First in a series of caches placed in the southern section of this signature county park. Ironically, I only discovered this area in the past few weeks in spite of hiking the other trails in this park for 20 years. Most locals leave the parking lot and head west up Sourland Mountain and the well-marked trails that bring you to the top. For some reason I missed the trails that bring you to Roaring Brook in about a mile. What a shame! This area has peace and quiet, less traffic than the mountain trails, and a spectacular array of stone and wooden foot bridges to carry you through the lowlands with their little tributaries. Eventually you'll come to the remnants of an ancient dam and a stone foundation. Near the park perimeter you'll find one nice cache provided by Jan and the Man, but nothing before that--until now. I placed three today, evenly separated and expect to hide at least three more to coax folks into this underappreciated nature zone. The caches ascend in difficulty level as you continue.
The first cache occurs shortly after entering the woods from the gas pipeline right-of-way, near the first of the magnificent foot bridges. On the way, you'll notice a brightly-colored abandoned car to the east, begging to be explored. There are, unfortunately, thorns to contend with, but at least it's close to the trail. You shouldn't have too much trouble with number one. A carabiner goes to the FTF. .
Enjoy and God bless!