Crowell Hilaka Letterboxes Kirby’s Birthday, 2015
Please be sure to reseal baggies and boxes carefully so that they stay dry and rehide boxes in their original location, completely hidden from view.
Woodland Garden. ( easy ) From Gund Hall follow the road northwest past the beautiful brick Amity house. Just beyond Amity’s lawn, as the woods begin to close in , there is a grassy path on the left hand side marked bya sign that says “Spiff’s Garden”. Leave the road, follow the path down a little hill to a shady glade. From Lisa’s rock in the glade, you can see the location of the letterbox in a half-stumped spruce, downslope, just beyond a line of boulders.
Geometry ( easy ) In North House yard: outside the circle / inside the square
Northern White Cedar Grove ( easy ) Take the road to the right of North House, cross the bridge, and find the sign for Pine Lake Trail on your left. Follow this trail. There is wire fencing around two of the beech trees to protect them from beavers. On the left, past the second fence, if a beech tree amid tall cedars ( also known as Arbor Vitae or “Tree of Life “) . This tree protects the letterbox. It is also marks the current end of Pine Lake Trail which has become damaged over recent years due to changing lake levels.
Sandy Creek Bend ( medium) From Gund Hall, take the main road south to the Gas Cut meadow. Turn right into the Gas Cut, following the right-hand edge of the forest down a gentle slope. Enter the forest at Deer Leap Trail, taking care to step over the water line. Proceed slowly into the valley, enjoying the landscape shaped by running water. Just before Sandy Creek crosses your path, look for owls on a young beech tree. Turn to your right. Walk 45 steps ( more or less) off the path, following Sandy Creek. Look to your right, to a tree with a bumped out base.
Kirby’s Lane ( pretty easy if you have a compass, slightly more challenging if not) From Gund Hall, take the main road south for about a mile. You will pass the pool, Mabel Smith Shelter, several aging tent platforms, a short steep hill alongside Kirby’s private dance hall, and cross the bridge in front of the hall. Follow the road along the lakeshore, pass Cricket’s Corner and take the bend around Kirby House. On the far side of Kirby House, stand in front of the chimney, find the first three numbers of the year in the stones, and add 40. Take that number as your compass bearing. Proceed downslope in this direction until crossing the bridge. The letterbox is at the first spruce on the left past the bridge.
Far from the Maddening Crowd ( hard )
From the abode of Twins,
Proceed to the occidental ridge above the great basin.
Along the brushline,
On the right hand side,
To the rock whose eye leaks a single white tear.
Thirty feet behind this rock,
The box is nestled
Beside a mossy log