Another part of my action packed weekend was to Six Mile Run Reservoir in Franklin Township, Somerset County. This is a double fun trip because I get to drive on my most favorite of all roads in New Jersey, Canal Road. For those that have never been there think of driving down a road bordered by a ditch on one side and the D&R Canal on the other in a space not much bigger than an alleyway. Trail Map can be downloaded here.
My plan was to hike the full length of all the trails in & out. Due to the muddy conditions with the recent rains I only finished the Blue Trail. Just too much slipping for me while hauling camera gear so I turned around at where the Blue meets the Red and said "Next Time". All in all it was still a good walk, there is something I like about hiking in the fog.
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| Blue start at Canal Rd Lot |
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| A Nice Foggy Morning |
It was pretty quite along the trail, there was bird song every now and then. My spottings included Cardinal, White-throated Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-tailed Hawk, Canada Goose, Downey & Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Carolina Wern and a few Golden-crowned Kinglets. There was one mystery sighting which was either a Kestrel or a Merlin. No mammals to report not even a chipmunk.
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| Was just scanning the field |
While wildlife was somewhat low, I did have fun searching for my second favorite thing besides insects when hiking. Moss, Lichen & Fungus are always a backup when when I pan out on the trail. While I'm no expert I just like finding new stuff. There were section of the Blue Trail that reminded me of the Pacific Northwest, not that there was tons of ferns but just densely cover tree trunks.
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| Lichen & Moss |
