Packanack

TRL--That sounds like a Sasquwatch Siting, was there a distinct skunk like smell present at the time of the siting. There have been sightings reported in NJ in the past, in fact the Bear Swamp Area of Mahwah Ringwood was a hot spot for sometime. Numerous reports in Wantage area. The authorities generally like to keep these things quiet for obvious reasons. Suggest you google Big Foot Sightings in NJ.

I was talking about the newly acquired adjacent to the rail trail. I was thinking that it would be too close to the trail. I was talking about the HYponex land

Sounds Like a No Dog Area. "A nearly three-mile-long swamp that is home to a "Noah's Ark" of wildlife amid sprawling development in the Newton area has been bought by the state or $1.9 million, officials announced. The 1,038 acres will become a state wildlife management area for hunting, fishing, birding and other passive-recreational activities, state Department of Environmental Protection Bradley Campbell announced Friday. Herons, egrets and other animals live in and near the ponds and streams on the "black dirt" tract, also known as Newton Bog Meadow. The site is also home to foxes, bears and the endangered bog turtle and red-shouldered hawk. " The Above drawn from the Star Ledger, which may be accessed by going to their Web Site at NJO.com and plugging Star Ledger and Hyponex into their search selection. If you are from NJ and are not familiar with NJO.com, you don't know what you are missing, their forum topics are non pareil and their information is terrific, even for those of us who are not in their major coverage area.

The Hyponex Black Dirt Bog lands are acquired. Passive Outdoor recreational pursuits are envsioned. Adjacent to Sussex Rail Trail and Paulisnkill Rail Trails at certain areas. Now if only Passaic County could get a rail trail.

It is life. Think about all the times there are demands on your time. Work, children's schedules, social obligations, that is what makes it all the more enjoyable when you get a little recreation in. That is one of the reasons I had my son join the Boy Scouts, so I can go camping and hiking, but mne,we shall keep that one to ourselves. briansnat Enjoy your hike, be sure to check in when you return, otherwise we'll all be out looking for a cacher, not a cache.

Too much with these bugs already. It is a game, a hobby, a pasttime. But now I have an idea. I am going to have a cache, it is an empty ammo can, just a log. I will ask all those people who took a TB and forgot to move it on to check under the car seat, in the pouch of the backpack, in the jacket the wore 6 months ago , in the glove compartment, on top of the dresser or the kitchen counter and to scrounge up the TB's and put them in that empty ammo can and to confess to all of us the reason for the failure to move the bug along. And to think that when I went out at lunch it was for a walk and the breeze and the clear air in my lungs and sun on my face, the fact that I went after a cache was secondary. Think about it, keep it in perspective.

[unfortunately I live in Passaic County. ] Oh,It's not so bad, especially if you have great neighbors.

Well, that is my point perhaps with increased numbers it would be of concern to the orgainization. In the alternative there would need to be a recognized organization. In the way that NORBA and IMBA got public land access for bikes, the parent organization would make the push. One would think that the manufacturers of receiver's would be in on the push, just as the bike mnfctrs were heavy into the lobbying for access.

Palisades Interstate Park Commission does set forth regulatory schemes based upon user groups. Hikers comprise the one of the largest user groups and a group that holds a lot of sway with the commission and the land managers. Why is that, well a certain orgainization (NYNJTC) provides much in the way of trail maint and design and is active. When the Sterling Forest Tract came under the auspices of PIPC, the commission went to the NYNJTC and basically had them dictate uses for the park. (They held public hearings, that were hiker dominated) One result was that the NYNJTC cut out mountain biking from Sterling Forest for a period of time. Nothwithstanding the particular appropriate woods road system. That was the NYNJTC antipathy toward biking shown full color. But the point, join the NYNJTC and voice your opinion to them that they support the sport or game of geocaching as a valuable resource towards proper park usuage. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission holds regular public meetings, and I would venture a guess that the public has probably not been seen at one in years. The Trail Conference is sensitive to other user groups now, because the mountain bikers have taught them a thing or two about the "public right to use of public land", the bikers were one step away from getting total access and the next step would have been ATV's , the conference opted to negotiate. That is not a bad thing, nor is it a criticism, it is reality and reality says that if you want to get attention, get it through a group that gets attention from the land manager. The NYNJTC will do that, provided you make your views known. It is stodgy, no doubt and they will look down upon geocachers as dillitentes, but if sufficient numbers make their voice known it may just work.

Isn't Harriman under the rules and regulations of the regulatory commission, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission ? I think PIPC is the operating entity, it is a bi state agency, Palisades Interstate Park, Sterling Forest , Harriman among others.

Packanack is from .............. Huh? oh yeah I keep on forgetting. Area north of Trenton has the D&R Canal Feeder and Rail Trail, if you ever want to ride a great bike ride, go to Frenchtown, ride down to Bull's Island Cross the Bridge and ride the canal pathway back to Frenchtown. There was a cache at Bull's Island which I believe was archived after the floods a few months back. Nice cache, nice little walk. Should be replaced imo.

My son and I went on Sat, late . excursion to Stone Living Room in Bloomingdale, NJ, I believe it is. The whole thing is set up to watch sunsets. The Stone Chairs all face west and there is a clear view for miles. Apparently this has been going on for years. You want a good sunset, try Cape Cod Bay from Chase Creek Garden, I think it is called.

You most likely would ask yourself : Am I enjoying this activity? I have to tell you that during the warm months I ride my bicycle and very much enjoy that. During the colder months I have always enjoyed hiking. This activity promises to bring another very enjoyable twist to both those activities. I have also brought my son's boy scout troop into some of the hunts. That I enjoy it is all that matters to me.

[A little out of the way but it makes a great day trip! ] It is now the top tourist attraction in the State of Pa. over 1 mil visitor per annum, they are to put one in the Xanadu project in the meadowlands. While noodling around looking for answer to this query, I came across Catskill Hiking Store, Wurtsboro, NY -they were specifically mentioned as being a place for hard to fit people. http://www.catskillhikes.com/ Check out their links page. Clearly, we are all gear junkies, based upon comments. I sometimes spend a lunch hour walking around campmor/ems/ramsey.

I have often wondered about that, is that commonly found. Is there a calibration standard.

For those who have the extremely wide feet, there is a specialty marketer, Hitchcok Shoes of Hingham Mass. Check out Backpacker Magazine for bootfitters, there are several around who will custom fit the boots to the feet, as opposed to stock shoes. And the current issue is rating a variety of equipment. LLBean--usually the best price, best return policy and best quality consistantly. It is a myth that the store makes a difference, they all carry the same goods. The maker is what differs. For instance I can not wear a Timberland shoe, the heal cup is almost always to wide, so my foot moves around in their shoes, others swear by they. Find your brand, forget the retailer. Years back, I had a pair of NIKE lightweight mid hikers, they were the best, never saw them again. Now NIKE is back with a line, so I will look for them. In warm weather, I like New Balance Trail Runners, but they are good for about 6 to 9 months and then ready for discard, but they can be acquired for $45 on sale. I say look for the brand that makes your feet happy.

The temps of today will be just a memory over the weekend. The temps should be in the 30"s for peak hours. I am getting up early and I will go rehide a cache that I just placed in Wayne. dhennings , who was FTF, indicated it was an insufficient challenge to a cacher of his talent. There should not be a temperature deterent. If anyone should happen to find himself caching in Garret Mtn. area, they have asked that perhaps people consider bringing in cracked corn. Was in paper today, the deer don't have enough browse. Lots of caches in that park that can be done in most conditions. I may also try one of the turkey mtn things again, I am learning to love that walk.

[it'll get approved before you know it.] My queries really have nothing to do with approval times, they were more designed to the mechanics of approval. In fact , I did determine that I had done something in error, that needed to be undone, in order to get it into line. This is a first placement and as such I wasn't exactly sure of procedure, nothwithstanding the placement guidelines. So I asked ? Time means nothing in geocaching. It is not like there are going to be hundreds lining up to chase down a cache in a swamp in January with a foot of snow on the ground. That and I hope I don't have to go retrieve it.

I will wait awhile longer. thanks for the input. No saturation, nearest cache is about 2 miles away, which for Wayne is unimaginable. No log entry, no rejection, I think what happened was that I hit the wrong button and then had to go back and enable the link. Hey--it happens.

briansnat--How long should one wait for approver response before inquiry. Perhaps the approvers might comment as to most frequently encountered approval problems. Saturation ? Bad coordinates? Improper placement ? New cacher screw up--I believe the cache I am seeking to have approved may fall into that category, as in what kind of special case can't push the right button. I would suggest that the approver probably doesn't even look at some cacher's placement. Based upon past performance. Though no one in that category immediately comes to mind.

Although I signed up a long time ago, I have not been real active until recently. Are there any other factors working, such as proximity. I adopted a neglected cache close to my office, and found that the saturation in that area was pretty heavy. I am sure no other caches will be allowed there. Have there been any other issues of ownership. Was there an explanation of reasoning? Before anyone could comment those things should be explored.

[Are you bringing your daughters Garmin and Magellan along?] Magellan (for the record) is a boys name. Which one of you guys tied up the Parkway the other night reaching into the exact change basket to retrieve the Avroair Geo Coin you mistakenly threw in for the toll ?

Uh ---New Jersey

I would think the Great Falls would qualify, as would Bearfort Ridge with the puddingstone.

That would have been Thanksgiving followed by the 20 inch snowfall of 12/5/03