and I really didn't put my time in this year.
A guy I know and his son did real well on the same piece of ground I hunted this year but he really spends the time before and during the season.
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,678
2,593
60
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Woodjin.
I think that may be an eastern mud turtle and not a stinkpot (musk turtle) I may be wrong since I can't see the plastron in the photo but I don't see a yellow facial stripe like stinkpots have.the two are very similar except that the mud turtles plastron is double hinged whereas the stinkpots is single hinged.the muds face can be mottled or spotted but usually isn't striped like the musk.Stinkpots are rarer in my experience.muds are quite common.perhaps it was a stinkpot but the face don't look like it.
Al
heres the herp atlas link for ID
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/turtles.pdf
 

Furball1

Explorer
Dec 11, 2005
378
1
Florida
Iron leaching?

Is it possible the "oil slick" you are seeing is the result of methane from rotting organic material, escaping through the mud causing the oily rainbow appearance? I've seen this in marshland and areas where there's a lot of organic decomposition.
 

MarkBNJ

Piney
Jun 17, 2007
1,875
73
Long Valley, NJ
www.markbetz.net
Is it possible the "oil slick" you are seeing is the result of methane from rotting organic material, escaping through the mud causing the oily rainbow appearance? I've seen this in marshland and areas where there's a lot of organic decomposition.

I think there are a number of natural explanations for that sheen, and I've definitely seen iron do it as well. You can see this around the rusty hulls of ships, even when you know there is no oil on the water, and I always wondered what it was. Must be some characteristic of the iron oxide.
 
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