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Author Archives: Chris Casciano
“The Big Walk” – 50 Miles on the East Coast Greenway Trail
I caught this little gem on the Hanover REI events page and wish I had heard about it sooner. On Sunday May 23, 2010 hikers and long distance walkers from around the area will take part in a free one day 50 mile walk — The NJ2NY50 — along the East Coast Greenway from the Metro Park rail station in Edison, NJ and northeast through green spaces and suburban and urban communities winding up in midtown Manhattan. Organized by the East Coast Greenway Alliance and other civic and pedestrian minded groups the event intends to highlight recreation areas, commuting alternatives and a small part of the 3,000 mile multi-use East … Continue reading
Posted in Event
Tagged east coast greenway, East Coast Greenway Alliance, NJ2NY50, urban hiking, walking
2 Comments
Spring Wildflower Spotting
It was such a nice Spring day on Friday that I had to leave the confines of my desk and spet a few moments in the sun. After lunch I walked a short loop in South Mountain Reservation entering from the Locust Grove parking area with the intention on checking into what wildflowers were appearing. Here’s what I spotted. What signs of Spring have you seen on the trail? Lesser celadine This waxy yellow flower can be seen in many spots in the valley near the water, runoff or muddy areas. The above photo was taken right off the parking area. Wikipedia entry for Lesser celadine. Yellow Trout-Lily Trout lilies … Continue reading
Posted in Trip Report
Tagged Essex County, flowers, photos, plants, south mountain reservation, Spring, wildflowers
1 Comment
Quick Review – Mountain Hardware WINDSTOPPER Half Flex Balaclava
It’s been a cold, windy and snowy go of it here in New Jersey this winter. Though I’ve left my real gear monkey tendencies behind years ago, each season it seems I pick up a few new things and one of them really stands out and makes me wonder how I ever did things without it. This winter it was the Mountain Hardware WINDSTOPPER Half Flex Balaclava. A lightweight neck and face mask great for those winter activities. One key to keeping warm in the winter is staying dry by regulating temperature and avoiding sweat. I find being able to pair this half balaclava with different weight hats or just … Continue reading
Posted in Gear Reviews
Tagged balaclava, Gear Reviews, Mountain Hardware, review, wind, winter
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Deer Hunting Again Closes Several Essex County Parks
As has become routine in the last couple of years Essex County will be holding a closed deer hunt to combat overpopulation at three local parks. On select Tuesdays and Thursdays through January and February parks and trails will be closed to the public. Below is a schedule sent out recently to residents of area towns: It’s important to stay safe and be aware of various hunting seasons and activities before going hiking or backpacking. NJ hunting schedules and regulations can be found at the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife web site and the NY-NJ Trail Conference often posts hunting location and hunting season notices.
New Year’s Day Hike 2010
I’m not one to make grand resolutions for New Years, but I do want to do two things in 2010 — get some more miles under my feet and keep exploring parks that I’m a regular at. Friday I did a little bit of both with a 7.6 mile hike around the snowy and slushy trails of South Mountain Reservation. NOTE: The above map and route was made with RunKeeper Pro, a GPS based activity monitor for the iPhone. One of the nice things about the trails in South Mountain is that its easy to orient yourself based on the slope of the ridge and the nearby roads making it … Continue reading
Posted in Trip Report
Tagged gps, hiking, new jersey, new years, nj, resolutions, route, south mountain reservation
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Twittering And Upcoming Winter Updates
I’ve got a few articles and updates and reviews in the works for the Hike New Jersey web site — some more park guides as well as reviews of some hiking and trail guides. Winter is approaching, but that doesn’t mean the outdoor activity should stop. There are great spots in the state for snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and since most of the season will be snow free you can still go out hiking and trail running. I’ll be posting info on some of my favorite spots. If you have suggestions of a favorite place to spend a wintery weekend in New Jersey let us know in the comments below. … Continue reading
Autumn Peaks in South Mountain Reservation
With this new site I’m hoping to post regular trip reports from hikes around the state of New Jersey to supplement the guide pages and give you an idea what to expect when heading out to your local park. Here’s the first of what I hope are many. With the fall foliage at near peak in Essex County and rainstorms moving through Friday and Saturday I spent Sunday afternoon with a couple of photographer friends and wandering around the waterfalls in South Mountain Reservation. Autumn colors seemed to be near peak, so if you’ve got the urge to go out and see the bright reds, yellows and oranges the northeast … Continue reading
Posted in Trip Report
Tagged article, Essex County, fall, foliage, Hemlock Falls, overlooks, Patch, south mountain reservation, waterfalls
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New Jersey Monthly does the Appalachian Trail
Just in time for fall where the trail may be a bit less congested and the views of foliage near peak New Jersey Monthly carried quite a nice writeup of a typical day on the Appalachian Trail as it winds through New Jersey from the Delaware Water Gap to the New York border. In it the author, David Caldwell, catches up with a few hikers and trail maintainers, and describes his day hike and sites along the trail. Experienced hikers may find themselves nodding along or getting the urge to go out themselves, but its also a good intro for what to expect if you haven’t been to the area. … Continue reading
Posted in Guides
Tagged Appalachian Trail, AT, David Caldwell, day trips, Delaware Water Gap, Guides, hiking, magazine, New Jersey Monthly, Sussex County, Vernon, Wawayanda State Park
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REI Opening East Hanover Store
While New Jersey has been blessed with a few great retail stores like Campmor or EMS for many years, this weekend REI is having a grand opening celebration for their 2nd NJ store in East Hanover. As part of the October 9-11th event they’ll be giving away gift certificates, water bottles, t-shirts and other gear. I’ve been an REI co-op member for a few years now and their prices, customer service, and quality of their in house brand clothing and gear are all top notch, and they also carry some of the top names in clothing and gear like Black Diamond, Mountain Hardware, Patagonia and The North Face. So if … Continue reading
Posted in Local News
Tagged East Hanover, equipment, Gear Reviews, Morris County, REI, sale, store
2 Comments
Hike New Jersey Walks Again
In the late 90s a humble little site was created as a way for me to share photographs of New Jersey’s parks with those in the online hiking community. As time passed and other photo sharing tools came online that site went dormant and was lost to time. In the last year or so I’ve had the idea to reacquire the domain for nostalgia’s sake and finally did this summer. With the domain back in my hands I starting thinking about ways to put it in use. I couldn’t just make it a photo sharing site because Flickr does that so well and the local New Jersey communities there are … Continue reading
Posted in Site Updates
Tagged great swamp, lord stirling park, south mountain reservation, watchung reservation, welcome
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