All,
Yesterday (Wednesday) I took the day off from work and headed out with a
man I work with to explore the woods off of Jackson road near the
Mullica River.
We started at 7AM and parked my car a half mile into the woods down the
dirt road next to the USS New Jersey sign at the Camden/Burlington
County border on Jackson road. We were on the eastern side. Our goal was
to make it to the West Jersey Cranberry Meadow bogs and be back to my
car by 2PM.
We headed into the woods first to look for an old stone marker that
defines the border of Medford and Shamong township. In about a half hour
we found it. It is located on the western slope of Mayland Hill which is
mostly in Shamong township.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/292-1/IMG_5284.jpg
And 25 feet away was the more modern cement marker which mentions the
two towns.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/297-1/IMG_5290.jpg
We then headed on and arrived at a savanah which are always nice to visit.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/300-1/IMG_5291.jpg
The Atquatka Branch runs right alongside the savanah and we had to cross
it to continue on. In this photo you can see the route of the river
through the woods.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/303-1/IMG_5293.jpg
We walked ahead and here is what we encountered.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/306-1/IMG_5295.jpg
Using a log we were able to cross and continue on. We then ran into
another savanah.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/309-1/IMG_5296.jpg
Finally we arrived at the southern tip of the bogs. We stayed just long
enough to take a few photo's.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/312-1/IMG_5301.jpg
At this point it was almost noon, and we wanted to visit one more
location, so we headed NW and soon realized it was wetter than we
expected. We decided to head south and from this point the trip took an
unexpected turn for the worse. And it kept getting worse!
After about a quarter mile walk through water to our knees, we realized
we had to cross a stream to get back. It was waist high and there was
not a place to cross. So we decided to wade in and cross. We then were
able to proceed back toward the car along the high tension lines next to
Atco Dragway. But we realized the shortest way was through a cedar swamp
along the Mullica to my car.
I had the coordinates of my car and we headed directly toward it through
the swamp. It was now around 1:30PM. We had to stay to the north of the
Mullica, or we would have to cross it to reach my car. The cedar swamp
was the wettest and thickest I have ever been in, and my GPS just would
not work properly due to a lack of a signal. But we felt we were heading
in the right direction.
After two hours we had only traveled a half mile and we were lost. We
aligned the map with the sun and still felt we were heading correctly.
Soon it was 5PM and we still had no idea where we were, and the going
was extremely fatiguing. I had fell at least 20 times and my hands were raw.
In desperation we finally decided that a noise we were hearing in the
distance were the cars going over the bridge on Jackson road. It did not
seem far off so we headed toward it. We then realized that the water we
had been encountering were the streams that were feeding the Mullica. We
had crossed over hours before and were on the wrong side.
At about 6:15 we arrived at Jackson road and walked across the bridge.
We then had a half mile walk back into the woods to my car.
Guy
Yesterday (Wednesday) I took the day off from work and headed out with a
man I work with to explore the woods off of Jackson road near the
Mullica River.
We started at 7AM and parked my car a half mile into the woods down the
dirt road next to the USS New Jersey sign at the Camden/Burlington
County border on Jackson road. We were on the eastern side. Our goal was
to make it to the West Jersey Cranberry Meadow bogs and be back to my
car by 2PM.
We headed into the woods first to look for an old stone marker that
defines the border of Medford and Shamong township. In about a half hour
we found it. It is located on the western slope of Mayland Hill which is
mostly in Shamong township.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/292-1/IMG_5284.jpg
And 25 feet away was the more modern cement marker which mentions the
two towns.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/297-1/IMG_5290.jpg
We then headed on and arrived at a savanah which are always nice to visit.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/300-1/IMG_5291.jpg
The Atquatka Branch runs right alongside the savanah and we had to cross
it to continue on. In this photo you can see the route of the river
through the woods.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/303-1/IMG_5293.jpg
We walked ahead and here is what we encountered.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/306-1/IMG_5295.jpg
Using a log we were able to cross and continue on. We then ran into
another savanah.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/309-1/IMG_5296.jpg
Finally we arrived at the southern tip of the bogs. We stayed just long
enough to take a few photo's.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/312-1/IMG_5301.jpg
At this point it was almost noon, and we wanted to visit one more
location, so we headed NW and soon realized it was wetter than we
expected. We decided to head south and from this point the trip took an
unexpected turn for the worse. And it kept getting worse!
After about a quarter mile walk through water to our knees, we realized
we had to cross a stream to get back. It was waist high and there was
not a place to cross. So we decided to wade in and cross. We then were
able to proceed back toward the car along the high tension lines next to
Atco Dragway. But we realized the shortest way was through a cedar swamp
along the Mullica to my car.
I had the coordinates of my car and we headed directly toward it through
the swamp. It was now around 1:30PM. We had to stay to the north of the
Mullica, or we would have to cross it to reach my car. The cedar swamp
was the wettest and thickest I have ever been in, and my GPS just would
not work properly due to a lack of a signal. But we felt we were heading
in the right direction.
After two hours we had only traveled a half mile and we were lost. We
aligned the map with the sun and still felt we were heading correctly.
Soon it was 5PM and we still had no idea where we were, and the going
was extremely fatiguing. I had fell at least 20 times and my hands were raw.
In desperation we finally decided that a noise we were hearing in the
distance were the cars going over the bridge on Jackson road. It did not
seem far off so we headed toward it. We then realized that the water we
had been encountering were the streams that were feeding the Mullica. We
had crossed over hours before and were on the wrong side.
At about 6:15 we arrived at Jackson road and walked across the bridge.
We then had a half mile walk back into the woods to my car.
Guy
