July 15, 2012 - Princeton (YRE)

I was told that there is no walk in the New Jersey state capital, Trenton, because it is too dangerous. Therefore, the powers that be declared that the Princeton walk would count as the capital walk for the state of New Jersey.  Good call! Princeton is a lovely town.

We started in Marquand Park and then walked through a charming neighborhood made up of large, stately homes. Next, we visited an old cemetery where both Grover Cleveland and Aaron Burr are buried. We continued on through the small, but appealing, center of the town before arriving at the campus of Princeton University.

Monument to Battle of Princeton, 1777

Lewis School

 
The campus is an iconic Ivy League campus. The majority of the buildings are in the Collegiate Gothic style, each one more spectacular than the last. The campus includes a collection of modern art sculptures, an art gallery, a theater, sports venues, as well as several construction sites.

Prospect House Gardens

 This walk had several options: 5k town/university, 5k battlefield, 10k town/university, 10k town + battlefield, and 15k town/university + battlefield. (I walked the 10k town/university route.)

There was one thing that marred an otherwise fantastic walk. The walk box was supposed to contain a sheet of historical notes, in addition to the route directions and maps. There were no copies of the historical notes, and I was EXTREMELY disappointed by this because Princeton has SO MUCH history. We walked by an awful lot of interesting homes and buildings and had no idea what they were.  This is not the first time I have experienced this type of problem. It is disgraceful that someone will take the last copy, or the next to last copy, or even one of the last five copies and not, at the least, report it to the POC. But really, folks, if there is only one set of notes or directions left, bring it back when you are done with the walk -even if it is a remote start, as this one was. It may be an extra 5 miles for you, but I came 3800 miles from Alaska to do this walk, and I don't appreciate your selfishness and lack of consideration.

A few suggestions for the POC: 1) Check on your box often, especially if it is a state capital walk or another popular walk. 2) Put a permanent copy of each walk document in a plastic sleeve inside the start binder and mark it "Do Not Remove." Maybe someone will take it anyway, but maybe they won't. 3) Don't put historical notes on a separate sheet. Put the information into the walk instructions. 4) Put it on the Internet.  5) Why can't you put out more instructions or notes in the first place? What costs more - 25 (or 50) additional copies, or the gas to drive out and restock the walk box?

Walk Route: A+

Walk Documentation: D