Brookville's Oyster--A PBX Trip

[Teegate]

Brookville's Oyster--A PBX Trip

All,

On 3/4/2011 all members of PBX received this email from Bob concerning our next hike.


Boys,

Get out your rubber clam-digger boots and wooden tongues, ‘cause we’re going oystering!

After a long winter nap, we are finally gonna breath some fresh pine air. The title of this trip is “Brookville’s Oyster”.

Let’s meet at 8:45 sharp on Saturday, March 26, at the starting point…just over ½ mile west of Well’s Mills on route 532.

We’re going to explore the country behind Well’s Mills and East of Brookville. We’ll be dipping in and out of swampy areas and cruising the highlands, all for the purpose of getting the boots-on-the-ground look-around.

This trip is just about 6 miles, so if we have good weather, we’ll have a good day and a great workout.

Bring a smile, your walking staff, and a great attitude!

Happy Trails!

bob

PS: see map below. We’ll be going counter-clockwise. We won’t be going in a straight line as it shows…we’ll mosey about some.

This morning we changed plans and met at Wells Mill Park, and by 9:15 we were heading into the woods where "Park" is located on the map. Within a short half hour Jessica was getting very sick apparently from the P&B sandwich she ate, and the two of us had to bail out. We headed out to the main road, walked a half mile to a vehicle, and drove back to Wells Mill Park for my car. She slept the complete ride home and is resting now on the couch. I will not post any photo's until the crew who went can post first, but I will post photo's I took in the woods on the way out to the road to get back to Wells Mill Park

Just sticking out of the ground.

Guy

 

[46er]

Tee, check the jar of PB, there was a recall for salmonella recently. The brand recalled is Skippy® Reduced Fat. The USDA site will have specific details for UPC codes and dates.

 

[Teegate]

It was an Uncrustable which is frozen P&B that she thaws and then eats. She seems better and is now watching TV.

http://www.smuckers.com/products/category.aspx?groupId=3&categoryId=46

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

Just sticking out of the ground.

For a half an hour that was a very good find.Sorry to hear you and Jess had to bail but that is a nice skull and rack.
Any idea what the bolt went to? sawmill?

 

[Teegate]

Any idea what the bolt went to? sawmill?

No. I will visit it again the next time I am in that area. It is very close to the main road.

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

I'm sorry you and Jess had to back out on this one. I forgot my camera, but Scott took plenty of photos. It was a good explore. We gave it a 9.

That area is a State and County treasure back there. Rolling hills, deep ravines....chestnut, black, and white oak, and huge areas of thick stands of mountain Laurel.

This is one aspect I like about the pines....the diversity. If you compare that area to the xeric, pitch pine land surrounding Forked River Mountain, the contrast is sharp. Both areas are neat in their own way.

We logged 7 miles. Seven tough miles.

 

[Teegate]

Now that one of you have posted I will post the photo's I took during the short time we were there.


This rivals Jemima Mount or almost any hill in the pines. Chris is at the top.

Scott practicing with Miller for the serious drinks after the hike Notice the empties on the ground. It promises to be an interesting day. Then again, maybe Jessica drank those???

Possible chemicals from the dump nearby.

Maybe a golden egg??? She is dipping her head trying to hide from us. We got almost within 6 feet and she never moved.

Guy

 

[RednekF350]

The day started off beautifully with a crisp bite in the air, light breeze and a cobalt blue sky that would stay with us until sundown.
Six of us began our trek off of Rte. 532. and after a brief push, we were standing along side of an apparent toxic stew.

The stew emanates from an apparent groundwater seep from the nearby Southern Ocean Landfill, located just a short jump to the northwest.
Bob shown here navigating a log through the oil-sheened goo.

On an island in the middle of all this Mother Goose tried to remain undetected as we slogged past her nest site.

At this point, Guy and his daughter had to bail and we all felt badly for them as they headed back to 532.

The four of us continued on through some of the most beuatiful pine woods to be found anywhere. Interesting and substantial topographic relief was the order of the day and large specimens of Atlantic white cedar and mountain laurel as high as 18' were encountered.
This Atlantic white was 32 " in diameter.

The mountain laurel to the left are at least 15' high.

In contrast, we came through an area later in the day where the laurel were stunted from previous fires and were just getting themselves back in the game.

The toughest part of our hike was the stretch along the headwaters along Oyster Creek.
The headwater is ice clear and beautiful in this photo.

We found a single specimen of Swamp Pink and Bob scoured the area to look for others with no luck.

Bob on the hunt.

The last mile was a beautiful but tough push through cedars and deadfalls that ended with breaking out along side the resevoir.

We closed the day all the way till o'dark thirty with a tailgate party and enjoyed my homemade wine, some soppressata and sharp provolone a few good cigars.
Good times indeed.
Thanks boys.
Scott

 

[Teegate]

Very nice Scott! Thanks!

Guy

 

[GermanG]

It looks like you guys passed very close to the ancient abandoned pickup with wooden spoked wheels. It’s nestled within a patch of laurel and only easily spotted after a prescribed burn (which was when I first saw it).

 

[bobpbx]

It looks like you guys passed very close to the ancient abandoned pickup with wooden spoked wheels. It’s nestled within a patch of laurel and only easily spotted after a prescribed burn (which was when I first saw it).

You'll have to pinpoint that now for us. We'll have to see it.

German, would you please comment on that nasty issuance from the Racoon Branch source? I'm sure you know about it. Is there anything to do but wait and watch? Do you get tested often? We were surprised at the lack of monitoring wells.

 

[Teegate]

Bob,

There are two wells right there along 532 just before where we were at. We saw them on the way out.

Guy

 

[GermanG]

There are the test wells on Rt 532 and another group on Brookville Rd. The water from the park's well gets tested regularly also. I only get the results from the park's well, which has never had any problems. I've seen what you observed and never given it much thought, assuming it was the type of seepage that forms bog iron but considering the location, perhaps I shouldn't just make that assumption. I'll check into it further this week.

The truck is located about a hundred feet east of either the last plow line (across from the landfill entrance) or the second-to-last line, about half way between Rt 532 and Ridge Rd. I'd have to go back to pinpoint it.

 

[bobpbx]

I'll check into it further this week. The truck is located about a hundred feet east of either the last plow line (across from the landfill entrance) or the second-to-last line, about half way between Rt 532 and Ridge Rd. I'd have to go back to pinpoint it.

Thanks German. Regarding the seep, the worst of the sheen is on the southeast corner of it....closest to you. I have never seen it that strong anywhere in my explorations.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

the worst of the sheen

Let's leave Charlie out of this.

 

[bobpbx]

Let's leave Charlie out of this.

Good one Gabe!

 

[oji]

Looks like a great trip. I'm sorry I missed it! Was there any stench from the leaching area?

 

[Hewey]

It was a perfect weather for a PBX trip yesterday. The first half of the hike with the ridges almost felt like the woods in New England. The hike was fairly easy going and ended on a hard note. The last miles or so was very think with tight cedar, hopping hummock to hummock and crawling over blow downs. The tail gate was a nice reward for the end of the day.

A veiw from the top of the first ridge.

In the laurels.

At one point the laurels were so thick you had to crawl.

Bob on a classic pine barrens road.

Crystal clear Oyster.

Bob in the area that has burned over and left the laurels stunted.

Bob in the swamp on the back side of the reservoir. It was very thick and the slowest going of the day.

Wells Mill reservoir.

Chris

 

[bobpbx]

Looks like a great trip. I'm sorry I missed it! Was there any stench from the leaching area?

Tom, not noticable on the surface, but I stuck my walking stick into the mud and pulled it out. It smelled faintly of raw sewage. That could be bacteria from rotting vegation I suppose.

But as they say..."something is rotten in Denmark"....I have a bad feeling about this. I hope not, as Wells Mills really is a nice place.

 

[woodjin]

Very nice, gentlemen. I am sorry I missed this one. I love dramatic changes in the topography as you encountered here. I've hiked some of the trails in there and noticed, like Chris, that it felt like forests to the north.

Jeff