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First aidJohn Tom Hill LbNA #1262

Owner:Connfederate
Plant date:Oct 25, 2002
Location:
City:East Glastonbury
County:Hartford
State:Connecticut
Boxes:1
Planted by:The Bird Stamper
Found by: Connfederate
Last found:Jul 2, 2022
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFOFFFFaFO
Last edited:Jul 3, 2022
John Tom Hill **RETIRED 2.July 2022

Location: Shenipsit Trail, East Glastonbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut

Letterboxes: 1

Placed: 10/25/2002 by John and Jen of Hebron
Adopted: 8/18/2003 by the Bird Stamper
Replacement stamp: 10/15/2003 by RTRW (thanks)

Time: 45 minutes.
Length: 1.5 miles.
Difficulty: Moderate ups and downs, it is hilly. The box and the rock on it are flat on the ground. In the winter they may be frozen in, and not visible if there is a snow cover.

Features: Awesome view or two if you have a map of the Shenipsit trail. See the Connecticut Walk Book published by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.

Directions:
From route 2 take exit 8 for route 94. From route 2 east, take a left. From route 2 west, take a right and then another right. This puts you onto route 94 east, Hebron Ave.

Continue on route 94 crossing route 83. Continue on route 94 east 2.9 miles from route 83, and turn left onto Birch Mountain Rd.

Once on Birch Mountain Road drive 0.8 mile, passing under a set of power lines. On the left you will see several large white boulders. Turn around and park in front of them. Note, on the right side of the road is a trailhead entrance to Gay City State Park.

Clues:
Enter the trail on the left side of the road (the side you parked on) between the white boulders, following the blue blazes. Go up the stone steps, cross a gravel road, and enter the woods. After a short distance you’ll come to an intersection with the blue-white trail. This is a side trail off of the Shenipsit trail. Go right, north.

Continue on the trail and walk over rock outcroppings as you descend. You’ll bottom out in a cool little valley. After passing a three sister Oak tree on the left, you will pass a huge Oak on the left with spreading branches. This is a Wolf Tree. The farmer who cleared the land left this tree to shade his livestock. Because sunlight was all around the tree, it could grow branches in all directions and provide shade.

The trail will take a turn to the right and ascend. Then it cuts left up a rock outcrop. Keep on truckin’ on a modest overgrown ridge line and you will come to the vista. You can see Hartford and the mountains beyond.

Relax and enjoy.

Continue past the vista for a short distance and you’ll come to a small outcropping of rock where the trail cuts through. There will be a tree in the dead center of the trail just before you descend, and it is marked with the blue-white blaze. Walk up to the tree and stand about a foot away facing it. Look about 90 degrees to your left. Take 7 steps off to the side of the trail on top of the outcropping. You’ll find a large flat rock. Lift the rock and score the box.

When you rehide the box, please be sure to put the flat side of the rock down on the box, not the pointy side.

Turn back and head home, or if you had the Connecticut Walk Book you could make a loop and see another vista and ultimately arrive back at the original starting point. You will find it under the Shenipsit trail section. Do not attempt it without the book as there are several intersecting trails that run through here.