the heebie jeebies hike.

[JV3]

the hike started out nice and relaxing...lots of bees buzzing around tons of flowers.

reminds me of a bison with a spider's face.

peek-a-boo!

the only mushrooms i saw on the trail.

lots of elevation changes on this trail. goes from gentle slopes...

...to chest high boulders i needed to climb to stay on the trail. i felt like bear grylls was nearby filming.

if you look closely there's a bird dead center, upper third of the pic. there were three big ones flying about there. i just couldn't get a good enough pic of them.

the heebie jeebies started right about here. it reminded me of a school field trip where we went to a science center and saw a heavy smoker's preserved lungs on display. it was covered in black veins all over...ugh.

this one caught my eyes. it's a huge dead log with a sapling growing inside it. kinda neat that the dead is now supporting the next generation.

...more.

 

[JV3]

huh...an unusually sharp angle on this one. it almost looks man-made but a cliff is in front of it just a few feet away. there's nothing in the surrounding area that stands out like it.

about 1/4 mile away yet another un-natural looking shape & arrangement.

a couple of hundred feet later...yet another really un-natural shape! an almost rectangular hole an inch deep in a rock. my esse-4 serves as a scale reference. this particular trail has lots of steep terrain and confusing twists so it's easy to get lost too. i doubt lots of hikers go through here since it's not particularly scenic.

a couple of hundred feet later i notice this circular dead patch.

i mean really dead patch. not a single sapling is growing in this circular area even though the surrounding area is covered in green. if i were to dig a massive hole, put spikes in it and cover it with netting and leaves it'll look just like this! not that i've ever done something like that...not yet anyway

it also reminds me of the first episode of the x-files when billy steps onto a similar patch out in the forest and suddenly a bright light sucks him up into the alien ship. now i'm really getting the heebie jeebies. at this point i'm kicking myself for not bringing my machete along

...more.

 

[JV3]

too bad i screwed up the focus on this one. he just wouldn't stand still. big, bulgy eyes and a massive, green-looking mustache.

a more patient model.

my internet commando instincts told me it's a trap! the squirrels have been giving me the stink eye lately.

another potential lunch for when i get sick of snacking on energy bars

a potentially good emergency shelter.

...that is if you're not freaked out by spiders.

it's a green house!

...more.

 

[JV3]

forget the machete, i think my 1911 or ar-15 would be a better hiking companion. i picked it up to check the caliber but made sure to wipe my prints off of it. the caliber is too weak for deer or bear i think. not sure if this hunter was hunting another two-legged creature

i really need to learn about wild edibles. there was only a small patch of these berries. i'm not sure if these are safe.

the trail parking lot is shared with an equestrian club.

this is by far the biggest horse i've ever seen in person! talk about horsepower. the spine was well over my head so i'm guessing it's around 6'5" or more. i'll need a ladder to get onto the saddle with this horse.

i didn't want to take too many pics of the ranch since i drove a heavily tinted, black suv there. i stuck out like a sore thumb and the people might think i'm either investigating someone or worse, went into the woods to tend to some funky plants

i need to go back there soon. horses/equestrian tend to attract really fit hotties and bored house-wives

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

That IS kind of spooky--with that dead patch in particular! You can see plants ringing right around it but not actually intruding into the space...

 

[bmilla35]

Very cool...you're right those rocks are shaped pretty weird. I hope someone can chime in and shed some light. Also...those berries look good! I feel like this is pretty early for Black Raspberries...hmm..might just be me

ETA: Actually the berries aren't really remarkably ahead of schedule...time is flying!

 

[NRaiano]

Really great posts man. I've enjoyed reading them a lot. Definitely looked like some man made structure remnants strewn around. At first when I read "a couple of hundred feet later...yet another really un-natural shape!" and saw your esee come onto the screen I thought it was a joke!
Thanks for sharing,
Gabriel.

 

[Woods Walker]

i really need to learn about wild edibles. there was only a small patch of these berries. i'm not sure if these are safe.

Those look like Black Raspberries and are not only safe but down right good. The purple clover flowers are also edible. Naturally I am basing my identifications on your photos alone.

Here is a photo of Black Raspberries from my AO.

But you did the right thing by not eating something that was unknown.

 

[CanDo]

Could that circle have been a vernal pool that just dried up?

 

[HolyRoller]

Ooooh, yeah. Blackcaps are delicious. Used to get them, and raspberries, growing on a stonerow at home. Massive clusters of raspberry bushes. Been less and less every year.

Oddly enough, I've noticed an outbreak of small, flavorless, wild strawberries growing around.

 

[cj65]

Nice hiking pictures and great narrative. You have some writing talent. You need to develop that. I need to go on a few more hikes in So Cal and make some posts about it. Thanks for the motivation.

 

[Sharp Eye]

Great picts.
Thanks for sharing them.
What kind of camera equipment do you bring along when you hike?

 

[canadiantrailman]

registered user

 

[Tostig]

Great post. Thanks for taking the time do take the pics , post em and comment

I like finding wierd areas when I hike. Theres a lake about an hour or so from me called Pine Flat , if you go another 45 min further there's a road on the left which soon turns to dirt ( like my directions ? ) keep going an eventually theres a creek that run along side of it , then some old strange stone works that are somehow irrigation related althouh as many times as I've seen them I cant figure out what they would be used for... keep going further and theres a cool place to set up and shoot ( guns that is) all day if you like. Well to the left of that area is a stone stairway that goes up the hill and disappears into a squarish stone looking tunnel... I've been so tempted to go up there and see what it is all about but it's dark usually and looks forboding... plus it adds some mystery to life.

Tostig

 

[JParanee]

Some very nice photos

 

[mymindisamob]

Very cool! I like the rocks and such.

 

[mrng]

You're in New Jersey but I noticed there is a Canadian flag hanging in the ranch? (last photo) I was ready to ask you where in Canada you were hiking.

 

[ChapmanPreferred]

Interesting thread.

 

[JV3]

thanks, guys!

Could that circle have been a vernal pool that just dried up?

could be. another poster in a different subforum suggested maybe it's a "fairy ring". basically, mushrooms grow and expand outward, draining the already nutrient deficient soil. when they die off the soil is left barren for months or even years. i like the ufo idea better

Nice hiking pictures and great narrative. You have some writing talent. You need to develop that. I need to go on a few more hikes in So Cal and make some posts about it. Thanks for the motivation.

thanks. i write software for a living so that might be where i developed my blabbering skills. it's a good skill to have when i have to explain to the higher ups why the project is delayed or not working properly

Great picts.
Thanks for sharing them.
What kind of camera equipment do you bring along when you hike?

i bring my 8-yr old nikon coolpix 8700. it's a step above a point & shoot but below a dslr. i've been thinking of replacing it with a smaller point & shoot to reduce my load but somehow i always end up buying another knife

Great post. Thanks for taking the time do take the pics , post em and comment

I like finding wierd areas when I hike. Theres a lake about an hour or so from me called Pine Flat , if you go another 45 min further there's a road on the left which soon turns to dirt ( like my directions ? ) keep going an eventually theres a creek that run along side of it , then some old strange stone works that are somehow irrigation related althouh as many times as I've seen them I cant figure out what they would be used for... keep going further and theres a cool place to set up and shoot ( guns that is) all day if you like. Well to the left of that area is a stone stairway that goes up the hill and disappears into a squarish stone looking tunnel... I've been so tempted to go up there and see what it is all about but it's dark usually and looks forboding... plus it adds some mystery to life.

Tostig

good directions. i think i can follow that i guess you don't know me yet - i'll get lost going somewhere 10 blocks away from my house without a gps. haha. i wish we had a place to shoot like that. i'm stuck using normal ranges here, even when i go to pa.

You're in New Jersey but I noticed there is a Canadian flag hanging in the ranch? (last photo) I was ready to ask you where in Canada you were hiking.

this was in harriman state park just across the border into ny. maybe the ranch owner is canadian? i'll ask someone next time i'm there checking out the hotties...err, horses i mean

Interesting thread.

for the record, i did not eat any of those mushrooms at the beginning of the hike the trail was just naturally freaky.

 

[tonym]

Outstanding pctures!!! Thanks for sharing.

i really need to learn about wild edibles. there was only a small patch of these berries. i'm not sure if these are safe.

Those are delicious!

By the way, all segmented berries are edible.:thumbup: