Trying to Find FRM (Forked River Mountain)

[this_is_nascar]

After doing some much reading here, it sounded like FRM was a site to be seen. On Saturday, the wife and I headed out, but were unsuccessful in our quest to find it. We did, however come across many other scenes of beauty.

I have some questions that may allow me to actually find the FRM some day. It it accessable/viewable from the off-road (in a vehicle) or does one need to hike to get to it? We started out quest at CR-532 and Jones Road. According to what I've read in this Forum, that should have put us pretty darn close, but we didn't have any luck.

Does anyone have GPS coordinates or something more specific we should look for? Even browsing the pictures posted here, they don't look like what we saw in that area.

 

[Teegate]

It may be more fun to find it without the GPS coordinates, or you may want to use this link to find them.

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=39.8536&lon=-74.2894&size=l&symshow=n&u=5&datum=nad83

Guy

 

[Boyd]

Don't feel bad, it took me a number of years to find it also... but it's worth the effort

 

[woodjin]

I have some questions that may allow me to actually find the FRM some day. It it accessable/viewable from the off-road (in a vehicle) or does one need to hike to get to it? /QUOTE]

It can be a little tricky. You can drive right past it and not know it. You have to look to your right from the dirt road you will be on (while heading east) and look for some erosion along an incline (doesn't really look like a mountain till you are on it). It is possible to drive to the old fire tower foundation on top but is not recommended. The hike up is short and nice. Watch your mileage in relation to the topo map, and look for intersections to know where you are. Good luck

Jeff

 

[Ben Ruset]

We could really use directions to the mountain in the directions forum.

 

[bobpbx]

We could really use directions to the mountain in the directions forum.

I vote against that. They are privately owned. It just doesn't seem fair to the owner to post directions to a spot on his property in a popular forum.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I don't feel quite a stupid now, not being able to find it on the 1st attempt. BTW, I didn't realize it was private property. I'm not so sure now that I want proceed.

 

[Ben Ruset]

I vote against that. They are privately owned. It just doesn't seem fair to the owner to post directions to a spot on his property in a popular forum.

Very true. I forgot that they were privately owned.

 

[bobpbx]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I don't feel quite a stupid now, not being able to find it on the 1st attempt. BTW, I didn't realize it was private property. I'm not so sure now that I want proceed.

Chances are high you won't be bothered, I just had to emphasize the point, as most people are unaware they are privately owned.

 

[this_is_nascar]

From the hints that I've been able to find on this Forum, it appears FRM is between Jones Rd and Lacey Rd. That being said, via 4x4, do I have a better chance of finding it off of Jones or Lacey? I've already went on Jones and missed it. Would I be more successful approaching from Lacey?

 

[PinesExplr]

Frm

From the hints that I've been able to find on this Forum, it appears FRM is between Jones Rd and Lacey Rd. That being said, via 4x4, do I have a better chance of finding it off of Jones or Lacey? I've already went on Jones and missed it. Would I be more successful approaching from Lacey?

FRM .. I did not realize it was private land, was it bought by a preservation group? I would not suggest you go on private land.

The couple of times I've been there on my bike, I take a dirt road off of Rt 539 (about 3 miles north of Rt 72) -- its about 5 or 6 miles in (bare left at about the 2-3 mile point).

There is an area in that vicinity that has a strange, milky mocha colored mud that should be avoided (some kind of marl clay??). Its a smooth, slippery quick-sand-like when wet, and cement when dry -- extremely bad for vehicles/machines.

 

[Teegate]

There is an area in that vicinity that has a strange, milky mocha colored mud that should be avoided (some kind of marl clay??). Its a smooth, slippery quick-sand-like when wet, and cement when dry -- extremely bad for vehicles/machines.

That is what I have always called the puddle road. It always has water in it because it will not drain through the marl. It is the road between the two mountains. We have discussed this before.....it is the road that leads to my old camp of years ago. We would have to go through that every time to get to it and the marl would stick to our tires and be thrown up as we drove. We called them mud pies. You can see the results of the marl in this photo from 1979 on my tires

Ben and Steve this is the road we started down on the one outing in that area we has and everyone decided to bail on it. It should only be attempted with two vehicles so the other can pull you out.

As for going to the mountain I am going to say what Bob can't. Go there and don't bother anything and nobody will bother you. There are no signs or anything saying it is private property so you can just say you didn't know. He lets the FRM Coalition have the lunch after the cleanup there so he can't be all bad. Go..look around....and leave. Make sure you walk to the far left when you arrive to the top for the best views.

Guy

 

[Hewey]

those are some nice toyotas, would kill for one now days, a nice one if you could find one would cost an arm and a leg, they must have been great getting around the pines in. camp in the form of a small cabin our shack, or a stealth camp sight, had a camp in the n.e. kingdom of vt. a hard top camper on blocks way out in the sticks only accsses was on foot or a reliable 4x4, had one heck of a time getting the camper in. I was young at the time so it was the muscle work of the adults.

 

[Teegate]

camp in the form of a small cabin our shack, or a stealth camp sight,

It was stealth. Actually, last year my friend spend a weekend there with his wife for the first time in 20 years. Cleared the road which had closed in. I spent an afternoon with him doing that. It was on the side of the smaller of the two mountains off the puddle road. Only once did we ever see anyone while there. We heard them in the night riding around and yelling, but the puddle road is a formidable force and kept us safe and secure We blocked the road with our cars so the one time when a vehicle did happen to find the road he backed down the hill and left. There was three of us and twice as many in the vehicle but they did not bother us. Good thing... my friend was packing.

Uphill road to camp 20 year later.

Guy

 

[Hewey]

always try to get my better half to spend a night out in the pines in a remote area to do some stealth camping, even with a 12 ga. she said she still would be scared, shes scared at night in our back yard in pinewald, her family is old jersey blood, I think they take the jersey devil thing seriuosly.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Well, I think the wife and I are going to attempt this trip on Saturday. I have my GPS loaded, my maps printed out and we'll be all ready to go. Wish me luck.

 

[Teegate]

It is an interesting area. Enjoy!

Guy

 

[Gerania]

always try to get my better half to spend a night out in the pines in a remote area to do some stealth camping, even with a 12 ga. she said she still would be scared, shes scared at night in our back yard in pinewald, her family is old jersey blood, I think they take the jersey devil thing seriuosly.

I'd lve to do that. I never did anything but stealth camping in my teens and twenties. I never stayed in a campground till a couple of years ago.

Best camping experience that I ever had was when I was about 15. We camped on Mount Yeager near Mountain Top, PA. Parked off of Rt. 437, walked past a pond, illegal hunting cabins on state game lands, a spring coming off of the base of the mountain - our water supply - and finally diagonally up the mountain to the ridge line, stayed two nights.

The only frightning thing about the trip was someone walking past our campsite at about 3 in the morning the first night. I don't know what woke me up, but I saw through the tent wall what was obviously someone walking with a flashlight. A little strange considering that we were on top of a mountain and there were no roads for miles.

 

[Badfish740]

Guy, you're gonna make me cry with those pictures! I just sold my old FJ-40 about a month ago because it was rusting away too fast and I'm saving for a house. I had some great times in the pines in that truck-I'm sure the new owner is having a hell of a time getting the sand out of every crack and crevice in it. I'll get another one to restore someday so if you see a green Land Cruiser bouncing down a washboard track in the pines, wave, its more than likely going to be me...

 

[Teegate]

Guy, you're gonna make me cry with those pictures! .

That actually was my second one. I had a 73 Red one before with the "F" engine. I don't miss the rusting. That is why I got rid of it. I sold it to a female.

The one on the left is a 72 with the bench seat. He added overdrive so it did well traveling. I heard a year or so ago it still runs but barely.

Guy