Rittenhouse Park to Downes Elementary School
section miles: 5.5 total miles: 5.5
We decided to kick off our big adventure by driving to a convenient drop-off point on the south side of Newark and walking northbound back to our house. The trail through this section follows one of the modest tributaries that drain south through Newark into the Christina river. The walk was surprisingly pleasant and interesting, with the low winter sunlight sparkling off the creek beneath a canopy of hardwoods on a rare 60-degree day in January. We spooked a kingfisher, which chattered up and down the creek as we passed by, while numerous cardinals, chickadees and other small winter birds flit around in the underbrush. Turkey vultures teetered overhead, perhaps expecting we’d keel over soon.
Passing under a couple of railroad bridges introduced us to some fairly professional graffiti that we would have never seen otherwise. We cleared one bridge just as a CSX freight train rumbled by overhead. At a busy highway crossing Rene reluctantly accepted my offer for a piggy back ride as we waded the creek beneath the bridge, rather than scramble up and over the intersection. I figured it was a nice opportunity to carry a little weight and experience the oft-described AT pleasure of sopping-wet boots at the same time.
There are the the usual trappings of a suburban hike - some trash along the creek here and there (but not bad), the occasional suspicious dog announcing our presence, rutted and eroded and muddy trail sections in parts, and the periodic glimpse of backyards and shopping centers and industrial lots. But focus instead on the interesting things around every bend - fungi and moss encrusted logs returning to the woodland floor nestled in a bed of ferns, stacks of flotsam marking the high-water points of last-year’s flooding rains, massive trees downed by hurricane-force winds, lakes of standing water perched well above the creek on the floodplain, and deep pools of clear-green water in the creek bed itself.
An interesting beginning. We now look forward to even more adventure and discovery as our section hikes take use further and further from home.
Trekkie Notes
The trail though this section is well marked, and easy enough to follow when it isn't. You're hiking through the city of Newark, not the Delaware Wilderness, so adjust your expectations accordingly and you won't be disappointed. As noted above, some interesting storm and flood deposits through this section. Guaranteed mud in winter and spring; also some bicycle traffic along this trail.May have to wade some sections to get past railroads.
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