The Paterson Rambling Club was founded in 1904. The group's first hike was to the summit of High Mountain -- after they had taken a trolley to Haledon.  Joseph Rydings, the group’s leader, wrote many essays about the group's hikes over the years, and “certain choice annals” were collected in his book Country Walks in Many Fields in 1934.

Here is Rydings’ essay about High Mountain, prefaced by a note from the book's Introduction.

I did a hike to the summit of High Mountain yesterday with a friend -- and saw a 20-foot-high solar-powered star near the top. I am told there used to be a huge star on the summit years ago.

Not sure who did it, or how long it will remain. If you can tell me more about it, would love to know.

The view was as great as ever.

P.S. Someone took it upon themselves to cut down some scraggly trees that blocked the view to the east on Nature Conservancy land.

A good idea, but hope they got permission. It ain't the Wild West.

Fellow Celery Farm volunteer Bruce Davis hiked a bit of High Mountain on Monday, enjoying the last gasps of fall foliage on a beautiful autumn day.

A surprising amount of water, too.

We parked in the Red Trail Parking Lot and hiked the Red Trail to the White Trail -- a new way for us.

We did not see or hear any Wild Turduckens, but they are typically found closer to the summit.

You can read more about High Mountain here.

You can read an article about High Mountain that I wrote for Autumn Years here.

I have hiked to the summit of High Mountain three times in the past six days in conjunction with a new Nature Conservancy promotion. 

This is a great time of year for the hike -- saw my first NJ butterfly of the spring and quite a few birds there last Thursday, and heard Spring Peepers all three trips. Lots of neat mushrooms, rocks and other stuff along the way

The 1.5-mile hike to the summit is strenuous. It took me 30 minutes to reach the top, and I was walking briskly with no stops.  I would bring water and a snack, too. It's a great workout.

You begin at the start of the Red Trail at the Red Trail Parking Lot (below left) at William Paterson University and hike to Marry Me rock at the summit (below right).

That's Manhattan way in the distance. The views from the summit are great.