Best Hikes in the Pine Barrens

[MikeBickerson]

Or at least the 14 best in my opinion.

https://southjerseytrails.org/2017/03/15/besthikesinthepinebarrens/

What's your favorite trail in the pine barrens?

 

[enormiss]

Thanks for posting that and getting me out today.
Did Red trail at Franklin Parker
We had a great time and think the dogs did too but no comment since they are sleeping LoL

Now I know someone here can tell me what these are...
Found three of them not far from each other on the side of the trail not far from that weather tower.
Thought they could be a stone but didnt want to touch incase it was an egg.
They were next to holes or depressions in ground

edit... all were marked with an orange flag

 

[46er]

Just a guess; an old pine snake nest and egg shell.

 

[ecampbell]

Where is the weather tower? I'm out here all the time and I don't recall one.
We hiked the Batona Trail - Goodwater Road loop today at Quaker Bridge, dogs now asleep in a sun beam.

 

[manumuskin]

Pine snake eggs are very oblong shaped and tend to turn brownish soon after hatching and show a definite split where the snake came out.This looks like possibly a puff ball mushroom?Kinda weird time of year for a fresh one. Even weirder time for an egg.

 

[Eli]

I was out on the red trail Sunday as well and noticed the maker flag. but could not resist touch those things and found they were small rocks. No idea why the were there, maybe a geocache or some jokester just messing with passersby

 

[92 Blazer Jeff]

They maybe going to burn that area and the stones are to mark the holes so thy can find them after the burn for some study.
The flags will burn in the fire.

 

[Teegate]

Yes, they must be doing burn research as those are the same things I found at Penn State Forest after the fire there. I learned later I disturbed their research somewhat.

 

[Teegate]

 

[enormiss]

Interesting on the rocks & fire research, thanks.

My best guess on the tower is about mid point of red trail where it combines with road (possible green trail)
There was a small clearing and a picnic table... Mike has a pic of it near bottom of page here
https://southjerseytrails.org/2014/05/18/redtrailparkerpreserve/

 

[manumuskin]

View attachment 8840

That rock looks like the rounded granite stones I find along the shore of lake Superior in UP Michigan. I have some beautiful pink and white mottled ones here shaped just like that.

 

[Boyd]

That rock looks like the rounded granite stones I find along the shore of lake Superior

Also looks like the stones I find in a 50 pound bag at the Home Depot garden center.

 

[46er]

but could not resist touch those things and found they were small rocks.

I've got hundreds of rocks similar to that all over, but they are very white, very smooth and nowhere as large. They remind me of the Cape May diamonds. Maybe if I dig down a bit...

My next guess is you would find similar stones underwater off our beaches.

 

[Boyd]

I suppose it depends on who put them there. But unless they needed a large quantity it seems plausible that they just went to Lowes or Home Depot and got a bag or two. Independent local Garden Centers also sell similar products. Hard to tell from the photos, but there seem to be a number of good candidates here: http://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Garden-Center-Landscaping-Landscape-Rocks/N-5yc1vZbx5d

 

[46er]

But unless they needed a large quantity it seems plausible that they just went to Lowes or Home Depot and got a bag or two.

It can't be, the NJCF may be planting non-native rocks?? Quick, call the PPA!!!

 

[46er]

That rock looks like the rounded granite stones I find along the shore of lake Superior in UP Michigan. I have some beautiful pink and white mottled ones here shaped just like that.

Also on the beaches of Maine, but they are more egg shaped there. How many can you count?

 

[ninemileskid]

Also on the beaches of Maine, but they are more egg shaped there. How many can you count?

Those are just really big grains of sand.

 

[ecampbell]

They all road down on a glacier from NY and Canada.

 

[MikeBickerson]

Interesting on the rocks & fire research, thanks.

My best guess on the tower is about mid point of red trail where it combines with road (possible green trail)
There was a small clearing and a picnic table... Mike has a pic of it near bottom of page here
https://southjerseytrails.org/2014/05/18/redtrailparkerpreserve/

That's exactly where it was, good sleuthing.

The guy had the truck out there, I can't imagine its been there very long. He was nice enough to show the 4 year old how it worked.