Lehigh County Highpoint Trip Report
two areas on Blue Mtn (1,660+ ft and 1,674 ft)
Date: September 6, 2005
Author: Fred Lobdell
eastern area 1.5 miles northeast of Lehigh Furnace Gap
Directions in previous reports are still good but need to be modified.
PA 143 no longer exists east of PA 309;
it ends where it comes into 309 from the west. The turn to the east
toward Lehigh Furnace is now just called Mountain Road. After going several
miles on Mountain Road and reaching the collection of houses that is the hamlet
of Lehigh Furnace, you may turn left (north) on any of three roads: Reservoir
Road, Furnace Road, or Ashfield Road. Keep heading uphill until you get to the
gap, where there is room to park several cars near an electrical substation.
This is a nice hike on the Appalachian Trail. I followed Mike's directions but
bypassed his "large boulder field" as I didn't think it was large enough to fit
that description. After hiking for about a mile and a half I decided that I
ought to bushwhack to my right to the ridge and came out right at the highest
boulder. As we used to say at the poker table when I was in the Army, "Luck
beats skill any time." The large flat rock actually had "TOP" painted on it in
the same paint used for the blue blazes of the scenic bypass trail. I thought a
nearby rock, a short distance east, might be slightly higher.
second area
Follow previous reports. When you get to the barn
mentioned in previous reports, paved Dresher Road goes left and dirt, blue-blazed
Old Dresher Road goes right. I am pleased to report that the chain and
postings noted by Ron Tagliapietra have been removed and the blue blazes have
been renewed this year. I was able to drive up the dirt road a quarter mile or
so and found a good pullout to park in. I could have driven another couple of
hundred yards to a 4-way intersection but beyond that it would have required a
better driver than me in a better car than mine.
I hiked up the blue-blazed Old Dresher Road to its intersection with the white-
blazed Appalachian Trail, which I found to be well-marked. I followed the AT,
which is accurately shown on the topo, to where I thought I should bushwhack to
the summit ridge. This required a Class 3 ascent for the last 10 to 15 vertical feet.
I did not find Mike's derelict cabin and I'm not entirely sure he and I
went to the same point. I stood on all the highest rocks in the section of
ridge visible to me but I'd like to re-visit this one with a GPS unit.
Some may think it is only necessary to visit the 1,674-foot spot elevation but
the eastern area is marked by a number of rocky piles and may well be higher
than the spot elevation. In my opinion, it is necessary to visit both areas in
order to claim Lehigh County.