March 9, 2013
Section Miles: 17 Total Miles: 87.5
We finally caught a beautiful, warm break in our otherwise chilly but unseasonably boring winter (Jersey has all the fun), and headed out on the trail. Back in my day, we'd have been tunneling through eight-foot snowdrifts and braving 50 mph winds this time of year. I was a lot shorter back then, but still.
We were joined today by Rick and Jill, friends and fellow parents from our sons' high-school days. Having company made the day breeze by in no time, but I wound up not paying a whole lotta attention to the trail and didn't take many photos. Rene reminded me that the first part of this section is just "sort of typical", with some road walking and nondescript woods, but the last five miles are quite nice.
We took a short side trip to see the waterfowl at the Middle Creek reservoir, and were rewarded with flocks of snow geese winging overhead and in the distance. Much of the hike navigates through game lands, and there was a surprising amount of logging underway. Apparently this is a management practice to open the forest and provide more varied wildlife habitat, but in the meantime you're hiking across a dirt patch. About one mile from the game lands parking area on 322 you summit a hill capped by "Eagle Rock", a well-worn but well-worth-it destination offering scenic views of the valleys both north and south of the ridge.
This section is also noted for the Pretzel Hut, the go-to spot for hungry hikers and bikers. If you have any Harley Davidson colors, bring 'em along for good measure, and be sure and check out the menagerie out back.
