By Frank Johnston, March 15, 2017 — Stumbling upon a place to park alongside the road, I found myself reading a sign with the intriguing heading, “Elephant Swamp Trail.” Had I died and been transported to India or Africa? It was not full grown African elephant size in that in the southern direction the green trees and vines from each side met overhead down the middle of the trail. It was a perfect, early summer day, so I unloaded my own elephant, a Yamaha dirt bike manufactured in 1974—a powerful two stroke which bellowed like an elephant, and it could go anywhere!
The trail was deserted, so I roared off northward. The surface was firm gravel with whoop-de-doos in the softer sections which I could use to become airborne on full throttle. The trail was perfectly straight, suggesting its origins as a railroad. After a few miles the trail became overgrown and a westerly side trail led me to a sports ground. As my wild bike was built for enduro competition, I was able to follow the trail to its disappearance on highly paved side roads.
As I had been able to keep a good pace, I had time to return to the parking spot and explore the south extent of the trail, always keeping a good lookout for elephants coming out of the swamp. Although it was crossed by a few paved roads, there were no indications of signs or intersections, so encountering elephant size cars and trucks was always a possibility! After passing a large fire station building, I stopped to read a fading sign which credited a scout troop with reclaiming the Elephant Swamp Trail. A swampy section was very beautiful and led to open plains followed by side tracks of challenging riding. But alas, all good things must come to an end—a large log across the trail. Exploring side tracks which bypassed the log, I was able to proceed.
The end of this trail was a large sports ground with its entrance and exit leading to a paved road I recognized as being the delightful hamlet in South Jersey called Elmer. I looked around for elephant corrals or even those large piles that elephants leave behind, but it was in vain. In fact, there was not even a sign proclaiming the most rewarding off road trail I had ever stumbled upon. But wait, was that an elephant trumpeting I could hear emerging from the swamp or just an Elmer Marching Band member practicing?