More Ghosts Of Our Coal Mining Past, A Foggy Hike Near Tresckow, Carbon County.

Another mild, and foggy, day here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I decided to take advantage of the warm temperatures and hike in the old coal mining area between Tresckow and McAdoo. I was born in McAdoo, and lived there for my first two years, It is the town where my mom and her family grew up. .

I have hiked here before, down to the famous Tresckow Falls, and heard my mom tell many stories of good times folks would have there. 

I parked my jeep and hiked along a tower line and came to a huge strip mine with sheer walls and cliffs over a hundred feet deep. The pit was created when the rock and overburden was removed to reveal the “black diamonds” or anthracite coal below. It was a ponderous pit.

I tried walking around the strip mine pit or  “stripping” but took a few paths which just lead to the edge.  I followed one that actually almost took me to the bottom of the huge pit.

It seems some local folks, probably youngsters had once camped down there.  I found a few more camping areas in my search to get around the strip mine. it reminded me of the many day my friends and I spent hiking and building camp fires in the strip mined areas near my home in Green Ridge.

I eventually made my way back to the highway and walked west until I found the  old railroad right of way of the Tresckow railroad.  On my way I  found an old apple tree with some large red apples still clinging to it’s bare branches. They sure looked nice and i will have to remember to pick some next summer.

I hiked the old railroad right of way back to the other side of the strip mine and headed south over a wooded area of scrub oak and pitch pines. It reminded me of the woods we hiked in as kids near my home.

The path lead back to the abandoned right of way of the Tresckow railroad. I knew it was old by the stone  mile markers I found along the old railroad bed. 

The railroad took a slight grade downward along side the Spring Mountain. The path was shrouded in fog and was quite and peaceful.  I came to a stream flowing off the mountain and I climbed down the right of way to find this old stone culvert. I again knew this railroad right of way was built a long time ago. 

I did some research and learned this railroad was built in 1870 by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company .It was leased to the Central New Jersey who operated it for the next 70 years. It took coal from  the Honey Brook and Audenreid coal mines to Silver Brook and eventually the markets to the east. As I walked along the isolated, foggy right of way I thought of the men who built it, and worked on the trains and wondered if they ever experienced such mild weather in December. 

On a clear day there is a beautiful view of the Quakake Valley under a pole line that crosses the right of way. Today this was the only view I saw. 

I hiked out about 3 1/2 mikes and decided to head back. I passed the road to the famous Tresckow waterfalls, a popular picnicking place in my moms day. It is now a private outdoors club. 

The fog cleared as I reached the top of the mountain and approached mt jeep. It was another great day to explore the many natural and historic areas of Northeastern pennsylvania. Here is a link to some more photographs of my hike. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/tresckow-hike-december-27-2015

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. -Soren Kierkegaard