Showing posts with label NJ Nassau Trail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NJ Nassau Trail. Show all posts

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Nassau Trail, NJ


ABOUT THE PARK:
Nassau Trail - High Bridge Borough, NJ

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.66309, -74.88150

TRAIL MAPS:
Nassau Trail - High Bridge Borough, NJ (not very accurate or useful)


HIKE DISTANCE:  5.8 miles

THE HIKE:
An overnight storm had just moved out, it was 100% humidity, and the sun beams put on quite a show.
Trails branch off from the Nassau Trail but I stayed with the Nassau Trail intending to take one of the other trails back.
The Nassau Trail is blazed in yellow.  No other trails are blazed.
Coming up on Nassau Road ...
... at a second parking lot.
The yellow-blazed Nassau Trail actually turns left and follows Nassau Road to who knows where (nothing on maps) but a trail continues on the other side of Nassau Road.
This is call the Connector Trail.
Last night's raindrops coming down in buckets with every wind gust.
The Connector Trail starts to switch back on itself as mountain bike trails tend to do.  You get in a lot of mileage in a little bit of space.
A contemporary cairn.
Shawnee modeling a battery, a pool slide and an old barn all in one picture.
We left the Connector Trail on the Rich Woods Trail which is not on the map.
The Rich Woods Trail is all squiggly switchbacks.
Finally, a straight stretch...
... to boxes where trail maintenance equipment is most likely store, just beyond which...
... is a trail to a field.  The map shows a perimeter trail.  I did not see this, only tire marks straight across the field but looked like houses on the other side.
A bench at the field.
And way, way over across the field, a cat.
I did not know it until I uploaded my track but I should have taken the Springside Loop because that is actually the trail with the least squiggles but I did not know it at the time.  So we squiggled and switchbacked on.
Heading back on that straight stretch.
There were so many birds to be heard but not seen.  Even the robins were elusive but I managed to get one.
This is where we came out of the Rich Woods Trail on the left so keeping right for the return route,
Turkey Vulture
That brought us right back to the Connector Trail which we retraced on.
Crossing back over Nassau Road.
We turned left on the Flat Lands Trail where the Nassau Trail went straight.
Eastern Towhee
Coming off of the Flat Lands Trail which again was a squiggly, switchbacking trail.
Back on the Nassau Trail.  The Nassau Trail is the only trail we were on that does not squiggle in on itself.
Tomorrow, July 11, 2016, is Shawnee's Gotcha Day.  Fifteen years ago on July 11, 2001 I sprung her from the Newark, NJ animal shelter.