Events

December 2, 2023

TSR Holiday Party, Hike & Business Meeting.

Advance on-line registration is required.

TSR members only – no guests.

Where: The Masker’s Barn in Watchung Reservation, part of the Deserted Village Complex. 2 Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922

Registration information for the party/meeting and hikes will be sent via email.

The annual meeting with election of officers for 2024 begins at noon.

Food: A potluck lunch will follow the meeting — hot tea, coffee, and table snacks provided. Please bring your own cold drink and festive food to share with fellow hikers: hearty salad, entree, nuts, fruit, veggies/dip, cheese/crackers, or dessert (homemade please).

Food can be dropped off at Masker’s Barn 9:00-11:30. No food heating/warming facilities are available so plan accordingly. We ask you to tag your dish with the name of the food, plus your own name, and bring a utensil to serve your food.

Weather permitting, a “fire ring” will be setup near Maskers Barn entrance to use before the noon start of our meeting. Bring your own stick to roast marshmallows we’ll provide.

THE ANNUAL MEETING AND PARTY WILL TAKE PLACE RAIN OR SHINE. In the event of a forced cancellation due to extreme weather, notification will be posted through GoogleGroups email.

Hikes: Four hikes are scheduled prior to the party for those who want to work up an appetite.

The Parking Field is the start for all hikes. It is the parking place for everybody at the Holiday Party. See Directions below. Facilities are available in the Deserted Village about 200’ further down Cataract Hollow Road from the Parking field. There are also facilities in Masker’s Barn. There are no other facilities on the hike routes.

Vigorous Holiday Party Hike
Leaders: Dean Leistikow, cell 908-451-5192 to be used day of event only, leistikow@fordham.edu and Pat Chorman
Start: 9:45 AM at TSR Parking field. Try this new adventurous route: visit the facilities at Deserted Village, then 4+ miles at a brisk pace (2+ mph) with 410 ft elevation gain. This hike is not for beginners. Part of the route is along the rocky cliff edge of the ridge above Green Brook near Seeley’s Pond, with a steep descent and an (optional) near-vertical 20-foot high rock scramble. Boots/poles recommended. Bring: water, traction devices.

4-mile Holiday Party Hike
Leaders: Ken Donhauser, cell 732-616-7409 to be used day of event only, kendonhauser@gmail.com
Start: 10:AM at TSR Parking field. 4 miles with about 400’ elevation at a moderate pace. To the Deserted Village (facilities), then east to circumnavigate Surprise Lake, and return to Masker’s Barn. Boots/poles recommended. Bring: water.

3-mile Holiday Party Hike
Leaders: Gail Biggs, 973-401-1262, cell 973-769-6860 used day of event only, biggsgail@yahoo.com and Bernadette Miglin, cell 973-407-0049 to be used day of event only, bmiglin@yahoo.com
Start: 10:15 AM at TSR Parking field. 3 miles with about 200’ elevation at a comfortable moderate pace. To the Deserted Village (facilities), around part of beautiful Lake Surprise, and return to Masker’s Barn. Boots/poles recommended. Bring: water.

2-mile Holiday Party Hike
Leaders: Gordon Thomas, cell 609-977-0267 used day of event only, thomasg0608@gmail.com and Lorrie Vece, cell 201-970-1000 to be used day of event only, Dixonlowe@aol.com
Start: 10:30 AM at TSR Parking field. A social pace around a gentle loop trail, 2 miles, about 100’ elev. First, to Deserted Village (facilities), past Masker’s Barn, to Historic Farm, and return to Parking and Masker’s Barn. Boots/poles recommended. Bring: water.

Swap Table: Masker’s Barn is the perfect place to stop ’n’ swap. Bring lightly used hiking attire, books, maps – anything another member could use. Take home any unclaimed items.

Equipment repair/knife sharpening services: From 9:30-12:00, Phil Ross has generously offered to repair equipment and sharpen knives. Bring up to two items to Phil at Masker’s Barn by 10:30am with a note including your name, phone number, description of requested services, and pick them up after 12 noon.

Directions: All of Cataract Hollow Road and the area around Masker’s Barn was recently repaved. Along the entry road, parking is only allowed on the forested (uphill) side of the road in order to ensure easy access to emergency vehicles. Parking is not allowed on the mulch on the downhill side of the road (near the fire hydrant and campfire area). Park on the Field, about 800’ down Cataract Hollow Road (marked “Road Closed”) from the entrance of Glenside Ave to the Watchung Reservation. Follow Cataract Hollow Road past the Deserted Village and turn right onto a dirt road, marked by a sign with a picture of a horse and rider. At the second grassy field park head-in. Traffic cones will block off any soft areas on the field. You’ll walk about 1,000 feet from the grass field to the right, down Cataract Hollow Road, to Masker's Barn.

Limited handicapped parking is available at the barn.

Click here for directions. 2 Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights, 07922.

GPS coordinates: 40.678228, -74.390504

Please help! We need more volunteers to setup, serve, and cleanup. To volunteer or for questions, contact the Social Committee co-chairs:

Kathe Serbin (973-715-0491, katheserbin@yahoo.com) or

Elise Morrison (201-927-4275, tsrsocialcommittee@gmail.com)

With Covid and other respiratory ill eases on the rise again, please follow all recommended CDC guidelines.

July 8, 2023

Summer Picnic

Please join us on Saturday July 8, 2023 at 12 noon for our annual club hiking and picnic at Lewis Morris Park, Sunrise Lake Area, Picnic Shelter C. This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know your fellow hikers. The Shelter is large with picnic tables and a covered overhead.

The picnic will start at 12pm. Registration will be available on SignUp Genius as the date approaches.

We’ll supply the hamburgers, hot dogs, sides, water, salads, desserts, and everything else you will need. Dessert is provided, yet your homemade dessert is most welcome.

A Swap Table will be setup for hiking equipment or clothing in good condition, so please start collecting what you’d like to bring to pass along to fellow hikers.

Equipment repair and knife sharpening services will be provided at no-charge by TSR member Phil Ross. Bring your micro spikes with loose chains, hiking poles that need adjustment, etc. He will also sharpen kitchen and pocket knives, scissors, and small garden tools, such as shears. Note a limit of two items per member.

Just a reminder, the TSR picnic is open to Members Only. Spouses and friends can attend for a modest fee of $15. The fee also covers 364 more days of available activity including hiking, paddling, biking and a Holiday party! Pay at https://www.tristateramblers.org/join. There’s plenty of time now before the picnic to give TSR memberships to friends and family you’d like to bring to the picnic.

Several hikes will be scheduled prior to the picnic to work up our appetites, and individual hike signups will be on SignUpGenius.

Volunteers are needed to help set up for the picnic and to clean up afterwards. Contact Social Committee Co-Chairs Elise Morrison at TSRsocialcommittee@gmail.com or Kathe Serbin at katheserbin@yahoo.com.

Picnic Directions:

LEWIS MORRIS PARK, Morristown, NJ (coordinates: N40° 47.50', W74° 31.94')

I-287 to Exit 30-B (Bernardsville). At light turn right onto US 202 north. Go about 1.7 miles to light and turn left onto Tempe Wick Road. Pass Jockey Hollow entrance and go another mile on Tempe Wick Road. Turn right onto Corey Lane. Go 1.4 miles and turn right onto NJ 24/CR 510 (Mendham Road.). Go 1.7 miles to park entrance.

ALTERNATIVE: I-287 south to Exit 35 (Morristown, Madison Avenue). Turn right at traffic light and bear right at next traffic light onto South Street. Continue to Morristown Green. Go around the Green to North Park Place and turn right onto Washington Street, which becomes NJ 24/CR 510 west (Mendham Road). Go 2.8 miles to park entrance on the left.

Sunrise Lake area parking: Go about 0.6 miles and turn right onto Sunrise Lake Road. Go about 0.4 mi. and turn left into the parking lots. Park in the second area on the right. The path down to the Gazebo is at the far end of the parking lot.

Please note: The Sunrise Lake area opens to the public for swimming at 11 am. Please keep this in mind when planning your arrival time for parking.

December 3, 2022

TSR Holiday Party, Hike & Business Meeting.

All participants are asked to self-test for Covid that morning.
Anyone who tests positive or has cold/flu symptoms

should not attend any events.
Wearing a mask is encouraged indoors when not eating.

Advance on-line registration is required.

Where: The Masker’s Barn in Watchung Reservation, part of the Deserted Village Complex.

Registration information for the party/meeting and hikes will be sent via email.

The annual meeting with election of officers for 2023 begins at noon.

Food can be dropped off at Masker’s Barn 9:00-11:30. No food heating/warming facilities are available so plan accordingly.

Hikes: Four hikes are scheduled prior to the party for those who want to work up an appetite.

Hike #1: Dean Leistikow 908-789-9413, leistikow@fordham.edu
Meet: 9:30 at Masker’s Barn parking lot. Approximately 4 miles at a brisk pace (2+ mph) with 410 feet elevation gain; not for beginners. Part of the route is along the rocky cliff edge of the ridge above Green Brook near Seeley’s Pond, with a steep descent and optional near-vertical 20-foot-high rock scramble. Boots/poles recommended. Bring water. Please note early start time.

Hike #2: Tom Pollard 973-600-2301, pollard.tom@gmail.com
Meet: 10:00 at Masker’s Barn parking lot. 4 miles with 300 feet elevation gain. We will briefly visit the historic Willcocks and Badgley families cemetery, descend, cross a bridge over Blue Brook, ascend above a streambed on the blue and orange trails, take the yellow and white trails to Sky Top picnic area (portable toilet), and loop back to Masker’s Barn passing the former sites of the historic Drake farm house and barn. Boots/poles recommended. Bring water. Please note early start time.

Hike #3: Kate Weller 973-557-7913, Kateweller@optonline.net

Meet: 10:00 at Masker’s Barn parking lot. 2.7 miles with 292 feet elevation gain. From Masker’s Barn in the Deserted Village of Feltville we will descend and cross the bridge over Blue Brook, then ascend the trail that used to be part of Glenside Ave. Continuing on the White and Purple trails, we will traverse a scenic gorge with a defunct copper mine, crossing a shallow stream and looping back to Masker’s Barn with a stop at the historic Willcocks and Badgley Families Cemetery along the way. Boots/poles recommended. Bring water.

Hike #4: Gordon Thomas 609-977-0267, thomasg@njit.edu

Meet: 10:30 in parking lot off Cataract Hollow Road in Watchung Reservation, halfway between Route 527 and Masker’s Barn. 2 miles out and back to beautiful Surprise Lake at an easy moderate pace with 171 feet elevation gain (one hill). Boots/poles recommended. Bring water. Please note later start time.

Thank you to those who volunteered to set up, serve, and clean up. We could use a few more! Contact Social Committee co-chairs:
Kathe Serbin (973-715-0491, katheserbin@yahoo.com) or

Elise Morrison (201-927-4275, tsrsocialcommittee@gmail.com)

Swap Table: Masker’s Barn is the perfect place to stop ’n’ swap. Bring lightly used hiking attire, books, maps – anything another member could use. Take home any unclaimed items.

Equipment repair/knife sharpening services: From 9:30-12:00, TSR member Phil Ross will provide advice and repair hiking equipment. Bring your microspikes with loose chains, hiking poles that need adjustment, etc. He will also sharpen kitchen and pocket knives, scissors, and small garden tools such as shears. If you are hiking, drop them off in advance with a note (name, phone, description of requested services) and pick them up after the hike.

Directions: Upon turning into Cataract Rd, pass Deserted Village and turn right onto dirt road. At the second grassy field, marked with “TSR Park Here” signs, park head-in (no parking along the road). Masker’s Barn is a short walk to the right, down Cataract Hollow Road.

Limited handicapped parking is available at the barn.

Click here for directions. 2 Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights, 07922.

GPS coordinates: 40.678228, -74.390504

Contacts on the morning of the party:

Kathe Serbin 973-715-0491

Elise Morrison 201-927-4275