trail work in High Point State Park (New Jersey)

[Joe Westing]

Two weekends ago I participated in trail building with the Boy Scouts (I am currently SPL) at the Lusscroft Farm (lusscroftfarm.com) section of High Point State Park in northwest NJ near the AT.

It is a little-known property that is only now (after 6 years of ownership) being fixed up to provide opportunities for outdoor recreation. Unfortunately, this and eight other NJ state parks are slated to be closed in Corzine's (Nj governor) 2009 budget.

We camped at beautiful Sawmill Pond at the base of the Kittatinny Ridge in High Point SP. We arrived late Friday night and quickly setup camp. Unfortunately, my sleep was disrupted by a violent hour-long thunderstorm at 3 AM. I stayed plenty protected under my trusty REI Quarterdome (reserved for car camping and a palace for one).

My troop and other volunteers worked hard for 7 hours on Saturday clearing brush, many invasive shrubs, and oversized rocks, while a NJ forest service employee cleared small trees ahead of us. It was tough but rewarding work.

Afterwards, my troop enjoyed the clear but windy day at High Point itself (the highest point in NJ at a whopping 1,803 ft). It was great just to lay on the warm rocks and enjoy a 360-degree view (not very common in forested NJ). The sunny and hot (75-degrees) weather was a nice surprise as the forecast was for rain and 55-degree high.

We finished off the day back at our campsite, eating hamburgers and spaghetti w/ meat sauce, and enjoying the beautiful sunset over Sawmill Pond.

see photos at Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21870723@N05/sets/72157604665755755/

[Frank Perkins]

Hey Peter,

I lived up by Culver Lake NJ for about 5 years during grade/high school. One of my first true [and heavy!] hikes was hiking the AT from around Stokes down to the Delaware Gap.

I feel like this hike is a part of me and I just don't say that because I grew up in the area or that I actually drank the water [filtered] from Sawmill lake on a hot August summer.

Thanks for keeping the trail up.

[Author]

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