Exploring Hampton Gate Woods Again

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
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All,

We had a few items on our agenda’s today, with the fist one to check out the Pink Lady Slippers this weekend to see if any of the smaller flowers were ready to photograph, and we learned quickly they are slow growers. They were only about and inch taller. However, we did learn that when the slipper is white as it was last weekend, that means come back in one week and it will be pink :dance:


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This ant was on it.


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Jessica found another one across the plastic bridge but it appears to be fading. From there we embarked on the more strenuous activity for the day, and that was to search for stones and explore the woods again behind the stone mountain off of Carranza Road. If you haven’t been to the stone mountain now is the time to go. They burned the place and you can see quite well where the stone mining operations were at the top.

As I said we have been back there somewhat before, so a few of these photo’s may be familiar to some of you. When we went the first time we were looking for property corners made from small gage railroad tracks and found them after a surveyor for the adjacent property owners had passed through. We visited them again today on our trek to go deeper into the woods. These are pounded into the ground and will never come out without some serious digging.

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Jessica on an old corduroy road.


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We found many state monuments and a few stones, and this one is not long for this world.


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That area has savannahs and old bogs and it is criss-crossed with canals all over. On this corner we found this old wooden pole for a fence that is long gone except where we found parts of it buried in the ground while digging for stones. You can see the intersecting canals in the photo’s.


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We traveled from Carranza Road through the woods all the way to the far corner of the Wharton property on the road to the Jersey-Maine Deer Club hidden away in a remote section of the woods there. It is obvious they do not have electricity because we heard the generator they used for that purpose. It is private property so I had to stay on Wharton property as best I could which is right near the entrance to their place. Jessica found the final monument of the day on the opposite side of the road from the stone. I zoomed in for this shot.


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We started at the first link and walked to the state corner at the second link.


http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.803453&lng=-74.675985&z=15&type=k&gpx=


The cleared area just below the pointer is the gun club property. Looking over older aerials you can see that something was going on there many years ago, but later aerial show it in decline. Recent aerials show they are clearing it again for the gun club activities.


http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.798986&lng=-74.690353&z=15&type=k&gpx=


Guy
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,670
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Pines; Bamber area
In Deep Guy!

I had in mind a PBX "big" trip from where you started down to the road from Atsion, and thence to Quaker Bridge Road where that little pond is.
 
Oct 25, 2006
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Another excellant day exploring in the Pines, real nice trip, i really like your close ups.

Is that a fire ant ?

Jim
 

glowordz

Explorer
Jan 19, 2009
585
8
SC
www.gloriarepp.com
You did it, Guy! That is one fantastic ant! And so artistically posed. :) Looks like the PB ants grow plenty big too . . . or should I suspect enhancement?
Here, our Lady Slippers are gone, so I'm enjoying yours. The railroad markers are interesting too. Looks like a really good trip.

Glo
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
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Looks like the PB ants grow plenty big too . . . or should I suspect enhancement?

Glo

If you look at the photo above the ant you can see it on the top of the plant and know it's true size.

Guy
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,342
328
Near Mt. Misery
Nice report Guy. very interesting area. It is funny, on the last PBX hike Paul was telling me he used to have lady slippers growing in his yard. I thought that was odd becuase I have only seen them in the deep woods. Well, sure enough, my son and I were walking around my property saying hello to every flower we could find (he is 2 1/2) when I found a lady slipper!!! And another one that hasn't flowered yet. Pretty cool!

Jeff
 
Apr 30, 2009
37
0
I'm surprised that the first person to see that flower didn't name it the Scrotum Blossum.

Nice pics, as always :).

HAHAHAHA.......That is the chuckle I was looking for all day......THANKS!!

:)

And great pictures....looks like you guys had an awesome time!!!!!
 

Kevinhooa

Explorer
Mar 12, 2008
332
25
41
Hammonton, NJ.
www.flickr.com
Guy, great trip report. I wonder how many times rails have been used to mark property lines? Seems like it would have been a little expensive back in the day, but they will last forever. I've seen them used on the Pattenburg tunnel in Northern NJ as a guide over the mountain for surveying. Seems like that one concrete marker you found should have been steel/iron.
 
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