another day hike: rock scrambling.

[JV3]

took the day off the other day to do some rock scrambling and scout new overnight spots...wasn't able to take that many pics due to me keeping my eyes out for rattlesnakes and partly because there weren't that many things that caught my eye to photograph.

huge boulders everywhere.

despite plenty of deer droppings, these frogs were the only ones i saw plenty of.

no idea what bug this is resting on the oak tree.

my 3rd hike (and one road bike trip) with the hill people gear recon kit bag by the way - works awesome! if you'll notice, i have my fallkniven s1 hanging/tucked on the right side strap now instead of dangling out front - i can't even tell that it's there. looks like i don't have to put up with belt carrying my knife anymore.

the high was 70° f during this hike and i did notice an increase in sweating due to the kit bag but it was still very tolerable...i'll update my review for it as the temps increase and see how hot i can put up with it.

i didn't feel like cooking anything so i just brought my s1 with me (the spyderco para-military 2 tagged along too because i didn't want to leave it in the truck while i hiked).

lunch was raisin bagel with cream cheese while the stream provided a nice background music.

was tempted to go up this 3-story wall just to see what's up top but decided to save it for another trip, i.e when it's warmer...it's spring and with my luck there's probably a rattlesnake up there catching the early sun since the nights can be very cold still right where i'll put my hand

nice to finally see some green popping out!

more scrambling...my right knee is fully healed from twisting it on the icy trail weeks ago since there's no pain after this hike at all it's time to go back to mountain biking i think - i miss the rocks!

no idea what animal this jaw came from.

everything is huge in this particular area - even the burls.

i know we have crawfish in the streams here but this claw looks pretty big for it...looks more like a crab's but no sign of the rest of the body parts.

"127 hours" kinda got me scared to explore boulders with overhangs like this now.

can't beat 'em? grow around it!

another massive burl. there was another one that was the size of a baby's head that was perfectly round but i forgot to photograph it...maybe next time. i'm curious what causes burls.

the most useful woods trash i've picked up so far.

perfect weather for woods time.

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Another GREAT post Bro

Thanks!!!

 

[TheGame]

Lots of nice pics. Haven't gotten out much this spring. Hope to change that soon. :thumbup:

 

[milani74]

Nice shots, looks like you had a relaxing day in the woods

 

[soapboxpreacher]

You are livin the life! Im jealous!

 

[SideTracked]

I was hoping to get out for a short hike today but was tied up with projects, seeing your pics makes it sting a little more

It looks like you had a good time, thanks for the photos!

 

[hepclass]

Looks like a deer jaw bone jv3,you can also age the deer.

 

[baldtaco-II]

That's a Woodlouse. Dunno what type, and they do vary a bunch. Kids here used to call one type a pill-bug because of their ability to roll up into a sphere. I often find huge ones at the marina but plain vanilla ones are common in gardens. Despite their attraction to damp they don't like being rained on.........................Anecdote: Early on in this bond with my woman she wasn't so keen on them. I grabbed a handful and popped them in my mouth with a view to slipping them across during a kiss. I had to sit like that few a few minutes to avoid tripping any alarms. Anyway, the project went great and I managed to ferry several across. What was less great was that a few of them must have been with young because I was left with a living paste of tiny granules roaming around on my tong. What I had taken to be adult feet trying to walk down my throat was in fact an mass dissemination of the Woodlouse crèche.

 

[cchu518]

Where are you hiking/live that you have to worry about rattlesnakes?

I'm an reptile keeper myself/ and we've done photo safaris in Costa rica and Arizona looking for venonouse snakes to photograph in the wild.

We've been through much of NJ state trying to find evidence foe ourselves that eastern timbers still thrive in new jersey. Four years of looking on every south west facing rock cliff and noticing so far. Whereas we have friends in south Carolina and the population seems to be healthy down there!

Great hike and pics btw!

 

[22-rimfire]

Interesting place you visited with all the rocks. Tough kind of landscape to take well composed photographs. Seems a bit early yet for rattle bugs to be out much, but I suppose you could run into one since it warmed up to the 70's.

I twisted my knee about a year ago and it took months to get it back close to normal. Even carried a cane at times. I wear a knee brace hiking sometimes now as I don't want to go through that again. They're hot. I'm also very careful in foot placement as well.

Thanks for taking the time to chronicle your day in the woods.

KY is a good place to find copperheads and rattlesnakes in the wild. My one brother has journeyed there specifically to find snakes.

 

[cchu518]

Great pics, I was hiking near Ringwood, Jungle Habitat area in NJ myself this past weekend! I photographed a rat snake on the side of a SW facing cliff! Can I ask where were you hiking?

 

[SideTracked]

Cchu518 I remember years ago I came across a rattler while I stopped to take a leak on a rock scramble that was completely exposed to the sunlight. That was in NY and not even that far north. If I recall correctly, a route near the Palisades parkway.

Last summer my buddy enountered one in south jersey while stopping for a lunch break during a day of kayaking near Batsto in Wharton state forest.

There definitely here, usually when we least expect it.

 

[Translash]

awesome pics! I'm glad the green is back, and cant wait to drop back into harriman later this month.

 

[sicily02]

You were not kidding about the rocks. wow you have bunch lol. It looks like you had another great time out.

Bryan

 

[JV3]

Another GREAT post Bro

Thanks!!!

thanks, dr. bill!

Lots of nice pics. Haven't gotten out much this spring. Hope to change that soon. :thumbup:

thanks! gotta admit, i've been slacking off too - i haven't done an overnighter in months and this was only my 4th hike this year so far.

Nice shots, looks like you had a relaxing day in the woods

thanks! that stream was flowing pretty strong too, making for nice gurgling sounds...hopefully it'll still be there at the height of summer...last year it was problematic finding reliable water sources.

You are livin the life! Im jealous!

hehe, the woods keeps me out of trouble!

I was hoping to get out for a short hike today but was tied up with projects, seeing your pics makes it sting a little more

It looks like you had a good time, thanks for the photos!

you're welcome!

Looks like a deer jaw bone jv3,you can also age the deer.

thanks for the info!

That's a Woodlouse. Dunno what type, and they do vary a bunch. Kids here used to call one type a pill-bug because of their ability to roll up into a sphere. I often find huge ones at the marina but plain vanilla ones are common in gardens. Despite their attraction to damp they don't like being rained on.........................Anecdote: Early on in this bond with my woman she wasn't so keen on them. I grabbed a handful and popped them in my mouth with a view to slipping them across during a kiss. I had to sit like that few a few minutes to avoid tripping any alarms. Anyway, the project went great and I managed to ferry several across. What was less great was that a few of them must have been with young because I was left with a living paste of tiny granules roaming around on my tong. What I had taken to be adult feet trying to walk down my throat was in fact an mass dissemination of the Woodlouse crèche.

thanks! it does look like the armor shaped like an armadillo...that's funny about swallowing the young ones

Where are you hiking/live that you have to worry about rattlesnakes?

I'm an reptile keeper myself/ and we've done photo safaris in Costa rica and Arizona looking for venonouse snakes to photograph in the wild.

We've been through much of NJ state trying to find evidence foe ourselves that eastern timbers still thrive in new jersey. Four years of looking on every south west facing rock cliff and noticing so far. Whereas we have friends in south Carolina and the population seems to be healthy down there!

Great hike and pics btw!

thanks! ramapo mountains in north east nj is where i saw a timber rattler. another member on here that hikes in the ny side but very close to that area have seen timbler rattlers too...a friend said there's a den nearby and he's seen plenty of them over the years.

we were hiking there last year and came across these giant boulders so my cousin jumped down looking for one and he said there's a big cave behind him (where i was standing when i took this pic) so i turned around to look for an easier way down:

and bamn! this was just behind me several feet down the whole time...beautiful creature!

Interesting place you visited with all the rocks. Tough kind of landscape to take well composed photographs. Seems a bit early yet for rattle bugs to be out much, but I suppose you could run into one since it warmed up to the 70's.

I twisted my knee about a year ago and it took months to get it back close to normal. Even carried a cane at times. I wear a knee brace hiking sometimes now as I don't want to go through that again. They're hot. I'm also very careful in foot placement as well.

Thanks for taking the time to chronicle your day in the woods.

KY is a good place to find copperheads and rattlesnakes in the wild. My one brother has journeyed there specifically to find snakes.

thanks! yup, i wear a soft knee brace now to prevent it from happening again.

Great pics, I was hiking near Ringwood, Jungle Habitat area in NJ myself this past weekend! I photographed a rat snake on the side of a SW facing cliff! Can I ask where were you hiking?

thanks! this was in harriman just across the border into ny. we frequent ringwood and jungle habitat as well when mountain biking - best mtb trails in the state i think...jungle habitat is my favorite place to ride!

this pic of me was about two years ago in jungle habitat trying to move this black rat snake out of the way to prevent it from being run over since there were a bunch of riders just behind me...she was standing directly where i was standing and i nearly crashed trying to avoid her...i spent the next 15 min just standing there playing traffic cop making the riders slow down and go around her

Cchu518 I remember years ago I came across a rattler while I stopped to take a leak on a rock scramble that was completely exposed to the sunlight. That was in NY and not even that far north. If I recall correctly, a route near the Palisades parkway.

Last summer my buddy enountered one in south jersey while stopping for a lunch break during a day of kayaking near Batsto in Wharton state forest.

There definitely here, usually when we least expect it.

the state website says copperheads are also native to nj and ny but i haven't been lucky enough to spot one yet.

awesome pics! I'm glad the green is back, and cant wait to drop back into harriman later this month.

thanks!

You were not kidding about the rocks. wow you have bunch lol. It looks like you had another great time out.

Bryan

haha, what i like is that our area really has variety...just a few miles away and the woods can be super hilly but almost no big rocks. nj isn't widely known for mountain biking but there's a ton of awesome trails here.

 

[JV3]

I'm an reptile keeper myself/ and we've done photo safaris in Costa rica and Arizona looking for venonouse snakes to photograph in the wild.

i'm jealous that you get to go to a bunch of countries to photograph them! what do you have now? i used to have 13 snakes but i'm down to just this one ca kingsnake - between mtb and hiking i really didn't have time for all these hobbies so i gave the rest away several years ago:

 

[cchu518]

Lets see we have a jungle carpet irian Jay's python cross, a Cali king, a king rat snake from Asia, white sided rat snake, argentinian tegu, Cuban rock iguana. I just posted in the gear forum asking for advice about binoculars as I'm going to tulum Mexico in two weeks and Sian kaan biosphere for some r and r with the wife. But anyway I posted some photos of reptiles in it including an eyelash viper eating an anole while it sat on the side of a rock cliff near the arenal volcano.