Pyramid Mountain Hosts Pair of Family-Friendly Hikes This Weekend

The Pyramid Mountain natural historical area is set to host two family-friendly hikes this weekend, July 24 and 25.

The first hike, on Saturday, is the Bob Busha memorial hike, an event to commemorate the long-time volunteer and trail maintainer at Pyramid Mountain.

"The hike is essentially for people who knew Bob," said Joan Maccari, one of Pyramid Mountain's naturalists. "It gives an opportunity for people who knew him but might not know one another to come together and share memories."

Busha was a former supervisor of Morris County trails and a Hoeferlin award winner before stepping down in 2003. According to Maccari, he continued to volunteer with the parks after relinquishing his position.  He helped maintain the trails both as crew boss for trail upkeep and as a volunteer, as well as keeping the visitor center open at times when the staff was out with groups.

"He knew the trails like the back of his hand," she said. "He could answer anyone's question. He was like family. He's dearly missed."

Busha passed away in January. The hike is meant to coincide with his birthday, which is this coming Monday, July 26. 

"It's close to his birthday, so we thought it would be a good day to invite people for a short hike, maybe come back to the visitor center afterwards and share stories."

On Sunday, July 25, the park is hosting a hike around Turkey Mountain. According to a release from the park, the hike will take about two hours to complete and will focus on some of the lesser-known trails on the Turkey Mountain side of the park.

Both the memorial hike and the trot around Turkey Mountain are aimed at people aged 7 and up. Both events are free, but require registration at http://www.morrisparks.net.

Both hikes are categorized as "moderate," and are aimed at families and children. The Bob Busha memorial hike and the Turkey Mountain hike both begin at 10 a.m. at the Pyramid Mountain natural historical area at 472A Boonton Avenue.

For more information, call 973-334-3130 or visit http://www.morrisparks.net.