Hey Northeastern TT-ers...

“(And anyone else willing to travel up this way...)

Anyone interested in doing a trip the weekend of 2/3 and 2/4 somewhere within 2-3 hours of Northern New Jersey? Possibilities include Connecticut, New York (Harriman and the Catskills), Pennsylvania, New Jersey (AT or Batona in South Jersey?), and Maryland (AT?) (and Delaware -- but who the heck wants to backpack Delaware?)

Seems like I've been missing all these trips and finally have a free weekend.

Any ideas?”

“uhm... yeah?”

“I mean... yeah!”

“I love to, but I used my get out of jail free card for the Minsi trip. ;-)”

“I've been trying to work up a trip with some friends lately, but we haven't solidified a date. I've been piecing together parts of the AT in lower PA lately, since you mentioned PA as a possibility.

Getting home by mid-afternoon Sunday would be necessary. I hear there's some big sporting event that night.”

“A sporting event? First week of February? Who would've thought?

No, but seriously, I would be looking for an easy out on Sunday morning...
last edited: 1/23/07 11:54:51 AM”

“There's no sporting event on Sunday. The Devils play the Sabers on Saturday.”

“There's an 8-mile stretch that would connect 2 pieces I've already done, which I've been holding back for an easy 1-nighter. It has a 5-mile part and 3-mile part with a shelter splitting up the 2 parts. Easy Sunday if the 3-mile part was left for day 2, and you would end up in Caledonia for a fast exit.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/StateParks/parks/caledonia.aspx

I don't have my maps at work to see if there is easy car access from the shelter. I don't think there is.”

“Who are these Devils and Sabers?”

“Caledonia is 2 hours and change from me -- I say we do it.

Let's post some starting and ending points and a meeting spot and time and see if we can drum up some interest...
last edited: 1/23/07 4:37:38 PM”

“Shoot, I forgot to bring in my map. Making a note now. Caledonia is about 1 hour 40 minutes for me, so about in the middle for many of us I guess.

I do remember that we would hike south, ending near the loop that's just above where it says "Caledonia State Park" on the map below. The start point is along Ridge Rd. Look for the Long Pine Run Reservior, just NE of the park. Directly north of that is Ridge Rd. There is a parking spot a mile or so from where it meets Forest Rd. There's also a Ridge Rd. just NW of the park, but that's the wrong one.

I hiked north from the Ridge Rd. spot 2 years ago, and north to Caledonia a few months ago. It will be nice to connect the sections.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=route+233+and+route+30+17222&sll=39.908288,-77.472496&sspn=0.079796,0.180759&ie=UTF8&ei=8Wa3RePJOZv8qwL97v3UBQ&cid=39905893,-77478674,5182140605598045420&li=lmd&z=14&t=m”

“Oh, and there may be options if you want a longer hike on Saturday.”

“Caledonia, what makes your big head so hard?

Is that one hour and forty minutes as the crow flies?”

“That's one forty from MY place, marko, since departure would be on Saturday. Google puts it a one thirty. One thirty two from Towson. Why?”

“I can't go.......just messing with you guys.”

“1. MarkO is a tease.

2. Are fires allowed at this shelter? If not, it's gonna be a loooooooooooooong night...

3. Can't imagine the snow situation is going to be anything spectacular in southern PA by next weekend. Can we stretch out Saturday's hike to something in the neighborhood of 10 miles? :)”

“there is a little dusting here and there on the gound right now in Southern PA.

Fires are allowed at all the shelters in that area. All the shelters in that area are some of the nicest shelters that you'll find on the AT.

What shelter are you looking at?

That Saturday is me birthday..

Caledonia is an hour for me. :)”

“I brought my map in today. Let's see... Overnight stay at Quarry Gap Shelters, no road access so no beer drop. Does have a spring. I do see another parking area farther north on Shippensburg Rd which would extend Saturday to almost 9 miles. Next easy parking is way north another 10 miles.

Meet up in the lower parking lots (2 of them border the AT) in Caledonia Saturday morning to drop a car or two. Register at park HQ first to give them your license plate number - entrance is less than a quarter mile from Rt 30, on Rt 233. Then we'll go north to the parking area on Shippensburg. Terrain is mostly flat, a few small 200-300 foot dips, then the last mile and a half is all downhill to Quarry Gap. So we should be able to make good time. Sunday will be almost flat the first mile, then sharp downhill into Caledonia and a little more flat terrain. Another fast hike.

Time? Its basically dark by 5:30 so I'd like to be in camp by 4:30 to leave time to gather wood. Finding wood in the dark sucks, unless you are home in bed with someone (har-har). I'm thinking meet up at 10, on the trail by 11?”

“Someone should post this in the trips section, I don't have time this morning or I would.”

“yo dudes....put me down as a maybe for whatever ya'll come up with....peace out!”

“I recently did this 15 mile loop. You don't have to spot cars.

http://midatlantichikes.com/rockyknob-quarrygap.htm

A lot of folks shuttle from Caledonia to Pine Grove SP.”

“loop corrected me, there is sort-of car access to the shelters. Quarry Gap Rd. ends about 1/2 mile from the shelters, on a side trail. Take that side trail plus some on the AT and you are there. So potentially we could slackpack it on Saturday and also have some extra "provisions", if no one minds an extra mile round-trip to get it all once we get to the shelter. A thought.”

“Quarry Gap is a really nice shelter. The caretaker is a fanatic.. The shelter even has landscaping and the stream that runs by the shelter is rock lined. When I was in Shenandoah a few weeks ago, one of the shelter mates was making fun of Quarry Gap because the caretaker set up garden birds or something. It's a really nice spot though and it's not far from the parking lot in Caledonia. It's an easy 4 miles down hill to that parking lot. The hike from Shippensburg Road has a few speed bumps, but that is an easy 9 mile hike.

Birch Run Shelter is really nice too, but that is only a mile or so from Shippensburg Road.”

“I think that section of the AT boasts the highest elevation on the AT in PA at around 2100 feet. It's either that or the section just below US 30 in Michaux. Still much higher elevation that the rest of the AT until Mass.”

“So.......why won't my browser wrap these annoyingly long links??????????????”

“mrhyker - Say, that is a nice picture. Looking at it I felt an instant friendship with each person there.

EarthNsky and techntrek - You sure got me thinking, reading and remembering. Caledonia may be a city in NY, but, also,it is it is a city in Minnesota and is (or was) the Latin Name for Scotland. However, I went reading about New Caledonia, a group of Islands in the Pacific. In Japan I had dated a beautiful, intelligent girl from New Caledonia. New Caledonia will decide whether to remain within the French Republic or become an independent state in a referendum sometime after 2014. The Inhabitants of New Caledonia are French citizens and carry French passports.

The girl, whom I dated, spoke French, Japanese, English and an Island langauage. Her blood line may have included some Polynesian.

Ah, sweet memories are about all that remain for the old.
last edited: 1/25/07 8:28:17 PM”

“Nowslimmer, you should come up north and camp/hike with us one day!”

“Right now I'm trying to recover from a real bad year, physically. Cyndeee just ran circles around me up at Cumberland Island, Georgia. Her report will be posted tomorrow, most likely. GSMNP is my territory. But this year I am seriously considering the Finger Lakes Trail in New York. So, maybe you and others will have an opportunity to join with me for various parts of the trail I would be overjoyed to meet you folks.

Have a great hike on your weekend.”

“So are we a go for the lower lot in Caledonia next Saturday morning (2/3), say 9AM? Slackpacking sounds good to me ;)”

“ENS - 4 miles from shelter to the lower lots in Caledonia? Looks like only 2 on my PATC map, on the distance/elevation chart. I took it home again so can't check now.

It's on my schedule, and cleared it with the other half. Now just hoping it doesn't get as cold as last night (9F on my back porch this morning!), and the trail doesn't get buried in 2 feet of snow this week.”

“The Finger Lakes area is really nice, you'll like it up there Paul.”

“Thanks, Roam Around.”

“It's 1.91 miles by GPS See this link: http://mrhyker.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/michx-caledonia-quarrygap-w.jpg

Are you guys sure they'll let you park there over night? I thought you either had to park on U.S. 30 or at the end of Quarry gap Road.
last edited: 1/26/07 3:14:56 PM”

“Hey Nowslimmer, I dated a girl who was Hawaiian/Irish back at the dawn of time.........oh my!”

“Yeah, MarkO, I dated her daughter who was 35 at the time.”

“mrhyker - when I hiked there a few months ago north to rt 30 they had us park on that lot right on 30, so you may be right. Maybe we should move the meet-up point to the ranger/hq station in case. Once we all check in then we can move to wherever.”

“park at the end of Quarry Gap Road (Dirt)if you don't block the gate and you call the rangers in advance and give them vehicle IDs and tag #s. From there you are about 1/2 hour from the shelter.(See link earlier in this tread for directions.)”

“It looks like my ski trip to Vermont this past weekend ran over budget some and, as I result, I gotta cancel on this trip's plan. My apologies -- I feel awful, but this 35-mile-each way commute to work is killing me, and sucking every last penny out of my pocket :(

Hopefully this spring I can move somewhere closer to work and not have to worry about this...”

“Sorry to hear you can't make this trip, I was looking forward to hiking with you again.”

“So, who is still on for this trip?

me - yes
stratusloop - yes
EarthNsky - maybe?

Looks like loop and I are going to meet up at the end of Quarry Gap road at 8:30 (8:15?) to stash packs. Meet us there if you want to do the same, or meet at Caledonia HQ at 9.”

“I won't be making it.

hope you dudes have fun time.”

“If anyone else was planning on coming, plans are probably going to change offline. Get in touch for the latest.”