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This is Hike #11 ("Watchung Reservation and Blue Brook") in the book
Best Easy Day Hike: Northeast New Jersey. The previous day temperatures were in the 40s. Today they were in the low 20s. Hikers the previous day turned the path
into a slushy mess. Overnight the trails turned into ice. Armed with our Kahtoolah Microspikes, however, we were invincible, walking on top of
the ice the entire way, without a single slip. After years of using Yaktrax, breaking three pairs (one after just one use), and getting bruises on my fingers trying
to put them on, I can safely say that Kahtoolahs are a thousand times better. Get them if you like winter hiking. We've had ours since last winter and they're holding up
perfectly.
Total distance hiked today was 4.2 miles (though the book lists it at 4.7) in about 2.5 hours. (Click on the thumbnail to bring up a bigger image in a pop-up window)
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 The Nature trail head |
 Path is frozen slush |
 The few remaining leaves |
 Blaze pollution |
 On the Sierra trail |
 Old growth above Coopermine Ravine |
 Coopermine Ravine |
 Tomfoolery |
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 Above Blue Brook |
 Crossing Blue Brook |
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 Blue Brook [photo by Laura] |
 Animal tracks up fallen tree |
 Logs at brook |
 Feltville houses above |
 Bridge over Blue Brook |
 Feltville houses on hill |
 Blue Brook |
 Unblazed trail parallels brook |
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 Where to next? |
 Uphill along another unmarked path |
 A very green Hermit's Pond |
 Another view |
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 Back on Sierra trail |
 Dan & pines [photo by Laura] |
 In Feltville |
 Some are current residences |
 Mushroom |
 Mushrooms on tree |
 Underbody |
 Short road walk in Feltville |
 Feltville |
 Feltville store/church |
 Side view |
 Path to cemetery |
 Willcocks & Badgley Cemetery |
 Stone of John Willcocks |
 Laura photographing ... |
 ... this [photo by Laura] |
 Bright berries |
 Old growth |
 Laura's Kahtoolahs |
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 Dam waterfall at Lake Surprise |
 Closer view |
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 Lake Surprise from dam |
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 Boulder on bank |
 Lake Surprise |
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 Sierra trail along bank |
 That's old! |
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 Animal tracks across lake! |
 View from Tracy Drive |
 Miniature snow people |
 Rhododendron |
 Bridal path on northern bank |
 Waterfall from other side |
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Photographs and content copyright © Dan Balogh Web design by Dan Balogh |