ABOUT THE PARK:
Hyper Humus Marshes - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
March 1956 Hyper-Humus Ad
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.05803, -74.72939
TRAIL MAP:
Hyper Humus Map
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HIKE DISTANCE: 7 miles
THE HIKE:
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| Because of current COVID-19 regulations gatherings are prohibited so grandson Harrison's big first birthday party had to be cancelled. We went on a family hike instead. Granddaugher Ellie road with Brodie, the rest of the family in the car behind us. |
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| Starting our hike on the Sussex Branch Trail. |
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| The stroller was decorated with balloons left over from Shawnee's 16th birthday hike. Unfortunately all but one met their demise early on due to sticker bushes along the trail |
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| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher |
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| First we turned left for a short 1/2 mile segment of the Sussex Branch Trail to the Paulinskill River. I had seen a beaver cross the trail here in 2014 so we wanted to see if there were any on this day. |
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| No beavers and absolutely no sign of beaver activity. The trail on the other side of the bridge was not paved back in 2014. We turned back before crossing the bridge. |
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| Paulinskill River |
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| Granddaughter Ellie LOVES horses and got to see her first real live horse up close. |
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| Swans flying over the marshes. |
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| We set up Harrison's birthday party in the middle of the trail. Nobody came by the entire time. |
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| Birthday Cupcakes |
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| The Birthday Boy |
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| Little Hikers |
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| Lots of frogs along the way. |
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| Shortly after crossing Rt. 663 ... |
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| ... the intersection with the Paulinskill Valley Trail. |
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| We turned left on the Paulinskill Valley Trail and in a short distance crossed Route 663 again through a parking lot. |
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| Continuing on the Paulinskill Valley Trail. |
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| Tired Hikers |
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| Gray Catbird |
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| At the first intersection, left on the dirt road leaving the Paulinskill Valley Trail. |
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| Paulinskill River |
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| Coming up on the marshes. |
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| Looks like maybe a female Baltimore Oriole. |
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| A red-tailed hawk that had been flying with a group of vultures. |
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| And in the same place they were almost the same time in 2014, nesting eagles. |
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| When the trail runs into the marshes, it's left a short distance back to the Sussex Branch Trail. |
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| Sussex Branch Trail |
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| More horses for Granddaughter Ellie. |
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| My son spotted a balloon about 10 feet off trail in sticker bushes. We built a bridge on top of the sticker bushes with big branches and logs so I was able to walk over the stickers to retrieve balloon #24 of the year. It just happened to be a Happy Birthday balloon fitting for the occasion. |
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| Coming up on the side trail to the parking lot. |
