Things I've Found While Running (Part 2)

I’ve been running for over 40 years and have come across some interesting places and things. I started carrying a camera a couple years ago, so I can capture some of my finds. Here’s some of my favorite things I’ve come across (Part 2):

(Crash site near Rt 70, Browns Mills, NJ)

(WWII truck in a swamp, west side of Ft Dix, NJ)

The Wondering Marys in the abandoned Washington Park Cemetery near Berkeley, Missouri)

(Bone Art in the woods near Whitesbog Village, NJ)

Ceremonial Rock Spiral, Buzzards Roost, Zuma Ridge Trail, Santa Monica Mountain Range, CA)

(Flipper washed ashore in Sea Girt, NJ; sad)

(Homemade Zipline found in the Country Lakes section of Browns Mills, NJ)

Things I've Found While Running (Part 1).

I’ve been running for over 40 years and have come across some interesting places and things. I finally started carrying a camera a couple years ago, so I can capture some of my finds. Here are a few vehicles and aircraft I’ve come across:

I’ll start with my favorite. This Lockheed T2V “SeaStar” crashed into a swamp near West Milford, NJ in 1962. Luckily both pilots survived the crash even though they were unable to eject. The T2V was a carrier-capable training jet used by the U.S. Navy. All that remains is the fuselage (seen below) and the nose, about 100 feet away.

(Photo by Asia Danger Davidson)

This UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) is in the woods on Ft Dix, NJ and is used as a training aid for Army Medics. Various forms of the Huey were produced from 1956 until 1976. The U.S. Army eventually replaced the Huey with the UH-60 Blackhawk. More information on the UH-1 can be found at http://www.aviation-history.com/bell/uh1.htm .

This M60 Series tank can also be found in the woods north of Browns Mills, NJ near the Browns Mills – Cookstown Road. The M60 was the state of the art main battle tank for years before being replaced by the M1 Abrams tank. More information on the M60 series tank can be found at https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=28

During a recent run through the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area in Roosevelt, NJ I came across a few unexpected gems from the past, 2 cars and a plane. I’m sure each has its own unique story; but since no one nearby could offer any insight into their past, I’ll share my own theories. The first car was driven into the woods by lovers who were forbidden by their families to see each other. Unfortunately for them, while making love under the full moon, they were killed and carried off by the Jersey Devil. Hey, it could’ve happened. They, and by they I mean I, say that if you visit this car at midnight during a full moon you can still hear their screams. The second car was dumped deep in the woods following a mob hit, which would explain all the bullet holes in it. Finally, the abandoned plane was used by the infamous Nosdivad family to escape the government’s assault on the Ashram in a tiny village in the NJ Pine Barrens called Ong’s Hat. More history and information regarding the Ashram and its inter-dimensional portal can be found online or in Joseph Matheny’s book, “Ong’s Hat: The Beginning”. You can also research the “Incunabula Papers”.

February 2017 Colorado Springs

I travelled to Colorado Springs in February for two reasons: first to visit family and second to get some altitude training in. It was great to spend time with my daughter Egypt. I hadn’t seen her since she moved there almost three years ago. I also met her boyfriend Ronny and my first grandchild Violet. Egypt and Ronny gave me a tour of Colorado Springs and the surrounding area on my first afternoon before I returned them to their home. I was surprised to see that the only snow acumination was on Pikes Peak and a few of the deeper draws where the sun can’t reach.

 

I had read that the majority of people that live close to sea level, as I do, experience some sort of altitude sickness when they first arrive in the Denver/Colorado Springs area. Luckily I didn’t experience any issues. My appetite was fine. I slept fine. I didn’t get any headaches or dizziness. As a matter of fact, I was running in the 8,000 to 9,000 foot range just two hours after arriving without issue. I spent most of the afternoon in the Gold Camp Road area. This beautiful red dirt road winds its way along the side of numerous mountains, through old rail tunnels, and along thousand foot drop-offs that have been the site of many fatal accidents.

 

 

 

Later that evening, which happened to be Valentine’s Day, I linked up with the local Hashrunners from Colorado Kimchi H3 and CSprings H3 for a special “VD for Everyone” Hashrun/Pub crawl they popped up because I was in town. We met at Garrison Tavern located at 424 S. Nevada Street and after a few pre-lube rounds we set off following blue chalk marks to our next stop. Trail through town was short but the beverage was plentiful. We rotated who set trail after each pub stop. Not knowing my way around town made my turn somewhat questionable; however, I eagerly took my turn. I set trail crisscrossing through town, in and out alleys, up and down a parking deck, through a bus station, and eventually finding my way back to Garrison Tavern for our On-after.

 

The next morning I drove to the Garden of the Gods where I spent most of the day running, hiking and taking photos of the beautiful formations of red sand and limestone. The 15 miles of trail cross their way past such formations as the Kissing Camels, Balanced Rock, Three Graces, and Cathedral Valley. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the high 60s, sunny and clear.

 

Thursday morning I drove to nearby Manitou Springs to climb the infamous Manitou Incline. The Incline, which gains more than 2000 feet in less than 0.8 miles, has been on my bucket list for many years and I was finally standing at its base ready to complete the challenge. Once again temperatures were nearing 70 degrees which felt awesome since it was snowing back home in New Jersey. I have to admit, the Incline is no joke. It starts off at approximately a 45 degree incline and continues to get steeper. I stopped numerous times to take photos; in other words, to catch my breath. This was the only time during my 4 day adventure that I was truly out of breath. I met a bunch of really cool people on the climb including an older gentleman that lives nearby and said he had climbed it for 78 days straight. When I reach the top I saw that the mountain continued to climb so I altered my original plan of climbing the Incline and immediately returning down the Barr Trail. After catching my breath and taking a few photos I followed a trail toward the peak but eventually had to do some bushwhacking and scrambling to reach the three rocky peaks of Rocky Mountain. The views were amazing and well worth the efforts; however, the best part of it was that while there was a large crowd on the Incline I had the peak all to myself! After a snack and some photos I climbed back down to the Incline and then ran some 4 miles down the Barr Trail back to my car. I spent the rest of the evening with Egypt, Ronny and Violet.

My final morning I squeezed in a run in Red Rock Park before heading back to Denver airport for my flight back to New Jersey. Next time I’m in Colorado Springs I plan to hike/run the Barr Trail from Manitou Springs to Pike’s Peak. It covers some 11.8 miles and gains almost 8000 feet on its way to Pike’s Peak which sits at 14,115 feet.

January Hash Report

2017 kicked off with 8 great hashes, the first being the North of Seventy Eight (NOSE) hash #149 in Morristown, NJ on Wednesday January 4^th. About 15 hashers showed up at the Speedwell Park ruins for a trail laid out by “Not in my Hair” who received his running kilt the same name for hashing 78 times with NOSE H3. The trail included lots of stairs, hills, false trails and a section of the Patriots Path. After the run we all moved to the Famished Frog for food and beverage.

 



Next up was the newly formed Taco Tuesday Hash House Harriers’ 2^nd hash on Tuesday January 10^th. Road Runner Sports generously offered up their store for a meeting location and a discount for those in attendance. Roughly 30 came out to run around Cherry Hill, NJ but mostly for the tacos at Chili’s after.

 

The next night was to become a night that the NOSE runners will not soon forget, although we’d like to. It became to be known as the night of the tickets. We had a great showing this night with 17 hashers eager to run the trails on Pyramid Mountain and so we did. It wasn’t until we were enjoying the view of distant city lights that we found out it was actually illegal to be up there after dark. We observed blue lights down by our parked cars and the night’s silence was interrupted by a voice on a loud speaker demanding we get off the mountain. By the time the night was done, Morris County had earned itself some $1207 in fines as we each were charged $71. On the bright side I did earn my NOSE hash socks for picking the NOSE 24 times!

 

The next Thursday night, January 12^th was a full moon so Princeton H3 popped up a Full Moon Hash with trail set by “Hair in my Zipper”. It was a beautiful night, especially for being January. With temperatures nearing 60 degrees and the full moon it was without a doubt the best night I’ve run in a long time. Seven hashers and one trail dog, “Flip Flop”, came out and enjoyed the trail which took us through parts of Village Park, Mercer Meadows and Rosedale Park. Two more hashers met us at the house of “Yo Hey Pauly” for pizza and beer.

 

Wednesday, January 18^th, NOSE met at the house of “A**-Q” in Boonton for a hilly run and pizza party after. Wednesday January 25^th we met at the Morristown Train Station for a trail set by “Stretch” taking us out once again to the Speedwell Park ruins followed by food at the Tavern off the Green.

 

Two nights later the Bimbos of Jersey hosted a birthday hash for “Go4Hole” in Jamesburg Park section of Helmetta, NJ. Six runners enjoyed the trails, a beer stop that included hot-toddies and Jiff Pop Popcorn, and then pizza after at Maxi’s Pizza.




Finally, on Sunday January 29^th I hosted a combination Hashrun/Pub crawl through Browns Mills, NJ. Unlike a normal pub crawl, this included 4 sections of trail and a series of clues written around town, in chalk, where to look next.

 

 

Dec 2016: Goal Achieved

Goal achieved! On July 1^st I set a goal of running 50 hashruns for 2017; and, on December 18^th I realized my goal. I actually finished 52 by year’s end. Here’s how December went:

On Thursday, December 1^st I travelled down to Washington D.C. to attend the Albanian Independence celebration. As soon as I found out I was going I started my internet search for a Hashrun I might attend. I found out that Everyday is Wednesday Hash House Harriers (EWH3) run on Thursdays and they were hashing in nearby Bethesda. I quickly left my travelling partners at the hotel and found my way to the Red Line train. As soon as I got off the train and ran up to the street level I found an arrow pointing to the gathering place where some 60-80 hashers were milling around. The theme for their 977^th Hashrun was “Farewell to Fidel” since he had recently died. Setting a diabolical mix of true and false trails were: Pinocchi-Ho; Goldman Ballsacks; Atari 6900; Don’t Ask, Don’t Smell; Just Hanna; Just Franny. They took us down busy streets, walkways, alleys and numerous parking decks. Thankfully they also included 2 beer stops and 2 shot checks. The On-after was at the Barking Dog Pub where I hung out with fellow visiting hasher, Dazed and Confused from the Beijing Hash House Harriers. A couple of local hashers were kind enough to ensure I made it back to the Red Line for the last train back to D.C.

(Fidel hanging with the hashers) 

(Here I am with my new friend "Dazed and Confused" from the Beijing Hashers).

On Wednesday December 7^th I made my way up to Woodland Park, NJ for the North of Seventy Eight (NOSE) hash #143. I arrived early enough to get in an extra run on nearby Garret Mountain Reservation and checked out the views from Lambert Tower. Just Guido laid a fantastic trail in the historic Rifle Camp Park where Washington’s troops used the elevation vantage to observe British movements during the Revolutionary War in 1780. Trail included great views off northern NJ and New York City’s night skyline. We went to Joey McBride’s Pub Bar & Grill for the on-after where 2 of our hashers participated in the Open Mike night, after much bantering. Nocturnal Emissions delighted the crowd with his vocals as he sang the Sound of Silence. Just Guido on the other hand put the likes of Stevie Wonder and Elton John to shame as his fingers banged out the tunes on the keyboard, song after song. This earned him his new hash name, Finger Bang Her.  

(NOSE #143) 

 (Beer with a view)

On Saturday December 10^th I travelled north to River Road Park in Bedminster, NJ for the Summit Hash #1767. Fourteen hashers braved the frigid temperatures and cold winds. Secaucless set a great trail which included thick forest, open pastures and horse paths.

 (Summit #1767)

On Tuesday December 13^th I again joined Summit H3, this time for their monthly Full Moon Hash. We gathered at the Galloping Hill Hot Dog restaurant in Union, NJ. True trail ended up being about 6.5 miles with some of us running closer to 8 while we searched for trail marks. We passed through one neighborhood that stunk of so much weed that I almost thought I was back home in Jamaica.

 (Summit Full Moon)

The next day, Wednesday December 14^th I drove north to Millburn, NJ for the NOSE Hash #145. The hare, Deer Bitch, did not use traditional hash markings. Instead he wrote clues around town telling us where to go next (i.e. “Fire” clued us to go to the Fire Dept or “PO” for the Post Office). Since none of us were familiar with the area we had to ask people for help as we passed them on the street. We eventually climbed our way up to the top of South Mountain were we enjoyed a beer stop with another fantastic view. All but three of us opted to run back to town using the roads. Three of us followed true trail back by literally running down the Rahway River, through the canal, and passing under 5 bridges and even one building before climbing back up to street level. The on-after was held at Liberty Tavern. This place was awesome! Not only did they have Guinness on tap; but, the juke box had the long versions of Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused” (28 minutes) and Iron Butterfly’s “In a Gadda Da Vida” (17 minutes). Oh, and the owner gave us all free shots of Jameson! How cool is that?

 (Kings of the Mountain)

 (Quick break before passing through another tunnel)

Saturday December 17^th I travelled to Metuchen, NJ for the Summit Hash #1769…who said 69? Trail weaved its way through street and woods, through Centennial Park, and ended with a pot luck dinner and Secret Santa gift exchange.

 (Summit #1769)

 (Post run party)

The next day, Sunday December 18^th, I achieved my goal as I hit my 50^th hash for the year when I travelled to Roosevelt, NJ for a combination MDL/ Bimbos of Jersey/ Princeton hashrun. Rear End Wrangler set a fantastic trail which included stream crossings, lots of false trails, hills, fields, and lots of home brew and a pot luck dinner.

 (Pre-run photo)

 (One of the many water crossings)

 (These ladies were so happy to see the "Beer Near" sign)

On Wednesday December 21^st I drove up to Morristown, NJ for the NOSE Hash #146 “Holiday Pajama Pub Crawl”. Fifteen runners showed off their pajamas to the town as we stopped at the Hops Craft Beer & Wine Bar, Revolution Bar, Sona Thirteen, and the Famished Frog.

 (NOSE Pajama Pub Crawl)

My last hash for 2017 was our own MDL Hash #12. Bragadeer General set trail in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. We had 2 beer stops along the 6 mile route which circled Lebanon Lakes, crossed icy streams and passed through old cranberry bogs. The 8 hashers and 4 traildogs congregated at Bragadeer’s house for dinner and drinks. The deer meat and chili was awesome!

(Beer stop)

 (Blood on trail)

(Swans)

(Traildog Sparta wanted to play with the swans)

 (Honda the Aussie and Roller Girl crossing the bog)

That’s it, 52 hashes, goal achieved! Hello 2017.