Dee's Dix LbNA #20486
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Add Location| Owner: | N/A |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Feb 6, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Leominster |
| County: | Worcester |
| State: | Massachusetts |
| Boxes: | 10 |
| Planted by: | Ginger Blue
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|---|---|
| Found by: | Nairon (5) |
| Last found: | May 18, 2017 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Feb 6, 2006 |
Dee’s Dix (a series of 10 boxes)
This series is dedicated to my dear friend and letterboxing mentor, Deanne, The Lazy Letterboxer. Her joie de vivre is evident in the myriad activities she enjoys. And so, this series illustrates 10 of these, not in any order of preference. Thanks, Dee, for spreading your joy.
Planted 2/6/06 by Ginger Blue
Location: Leominster, Ma
Length of hike: about 2 hours plus stamping time
Terrain: hilly
Getting There: From Monument Square in the center of Leominster, head N-NW on West St. for a ½ mile. Take a left on Exchange St. In 8/10 of a mile at the junction of Constitution Dr., make a U-turn and park on the side of the street. Exchange St. is gated by the Water Department past this point. If the gate is open do not drive through.
Clues:
Un – Walk around the gate (ignore the no trespassing signs posted by the Leominster Water Dept.) heading south up the paved road. Pass the green Water Department building on your left. The pavement becomes a dirt path and you will pass a small reservoir on your left and homes on your right. At the West end of the reservoir, a row of trees stands in line with the reservoir’s stone retaining wall. Standing in the path along this imaginary line, turn your back to the row of trees. Take a bearing of 40 degrees and walk 18 paces off trail to a 2-trunked tree. On the far side of this tree, there is a hollow at its base. There you will find Un. (Only Dix, the last letterbox, will have a logbook for you to stamp into – the rest of the letterboxes have only stamps.)
Deux – Continue on the trail which shortly bends to the right. Here take the unmarked trail to the left. You may need to ford a small stream here. Continue along this trail. Soon a brook will cross underneath the trail and flow in the opposite direction to yours on your left. You will come to a smaller runoff stream cascading down to the trail from your right. Next to this stream is a large boulder nestled with the base of a large leaning tree. A rock on the NW side of this tree protects Deux with two smaller stones hiding it.
Trois – Continuing along this unmarked trail you will come to a trail that forks off to the left. Stay straight. You will eventually pass a rusted-out car and cross a stream. The trail may be quite wet further on, depending on the season. When you approach an opening in a stone wall that crosses the trail, turn left before passing through the opening. Walk 7 paces along the wall to a tree. Just past the tree, at the base of the stone wall hides Trois.
Quatre – Next the trail will gradually climb uphill. Continue past a stone wall on your right and then reach a trail junction. Take the trail North going up a steep, stony path filled with dead branch debris. The trail soon levels off and then heads moderately uphill again. Faded yellow and blue dots sporadically mark the trail. When you pass a three-trunked tree that has fallen and been cut to clear the trail, turn right to a pile of quarried rocks. Under the south corner of the first large rock lies Quatre.
Cinq – After nabbing Quartre, you will immediately see freshly marked yellow dots on a trail that heads N and the trail that heads N-NE. Take a tall drink of water and trek on up the N or left hand trail. This is a steep climb that may take 10-15 minutes (more or less, depending on your condition). Near the summit you will reach the junction of the Monoosnoc Trail marked by blue dots. (The Lazy Letterboxer’s first four Native Sons letterboxes are planted along this 7 mile trail.) Take a right and a quick left following yellow dots. You’ll soon pass a rock dedicated to Robert Axel Anderson and a few log benches on your right. Continue along this trail until you reach a decaying tree trunk, felled and cut on the left-hand side of the trail. Look underneath the first cut section from the stump for Cinq.
Six – Continue along this trail which loops around the summit. Soon you will reach an overlook facing West. The trail then bends sharply to the left and descends. When you reach the junction of the blue dot trail, take a left. After heading uphill again for a bit, notice a dead tree standing about 7 paces off the trail to the left. From here the trail levels off. Continue and start counting blue dots. Three paces before a small tree with the 5th blue dot is another tree with a hollow in its base, both on the left side of the trail. There you will find Six.
Sept – After finding Six, continue on to the junction of the yellow dot trail. You have just completed a loop. Continue straight past the summit trail on your left and head North. Follow this level stretch of trail along an old cart road dotted with flat granite bedrock. This section is marked with blue and yellow dots. Eventually the trail will start to descend down a rocky path. Just before the trail starts to level again, the yellow dot trail goes right. Take this right and immediately on your left notice the remnants of an old stone wall. Ten paces from the trail junction a dead, barkless tree, has tilted and broken to form an inverted V over the stone wall. Another fallen tree lies horizontally along the wall. Look under this tree directly below the angle of the V for Sept. Rehide and cover both sides well as this space can be seen from either side.
Huit – Now head down the yellow dot trail and watch carefully for a junction where it takes a right-hand turn. Take this right following the yellow dots. Eventually the trail descends through a grove of beech trees. You will come to a large unfortunate beech tree on the right-hand side of the trail carved with names and dates. On the left hand side of the trail are two large boulders. In a hollow under the NE corner of the furthest (2nd) boulder is Huit.
Neuf – Continue along the trail as it moderately descends past a boulder-strewn hill to your right. Once again the trail levels off and you will notice a brook flowing to your left. Pass a stand of small hemlocks off to your left, then a stand of mountain laurel close to the trail on your right. Cross a run-off stream and count 15 paces more to a stone wall. Turn left and walk 6 paces along the south side of the wall to a flat stone about 2-1/2’ long and 6” thick. Beneath this stone hides Neuf.
Dix – Continue along the trail. When the yellow dots follow a trail to the right, you must continue straight heading S-SE. This trail is unmarked. You will pass another unmarked trail on your right as the trail you’re on bends to the East. Continue to where a stone wall on your right runs perpendicular to the trail. Just past the stone wall is a large fallen stump of a tree. Look on the East side of the stump for Dix.
Continue on straight back to your car. Hope you had fun with Dee’s Dix.
This series is dedicated to my dear friend and letterboxing mentor, Deanne, The Lazy Letterboxer. Her joie de vivre is evident in the myriad activities she enjoys. And so, this series illustrates 10 of these, not in any order of preference. Thanks, Dee, for spreading your joy.
Planted 2/6/06 by Ginger Blue
Location: Leominster, Ma
Length of hike: about 2 hours plus stamping time
Terrain: hilly
Getting There: From Monument Square in the center of Leominster, head N-NW on West St. for a ½ mile. Take a left on Exchange St. In 8/10 of a mile at the junction of Constitution Dr., make a U-turn and park on the side of the street. Exchange St. is gated by the Water Department past this point. If the gate is open do not drive through.
Clues:
Un – Walk around the gate (ignore the no trespassing signs posted by the Leominster Water Dept.) heading south up the paved road. Pass the green Water Department building on your left. The pavement becomes a dirt path and you will pass a small reservoir on your left and homes on your right. At the West end of the reservoir, a row of trees stands in line with the reservoir’s stone retaining wall. Standing in the path along this imaginary line, turn your back to the row of trees. Take a bearing of 40 degrees and walk 18 paces off trail to a 2-trunked tree. On the far side of this tree, there is a hollow at its base. There you will find Un. (Only Dix, the last letterbox, will have a logbook for you to stamp into – the rest of the letterboxes have only stamps.)
Deux – Continue on the trail which shortly bends to the right. Here take the unmarked trail to the left. You may need to ford a small stream here. Continue along this trail. Soon a brook will cross underneath the trail and flow in the opposite direction to yours on your left. You will come to a smaller runoff stream cascading down to the trail from your right. Next to this stream is a large boulder nestled with the base of a large leaning tree. A rock on the NW side of this tree protects Deux with two smaller stones hiding it.
Trois – Continuing along this unmarked trail you will come to a trail that forks off to the left. Stay straight. You will eventually pass a rusted-out car and cross a stream. The trail may be quite wet further on, depending on the season. When you approach an opening in a stone wall that crosses the trail, turn left before passing through the opening. Walk 7 paces along the wall to a tree. Just past the tree, at the base of the stone wall hides Trois.
Quatre – Next the trail will gradually climb uphill. Continue past a stone wall on your right and then reach a trail junction. Take the trail North going up a steep, stony path filled with dead branch debris. The trail soon levels off and then heads moderately uphill again. Faded yellow and blue dots sporadically mark the trail. When you pass a three-trunked tree that has fallen and been cut to clear the trail, turn right to a pile of quarried rocks. Under the south corner of the first large rock lies Quatre.
Cinq – After nabbing Quartre, you will immediately see freshly marked yellow dots on a trail that heads N and the trail that heads N-NE. Take a tall drink of water and trek on up the N or left hand trail. This is a steep climb that may take 10-15 minutes (more or less, depending on your condition). Near the summit you will reach the junction of the Monoosnoc Trail marked by blue dots. (The Lazy Letterboxer’s first four Native Sons letterboxes are planted along this 7 mile trail.) Take a right and a quick left following yellow dots. You’ll soon pass a rock dedicated to Robert Axel Anderson and a few log benches on your right. Continue along this trail until you reach a decaying tree trunk, felled and cut on the left-hand side of the trail. Look underneath the first cut section from the stump for Cinq.
Six – Continue along this trail which loops around the summit. Soon you will reach an overlook facing West. The trail then bends sharply to the left and descends. When you reach the junction of the blue dot trail, take a left. After heading uphill again for a bit, notice a dead tree standing about 7 paces off the trail to the left. From here the trail levels off. Continue and start counting blue dots. Three paces before a small tree with the 5th blue dot is another tree with a hollow in its base, both on the left side of the trail. There you will find Six.
Sept – After finding Six, continue on to the junction of the yellow dot trail. You have just completed a loop. Continue straight past the summit trail on your left and head North. Follow this level stretch of trail along an old cart road dotted with flat granite bedrock. This section is marked with blue and yellow dots. Eventually the trail will start to descend down a rocky path. Just before the trail starts to level again, the yellow dot trail goes right. Take this right and immediately on your left notice the remnants of an old stone wall. Ten paces from the trail junction a dead, barkless tree, has tilted and broken to form an inverted V over the stone wall. Another fallen tree lies horizontally along the wall. Look under this tree directly below the angle of the V for Sept. Rehide and cover both sides well as this space can be seen from either side.
Huit – Now head down the yellow dot trail and watch carefully for a junction where it takes a right-hand turn. Take this right following the yellow dots. Eventually the trail descends through a grove of beech trees. You will come to a large unfortunate beech tree on the right-hand side of the trail carved with names and dates. On the left hand side of the trail are two large boulders. In a hollow under the NE corner of the furthest (2nd) boulder is Huit.
Neuf – Continue along the trail as it moderately descends past a boulder-strewn hill to your right. Once again the trail levels off and you will notice a brook flowing to your left. Pass a stand of small hemlocks off to your left, then a stand of mountain laurel close to the trail on your right. Cross a run-off stream and count 15 paces more to a stone wall. Turn left and walk 6 paces along the south side of the wall to a flat stone about 2-1/2’ long and 6” thick. Beneath this stone hides Neuf.
Dix – Continue along the trail. When the yellow dots follow a trail to the right, you must continue straight heading S-SE. This trail is unmarked. You will pass another unmarked trail on your right as the trail you’re on bends to the East. Continue to where a stone wall on your right runs perpendicular to the trail. Just past the stone wall is a large fallen stump of a tree. Look on the East side of the stump for Dix.
Continue on straight back to your car. Hope you had fun with Dee’s Dix.