2021-07-26: Ebright Azimuth

In perhaps my most ambitious day-trip yet, I took a Monday to travel south to Delaware and visit several attractions in the state's northern area. The main goal was Ebright Azimuth, the state's highest point, and the only state high point I hadn't yet climbed within driving distance (~5 hrs). To make the trip worth it, I decided I would visit several other natural points of interest in the greater Wilmington area.

The drive down to Delaware was uneventful for the most part. The weather was clear, directions were simple, and the traffic on the infamous New Jersey Turnpike wasn't even too terrible. It was still morning when I arrived at the high point marker. While a USGS survey marker and plaque seem to denote Ebright Azimuth, the actual state high point is located in a nearby trailer park. Like other highpointers, I took some time to walk around the trailer park to be sure I reached my ninth state high point.

A view of the plaque at the benchmark. Note that it describes Delaware's high point as "in the vicinity", not exactly at the marker.

A little bench and tiny park-like area surround the marker. There's no parking on Ebright Street; I had to park down the road and walk up to the marker.

A tree sporting these large bunches of tiny white flowers grows beside the marker.

At the edge of the trailer park is an old fire tower, converted into a communications tower like the ones on Killington Peak. I didn't take any photos from the slightly higher ground inside the trailer park out of respect for the residents' privacy.

I had some difficulty finding the USGS survey marker as other highpointers had described it as 'on a street corner', when it's actually located some distance from the corner.

Looking down the road from the high point, the Azimuth's elevation is evident, but the view isn't as nice as even that from the similarly small Jerimoth Hill.

From the Azimuth, I headed west. The city of Wilmington is located at the northern edge of Delaware, and Ebright is located north of the city. The state's northernmost point is located not far away, in some woods and just to the south of a rural road that runs north of the First State National Historical Park. While some trails head through the vicinity of the highest point, the spot itself was a short bushwhack off the main road.

Looking east through the hilly forest from the north point of Delaware. Delaware is to the right of the picture; Pennsylvania is to the left.

This large rock, protruding from an odd angle from a notable mound of dirt, marks the actual northernmost point in the state.

A large downed tree to the west, seen from atop the mound.

Smith's Bridge over the Brandywine Creek is one of numerous covered bridges in the area.

From here, I headed south to Brandywine Creek State Park. This large state park is home to many miles of hiking trails, along with some of the most prominent inclines and hills in Delaware, a state normally known as rather flat. Much to my disappointment, the hike I took here was frustrating. I had no map, and my phone wasn't working, so I ended up hiking much farther than I had planned for (I hadn't brought water or food with me). The sunny weather and 90-degree temperatures dehydrated me quickly, and loads of bugs followed me everywhere. I'm sure that with more preparation, or perhaps on a cooler day, the park would have been much more enjoyable.

A shot of what is quite possibly the steepest formal hiking trail in Delaware, a short scramble reminiscent of those in the Catskills.

Old concrete ruins belie the young age of the park, much of which is grown through areas that were once farms and houses.

While rare back in New York, the tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is very common in this area, with dozens of massive trees filling the park.

This pigeon blocked my path, running ahead of me and cooing every time I tried to move forward for a few minutes.

My final stop was a half-hour to the southwest in White Clay Creek State Park. The trip there was somewhat stressful as my phone wasn't working and I hadn't written down directions, but eventually I found my way. Here I had two stops along one trail. The first, the Arc Corner, is the spot where the 'arc' that forms Delaware's northern border begins. A few miles to west, along a hiking trail, is the tripoint where Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania meet. This hike was far more relaxing and enjoyable than the previous one (and less buggy).

Wild woodland sunflowers (Helianthus divaricatus) grows along the trail to the Arc Corner.

The concrete obelisk that marks the Arc Corner. While many states have interesting or unique border features, Delaware is the first one I've been to that marks them so prominently.

This engraving atop the obelisk denotes the exact point at which the border with Pennsylvania changes from a circular arc to a (short) straight line.

The eastern white swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is the state butterfly of Delaware, so it seemed appropriate to run into one on this trip.

A fallen tuliptree leaf, with its distinct flower-like shape, just starting to yellow after falling to the ground.

Footbridges along the trail to the tri-point, seen here on the PA side of the border, were all numbered, presumably in some sort of order. This is bridge number twelve.

The tripoint marker from the Pennsylvania side. Posted signs warned against going too far into the DE or MD sides.

USGS marker embedded in the top of the tripoint monument.

Some cliffs along a small stream on the Maryland side of the border. This is the only picture to date I've taken inside the state of Maryland.

The hollow shell of a molted cicada still clung to the side of a tuliptree on my return.

Heading home from Delaware was fun as well, with relatively little traffic for the first portion and a feeling of gladness from the day's exploits. For a trip that wasn't really centered around 'hiking', I ended up walking over eight miles. Even the time stuck in traffic below the George Washington Bridge on my way back gave me a moment of peace as I watched the Manhattan skyline at sunset. Reinforcing my love for both travel and highpointing, this trip is hopefully not the last for this summer.