2017-05-20 - Freewalkers 2017 Big Walk - Iselin, NJ to Midtown Manhattan

On a crisp May 20th morning at around 6:20 AM, about 26 walkers started with me in the 8th annual Freewalkers 2017 Big Walk. Envisioned largely by Paul Kiczek, this beautiful walk follows the New Jersey Greenway from the Metropark Station in Iselin, NJ to Penn Station in Manhattan. Fewer than an average number of people had come for the walk; in fact, only the bicycle-pushing Nekis and Frank were there when I arrived. Paul was busy and could not join the walk but did come to see us off. We walked a combination of streets and park roads past a car show for the Kenilworth Street Fair and some memorial event.

As we followed the Rahway River, I loved the parks we passed and the people enjoying their day within them, including other walkers, runners, cyclists, and fishermen. We also saw animals including the ever-present Canada Geese. I chatted with some of the other walkers and was glad to learn that Nathan would also join Ian and I on the June 3rd Bridge Walk. Also, it was great that Adrian had found my post about last year's Big Walk and read it in preparation for this one. Ian and I talked about a pedestrian alternative to the Greenway that would encompass more of the nearby trails instead of routing for both walkers and cyclists at the same time. Taking the opportunity to do some prescouting, I ran a small piece of trail and glimpsed a fleeing deer. Although it would slow down the pace, I thought of trying to walk more of the trails the next time I participated in the Big Walk. The most amusing part of the day, however, was perhaps David's metaphor comparing the walkers to the cyclists in a bicycle race. After falling behind a bit during a bathroom break, David turned on the jets to catch up to the breakaway group. "Do you know what happens when the peloton catches up to the breakaway?" he joked. "We go right through them!" We laughed, but that's what we did!

After a dangerous crossing of the Garden State Parkway, we crossed several wonderful wooden bridges that provided reflective views of the greenery that surrounded us. I jogged a bit with Grace who I met on an earlier walk and who presented me my finisher's medal and bottle at the North Face Bear Mountain Endurance Challenge 50K Trail Race the Saturday before. We chatted a few times throughout the day about distance walking, running, and trail races. We picked up a few other walkers at the Cranford Train Station rest stop at mile 11.5. I dearly remember Risa and Patricia warmly greeting each other, seeing each other for the first time since the Big Walk four years ago.

Leaving the rest stop before 10 AM, most of us walked through the train station and around back onto the trail. A few returned to the trail and took the slightly longer path and another few missed the rest stop entirely! The route after Cranford with Nomahegan Park, Lenape Park, and Black Brook Park was absolutely lovely. Other walkers started noticing where I was stopping for photos and started copying me. Haha.

Grace apparently really likes dogs. She stopped to pet an 8-month old big white fluffy one. Along our way, flowers in parks and lawns graced our eyes and I stopped to capture two closeup with my camera.

David was quite amused by the uniformed golfers at the Galloping Hill Golf Course with their orange shirts and red-pink shorts. I myself, was more amused by the various lawn art we passed. At mile 18, we stopped at Boston Market for the official lunch stop. At least an hour ahead of Paul's schedule led by the fleet-footed David, we nonetheless left after a very short break. A few others stayed for a longer break including Charles who finished the walk with me last year and Ian who wanted to sit and eat. Those of us with David moved forward past the Woodruff House, a historic site that used to have a store and serve as a meeting place for news and gossip. I climbed onto a trail alongside the road after we passed a cemetery and David said, "Look at Jack, ever taking the high road." That's right David. Moral high ground here. :)

Weequahic Park at mile 23 was supposed to be a nice van-supported rest stop but having arrived here too soon, David decided to not stop at all. We learned later that the van arrived about 10 minutes after we left and it would have been nice to access the fruits, bagels, and drinks in that van. Ian and a few others with him who left Boston Market 8 minutes after us also missed the van, probably by only a few minutes. The park itself was quite nice though, complete with a foot-massaging running track and white ducks. An older woman asked about us and mentioned that I had beautiful teeth. Well, thanks!

Street walks led us into the Newark area. A left turn on Bigelow Street revealed a Malcolm X mural covered the brick wall of a school. "By any dreams necessary," it read. Ian, Frank, and Nathan caught up to us in this section. Ian joked that he sat down to eat and it was like I did not want to talk to him again. Haha. It had taken them about 6 miles to catch up. We all took the scenic route through Newark and saw the impressive NJIT Eberhardt Hall, a 19th century Gothic Victorian building originally built to house Newark's orphans. We also walked past the Newark Museum and a pedestal of J.F.K. before arriving at Newark Penn Station.

In the station, Grace was thankfully able to call and locate her cell phone at the Starbucks across from Cranford Station. By the time I used the bathroom, ordered food, sat down, and took a bite, David was readying us to leave. It was just past 3 PM and 28 miles in, almost two hours ahead of the rough schedule. Food in hand, we walked towards the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers. Frank and I met a local hiker and cyclist and we encouraged him to check out future Freewalkers walks. I also chatted with a pair of Chinese walkers in our group who were colleagues that worked at Google. They complained of the fast pace, having only completed an 18-mile hike before and imagining a more leisurely shopping pace. I enjoyed making friends with them but thought that perhaps they would have enjoyed a slower pace with whoever was leading a group behind us. Perhaps the Freewalkers could even split into an official fast and main group like we do with the Shorewalkers Bridge Walks. We would climb over two bridges to cross the rivers into Jersey City, with David leading us at 4 mph on the ups.

We reached my home turf, Jersey City, and that rejuvenated my energy. A nice bathroom break, water refill, and leg stretch in Lincoln Park prepared us for the many miles in my city. Originally called West Side Park, it was renamed when the Lincoln the Mystic sculpture was placed at the entrance. We spotted a heron in the pond and countless people playing sports. The working fountain was also a site to behold. I, an ever-lover of stairs, sprinted up the steps to the park entrance and recorded the other walkers coming up, my only video recording of the day.

Turning on my tour guide mode, I led the group through Jersey City, describing several historic sites along the way including the way. Jersey City is a wonderful city in the middle of an explosive construction boom and gentrification. As such, there is an eclectic mix of old historic buildings and new high rises. Fairmount Hotel Apartments near the park was built in 1909 and 1912 and is an example of 20th century hotel and apartment. We also walked past Saint Peter's University and the newly renovated Van Wagenen House where George Washington stayed at and possibly met Marquis de Lafayette. My parents were at Journal Square to see me but I learned that they did not have time to walk with us. After saying goodbye to them, we walked southeast away from Journal Square towards Grove Street.

After passing Journal Squared, the newest apartment building in the city, we saw the oldest building in all of Jersey City. I also pointed out Dickinson High School, stated to be the number one technical high school in the nation in 1910, designed to offer free education to the immigrant populations filling the city. It was nice to see the Harsimus Cemetery that I used to pass on the way to school during my first year or two in the country, and which was a site of skirmishes in 1780 during the Revolutionary War and stored ammunition during the War of 1812. We turned south onto Jersey Avenue and passed Knead where I get wonderful massages from Carrie to speed up recovery after hard endurance events. We glimpsed the Barrow Mansion down one side street and walked past the Ward-Heppenheimer Mansion designed in a Flemish Renaissance style.

We crossed a bridge into Liberty State Park and walked an incredible 6-mile loop blessed with the best clarity and light conditions that I could remember here. Everything across the Hudson River was in such great detail, lit by a setting sun. After walking through Flag Plaza and leading most of the walkers with us through a short nature walk alongside the main road, we turned to walk back along the river. Lots of picture-taking later, we reached the Empty Sky Memorial area where we picked up two other walkers who would finish with us. The name of every person from New Jersey who died in the 9-11 incident were carved into the metal walls pointing towards the original location of the Twin Towers in Manhattan. The other side of the wall had a piece of rumble from the collapse and the hill which is parted by the walls is filled with more of the same debris.

We exited the park and walked alongside the light rail towards Exchange Place. After passing the giant Colgate Clock and Goldman Sachs Building, currently the tallest in the state but soon to be eclipsed by the newer Journal Squared apartment buildings, decided to take the ferry across the river. The sweet restful 5-minute ride of the ferry brought us to the World Financial Center dock where another walker Oscar joined his loved one and us on the 4-mile walk through Manhattan. The sunset painted the sky a blue orange glow providing a canvas for the Jersey City and Hoboken skyline across the water. We walked alongside the same river up the westside of Manhattan towards our finish line. I think everyone was ready to and have the walk finished. I chatted with Ed who had finished the 50-mile Kennedy walk with David in February, and he told me about completing an incredible 80-mile run/walk many years ago with a running team. Ed led most of the walkers away from the Greenway to save a few blocks and play that traffic light game towards Penn Station. Three of us followed the Greenway to 34th Street instead and soon arrived outside the train station maybe two minutes after most of other group left. Regrouping with Nathan, the rest of us walked towards the Penn Path Station to catch our trains home.

Although less than the average number of people started the walk, more than an average number of people finished, in large part due to the great weather. It took Ian and I a total of 15 hours 40 minutes from 6:20 AM to 10:00 PM to finish the 49 miles from Metropark Station to Penn PATH Station. I learned later that Charles and Adrian finished at Penn Train Station about 40 minutes after we left there. Congrats to all the people who finished the Big Walk or a 50-miler, especially for the first time! I had a perfect day and I know many of the others would agree.