Wharton State Forest (NJ) S...

I followed a trail that began, literally, under the van, and only a short distance away I came to barbed wire fence, enclosing a large tract of farm land. On closer inspection it appeared that the farm is actually a vineyard. I followed the trail as it curved away from the forbidden plot and soon came to a tree with a very strange device attached to it. I stared at it for a while, and it became clear.... A hunter observation outpost. It was rusty and aged, but solid enough for me to climb, which I promptly did and observed my domain. I even sang from the tree-tops just for fun. Nobody answered. Night was coming quickly and I retreated to my van, did some reading (Bhagavat Gita) and some eating (some food I picked up at Whole Earth in Princeton - a local/organic market ).

The next morning, after breakfast, I was about to leave my hiding place and get back on Rt 206, when it dawned on me to see where the dirt road will take me instead. The following day was spent traversing what may be "Paradise Dr" on local maps, a dirt road where two cars would have a hard time passing each other (fortunately I didn't encounter any... not one car), This road goes through the forest and some hilly terrain for nearly 8miles before running into an abandoned (and closed) bridge over the local stream. The only way out is back. But before I found out where it ends, I found myself very, very stuck. The road, and much of the local landscape is sand, primarily white in color, but occasionally the more familiar yellow sand makes appearances as well. I have Pirelli Scorpion (all terrain) tires on the van, and they do well on dirt and rough terrain, definitely better than a summer tire - but not so great on mud and sand. Here I found myself 10 inches deep in sand.

Fortunately - I carry a winch, and this was my first time using it. The winch is a portable $50 Walmart device (Master Lock brand, actually), which is rated at 2000lbs, which is just shy of the van's 6000lbs. (I actually don't know if the ratings work this way). I attached it to the nearest tree and tied a truck strap to the hitch hole on the winch.... I don't have a hitch ball, and I want to pull forward, not back! The winch was not strong enough to pull the van out of its buried state, but it could exert enough tension on the cable to help it get out under its own power. so I ran in and out - operating the winch until it maxed out, running back to hit the gas - and again. After about 10 iterations I got the van out, and the winch could now pull the van (yes, in Drive the whole time) forward with relative ease. The next time I saw a big plot of sand on the road, I hit the gas and traversed it at 30mph (normal speeds on this road are more like 15). It was a bit bouncy, but hey - at least I got through.

Along the way, this road occasionally meanders close to the stream/river (not sure), and when the GPS told me it was nearby I parked and walked over. The stream was singing (I'm guessing) the same song it has been singing for many years, and nobody but me was there to hear it. Well, that's what I think, anyway.




Towards the dead end on Paradise Dr, I found an area with marked trails and wildlife signs, not to mention the first living humans I've seen in 24 hours, indicating that this area is accessible from somewhere else, most likely by car. The area is all white sand and pines (a beautiful combination) and once you add mountain (read: hill) ponds and wetlands, it just gets better. The pond/river (not sure, really) had very still water and the reflections were almost perfectly clear.

In summary.... we have a real, big, basically free and unrestricted Forest in New Jersey. Who could have guessed that experiencing wilderness and a lack of humans may not require days of driving?