Hike and Sip #4: High Point, Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail & Angry Erik Brewing

High Point Monument at dawn

​Yet another dawn hike, friends! For this hike, we decided to start at the AT trailhead just off of Rt. 519 (Greenville Rd) with our headlamps and work our way up and along the eastern side of the ridge with the goal of reaching the High Point Monument (the highest point in NJ, 1803 feet above sea level) by sunrise. It was about 1.7 miles to the “T” in the trail where we had the option of heading left and south on the AT to the AT platform, or heading right and north picking up part of the Monument Trail.  We timed our hike to go to the right and towards the monument, hiking an additional 0.2 miles more to catch the rising sun at the monument, and then made our way back to the AT lookout platform after that. It was a chilly fall hike -- at the summit and the wind had a bit “bite” to it -- we both had gloves and ear coverings for this one! It was worth the effort. The sun crested just over the rocky ridge line and lit up sky, casting blues and purples on the monument and a pink and orange glow on the autumn foliage.

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​We carried on to the AT lookout to get more distant views of the impressive monument.  The 220-foot stone obelisk was completed in 1930 to honor war veterans.  As a native of Northern Virginia and a frequent visitor to the iconic Washington Monument, this NJ landmark felt very familiar and evoked memories of where I grew up.  We had fun with our little crystal ball for some interesting landscape shots.

We continued on the Monument Trail visiting Lake Marcia where we enjoyed the reflection of the golden trees on the water and then explored the Cedar Swamp loop before carrying north across the NJ/NY border and then cutting east back down the ridge (through private lands) which dropped us on Old Mountain Rd. We took the road (Rt. 55) back across the border (turns into Rt. 519) back to the car. The loop was about 7.5 miles.

Our plans were to grab sandwiches and have lunch at Angry Erik Brewing but it was only 11am when we finished our morning climb and the brewery didn’t open until 1pm. So, to pass the time, we parked at the brewery, which sits just off the Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail and decided to add a "part two" to our hike. This is a flat wooded trail (that is perfect for biking, btw) and you can easily park at the brewery and jump right onto the trail.  Most of the 27-mile trail heads west and south from parking lot.  We decided to walk east instead, crossing Rt. 206 and Rt. 94 following the trail towards Warbasse Junction.  We took a right turn before the junction at a short spur of road that dead ends and where a foot trail begins that follows the Paulins Kill on the left and skirsts a beautiful marsh and marshland to the right.  During our walk we saw all sorts of birds including a large blue heron and a group of white swans. The plant life was also really unique -- 6 foot tall cat’s tails, interesting shrubs with brightly colored berries, and reeds with dramatic dried seed pods. We walked out on a thin spit of marshland and enjoyed the magical quiet.

The out and back from the brewery parking lot to the marsh was about 6 miles so, in the end, we had put in 13 solid miles of hiking.  It was fun to combine both a rocky forest climb as well as a flat marshy stroll all before 1pm.  Now it was time for lunch and beers!  We drove about 3 minutes up Rt. 206 to Rt, 15 and stopped to grab sandwiches at Fat Stevo’s Cheesesteaks.  These sandwiches were INSANE.  Easily 2 lbs or more, the "Fat Stevo" namesake was a cheesesteak with peppers, onions, mushrooms, chicken fingers(!) and thick cut French fries.  The Fat Mac had pulled BBQ pork, mac and cheese, more cheese(!), bacon, and those thick cut fries.  These monsters are not for the faint of heart, but we had worked up an appetite.

Sandwiches in hand, we made a quick drive back to Angry Erik Brewing, a craft brewery founded in 2014 by a husband and wife team. We grabbed a table in their outdoor beer garden. We tried several of the beers.  Top on our tasted list was the X’s and Ales – a Belgian style ale with a gorgeous reddish-bronze color.  Some Belgian styles can feel heavy, given the alcohol content.  This ale was really refreshing, lightly carbonated, nice balance of nutty malty sweetness but not too sweet.  I checked the latest beer menu online today and it looks like the X’s and Ales has sold through - it is not listed on the menu, but we also enjoyed the Two Shoe Brew, a Copper Ale which is still listed.  The small batch offerings change often and you can't go wrong with any of the beers - just pick your favorite style and give one a try.   If you are a hop head,  Angry Erik always has a wide selection of interesting IPAs.  Most of Angry Erik’s beers are available to go in can, or you can fill a growler, as we normally do on our way out of any of the breweries we visit.  Angry Erik has terrific beer garden hours as well – the outdoor (and limited indoor) seating is open on Thursday and Friday late afternoon/evenings in addition to traditional  weekend hours. Cheers!