One Day in the Pine Barrens

Mullica River

Along the Trail

My brother Matt crossing the twisted bridge

  It’s raining today, so I’m pulling something out of my archives.  These photos are from a hike I took in the New Jersey Pine Barrens three years ago.  It was something I had wanted to do for a while, and I had finally worked out a plan with my brothers to do it.  We picked a trail in the Wharton State Forest, which went through the Batsto Historic Village.  After passing through the village, it went along the Mullica River, which forms the border between Burlington and Atlantic Counties.  We were about 15 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, but except for the sand, it didn’t seem to me like the ocean was nearby.

 Once we got past the village, we crossed Batsto Lake and the Batsto River, which would soon run into the Mullica.  When we came to the trail along the Mullica, the first bridge crossing it was a bit of a challenge, since it had been damaged by a flood about a month earlier.  It was now twisted, somewhat like a roller coaster track, and one end was nearly in the vertical position.  That was about the hardest challenge of the hike.  I’m not a serious hiker, or an adventure seeker, anyway.   The rest of the way was just flat South Jersey terrain, with little noticeable elevation gain.  Since this was the Pine Barrens, the trail was mostly sand, and I usually walked along the edge, where it was more packed.  I have never been out in the desert, but walking through the Pine Barrens reminded me a little of the desert pictures I’ve seen.  We went a few miles, and then stopped to eat lunch before returning.  I don’t know how far the trail went.  We could have gone further, but decided to make our way back.

  Normally, I pass through the Pine Barrens twice a year, going to and from Long Beach Island.  The last leg of the trip was route 72, which runs through a seemingly endless forest of 10 foot tall fir pines.  I would always think of pulling over and getting some pictures, but I never actually did.  That was simply because I went to the shore in late July, and it was almost always hot and humid going to the island and back.  I never felt like getting out of the air conditioned car in the 90 degree heat.   Doing this hike gave me a chance to walk through the pines and get some shots without having to stop and jump in and out of the car.  

  I hope to go back to the Pine Barrens and get some more pictures soon.  I’d like to see the Carranza Memorial, and get some pictures for the Apple Pie Hill fire tower, which is the highest point in the Pine Barrens.  I am also doing some reading about the area.  There are all kinds of legends and folklore coming from there.  It has also managed to remain rural.  There has been some development, and of course all roads to the shore run through it, at least from where I’m coming.  But it has somehow been able to avoid being absorbed by the sprawl coming from Philadelphia and Central and Northern New Jersey.