ABOUT THE PARK:
Wharton State Forest - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Batona Trail Brochure - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 39.777377, -74.632504
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| Parking off of Carranza Road simply earlier Carranza Memorial |
TRAIL MAP:
Batona Trail Brochure - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
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HIKE DISTANCE: thirteen miles (6.5 miles each way)
THE HIKE:
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| Heading towards the Carranza Memorial from the parking area. |
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| Carranza Memorial |
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| From facing the Carranza Memorial nosotros had to plough around, caput to Carranza Road as well as plough correct to abide by where the Batona Trail crosses over. There were 3 other cars parked at 8 AM already but fortunately all of those footprints turned left on the Batona Trail heading towards Apple Pie Hill. |
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| We turned correct on the Batona Trail where nobody else had gone. That was the excogitation since I had already hiked the department to the left to Apple Pie Hill alongside Shawnee on 2/9/14. |
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| It was quite pretty inward the snowfall as well as since this department of the Batona Trail doesn't truly stimulate got anything interesting other than pino tree afterwards pino tree, I figured the snowfall would brand it to a greater extent than interesting. |
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| Crossing abandoned railroad tracks. |
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| No trains stimulate got used this rails inward a while. |
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| It was difficult to accept pictures as well as hold the photographic tv camera dry out but I tried to capture the mile markers... |
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| ... as well as animate beingness tracks. There went a rabbit earlier us. |
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| Fortunately the ii moisture sections had bypasses. |
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| Mouse tracks. |
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| At the fourth dimension these looked similar they mightiness survive bobcat - difficult to tell alongside snowfall coming downwardly as well as obliterating the tracks. |
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| These looked similar coyote tracks as well as they came upwards Hay Road from the left as well as continued equally far equally I could come across upwards Hay Road to the right. |
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| At the intersection alongside the trail to the Lower Forge Wilderness Camp ... |
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| ... i laid of footprints came from the camping ground area, stopped at the Batona Trail sign, thus continued on. He must stimulate got camped overnight as well as was heading out before long earlier nosotros arrived at that point. |
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| Quaker Bridge |
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| I idea this was the Batsto River but Google Maps says Mullica River, thus which e'er river, to the left from the bridge. |
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| And to the right. |
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| I was shocked that Brodie truly came on the yoke spell I was taking pictures. |
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| When my boy as well as I hiked the Batsto loop alongside Shawnee inward Nov 2009, she was having none of that bridge. |
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| Quaker Bridge was our plough roughly point. Heading dorsum as well as wishing it would destination snowing for simply v minutes thus I could destination as well as accept a break. It had been snowing the ENTIRE fourth dimension as well as that was becoming annoying. |
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| Finally, the snowfall lightened up, I establish a tree alongside a "hook" to hang my backpack on, as well as I got to potable some of my hot tea, which was even thus hot! And almost importantly, Brodie got his cookies. |
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| I heard a dirt wheel thus saw where he had ridden on the Batona Trail for quite a stretch. |
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| Back on Carranza Road, a caravan of Jeeps passed. I counted 8. Were they the ones doing donuts inward the snow? |
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| Cutting dorsum over to Carranza Memorial ... |
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| ... to where nosotros parked. |