Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ - Blue Trail


ABOUT THE PARK:
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (be sure to check web site for hunting closures)
NO DOGS ALLOWED

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.727386, -74.494745

View Larger Map

TRAIL MAP:
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Map - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (more detailed map)
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - Blue Trail at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE: 5.6 miles

THE HIKE:
The blue trail starts to the right of the kiosk.
Fall foliage is finished here.
Dry canal on the blue trail.
Beige Trail
Swamps
Great Brook
Bridge over Great Brook
The Red Trail
Little cascades in Great Brook
The end of the blue trail at the Woodland Road parking lot.
Heading back on blue.
A female hooded merganser.
Half of a downy woodpecker.
TheYellow Trail

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Take the blue trail to the right of the kiosk
[  0.30]  Right on beige
[  1.20]  Right on blue
[  1.80]  Right on red
[  2.30]  Right on blue
[  2.70]  Woodland Road parking lot; retrace on blue
[  3.00]  Right on blue when red goes left
[  3.40]  Straight on blue when red goes left
[  4.00]  Right on yellow just after crossing bridge
[  4.90]  Right on blue
[  5.20]  Right on blue when beige goes left
[  5.60]  Back at parking

SHAWNEE UPDATE:
I had no idea Shawnee has so many fans - thank you all so much for caring about her!  It has now been two weeks since she was stricken with Vestibular Disease.  She is making great progress.  To give you an idea, the first video is the second day after she suddenly became ill and there had already been some improvement.
This second video is from two days ago, a 10-minute "hike" on the river trail nearby.  She was a happy girl!

12 comments:

  1. So glad to see she's doing better!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad Shawnee is getting better. Your hikes are probably what keeps her so healthy as GSDs are prone to everything in the book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Yes, I do think hiking keeps her healthier and helps her bounce back better when there is a problem. The chiropractor always says she holds adjustments so well because she has such good muscle tone.

      Daniela

      Delete
  3. Looks like she has made a lot of progress! So happy to see that. You guys should be able to get back on the trails together in no time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Colin! Early on I could not even imagine her recovering, it was quite horrifying to see her floundering around like that. She really has made a lot of progress and I'm so very happy for that!

      Daniela

      Delete
  4. I just glanced at OpenStreetMap and see that not all trails you walked are marked on the map. I guess one day we will get there...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll have to look at OpenStreetMap - sure I have heard of it but not familiar with it.

      Daniela

      Delete
    2. I really love OSM. There are lots of great applications possible because of open data model. For example, I can download Garmin-compatible map to my gps wherever I travel and I also use a smartphone app with OSM map (lots of apps available.) It has trails & parking areas for many places, and if some trails are missing I can add them easily based on my gps traces.
      Krzysztof

      Delete
  5. I'm so glad Shawnee is doing better. I'll keep her in my prayers. Thanks for sharing the lovely photos of the great swamp. Joanne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Joanne. Her harness came off today :) She is completely capable of moving herself around now. She waits for me at the deck steps because she wants me standing there, just in case, but once I am at the steps, she goes on down all by herself!

      Daniela

      Delete
  6. The first video is heartbreaking :(
    Glad she is improving.

    ReplyDelete