J
JeffD
Guest
Yesterday, Dolly (dog) and I explored part of the 6.5 mile Sandy Ridge to Pine Crest hike that was listed on the file that recently magically appeared after having downloaded it several months ago.
Sometime after I set my car's trip odometer when I passed by the Carranza Memorial I discovered it wasn't working. The regular odometer changing tipped me off, and I guestimated the distance and looked for a bridge. I passed a small bridge, then a little further towards Friendship I passed a bridge over a bog, which must have been used recently for growing cranberries. Just up ahead, towards Friendship, were some foundations we had explored on our group outing.
I walked a little towards Friendship and turned left and came upon a broad path, which became just wide enough to walk through. It led past bogs but after awhile became impassible.
Not far from the broad path near the point I entered there was a trashed out area. There was broken wood that made me think it was some kind of shanty, as well as broken bottles, old, rusty spray cans.etc. It looked like a fire may have occured there. Maybe it was a meth lab!
Shortly before I reached the impass, where it was too wet to continue, I saw the work of beavers on trees. For while, I thought it was the route we took on our first outing. At some point I came to a home-made bridge of old boards, which were mainly in the water. I walked back to the car and followed a very wide sand road, then returned to the unpaved Carranza Road. I walked a little towards the memorial and found a path a little narrower than Carranza, carpeted with needles, and we were enveloped by trees, mainly pitch pine, I think. I reached the edge of the water of a bog, then continued walking the route backwards in the general direction of the railroad tracks.
I soon walked along the edge of Atlantic white cedars, bordering the bog. I could hear water running at one point. Some of the areas had alot of undergrowth and understory of hardwoods. The NJ Forest Service said that this is the sort of thing that is keeping the Atlantic White Cedar from regenerating. This tree needs alot of sunlight, and an understory of shade tolerant trees can put stress on an Atlantic White Cedar stand, which generally grows as pure, even-aged stands.
I unintentionally got off the trail, which got less and less defined. Occasionally, there were clearings in the woods. For awhile, I thought I was lost, and was concerned that I get out of the woods before it got dark. Somehow we managed to find the trail. On the way back, I noticed a blaze on a tree with the number 7 on it On the guide I downloaded, 7 corresponds to the Atlantic White Cedar Area. This is where I may have taken a wrong turn. I returned to the edge of the water and followed a narrow path to where the water gushed from the open bog into a stream. I about-faced and found my way back to the car.
Sometime after I set my car's trip odometer when I passed by the Carranza Memorial I discovered it wasn't working. The regular odometer changing tipped me off, and I guestimated the distance and looked for a bridge. I passed a small bridge, then a little further towards Friendship I passed a bridge over a bog, which must have been used recently for growing cranberries. Just up ahead, towards Friendship, were some foundations we had explored on our group outing.
I walked a little towards Friendship and turned left and came upon a broad path, which became just wide enough to walk through. It led past bogs but after awhile became impassible.
Not far from the broad path near the point I entered there was a trashed out area. There was broken wood that made me think it was some kind of shanty, as well as broken bottles, old, rusty spray cans.etc. It looked like a fire may have occured there. Maybe it was a meth lab!
Shortly before I reached the impass, where it was too wet to continue, I saw the work of beavers on trees. For while, I thought it was the route we took on our first outing. At some point I came to a home-made bridge of old boards, which were mainly in the water. I walked back to the car and followed a very wide sand road, then returned to the unpaved Carranza Road. I walked a little towards the memorial and found a path a little narrower than Carranza, carpeted with needles, and we were enveloped by trees, mainly pitch pine, I think. I reached the edge of the water of a bog, then continued walking the route backwards in the general direction of the railroad tracks.
I soon walked along the edge of Atlantic white cedars, bordering the bog. I could hear water running at one point. Some of the areas had alot of undergrowth and understory of hardwoods. The NJ Forest Service said that this is the sort of thing that is keeping the Atlantic White Cedar from regenerating. This tree needs alot of sunlight, and an understory of shade tolerant trees can put stress on an Atlantic White Cedar stand, which generally grows as pure, even-aged stands.
I unintentionally got off the trail, which got less and less defined. Occasionally, there were clearings in the woods. For awhile, I thought I was lost, and was concerned that I get out of the woods before it got dark. Somehow we managed to find the trail. On the way back, I noticed a blaze on a tree with the number 7 on it On the guide I downloaded, 7 corresponds to the Atlantic White Cedar Area. This is where I may have taken a wrong turn. I returned to the edge of the water and followed a narrow path to where the water gushed from the open bog into a stream. I about-faced and found my way back to the car.
