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Contemplative Trail LbNA #13227 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jan 1, 2006
Location:
City:Colorado Springs
County:El Paso
State:Colorado
Boxes:1
Planted by:Ann
Found by: claudey
Last found:Jun 26, 2010
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFaFFr
Last edited:Jan 1, 2006
CONTEMPLATIVE TRAIL - Letterbox

Information
It’s about a 30 minute walk to the Letterbox. You may take your children and dog who is attached by a leash. The walking is easy and the views are spectacular. Please be very quiet in case someone is meditating or napping along this trail.

Driving Directions:
Head west of I-25 on Highway 24 toward the mountains.
Cross 31st Street, get in the left lane, and turn at the first left which is High Street (opposite Ridge Road)
Ahead of you will be the green gate to Red Rock Canyon Park, open dawn to dusk.

Park and walk to the east end of the lot to see the aerial view map of the whole Park.

Letterbox Directions/Clues:
From the parking lot walk in a westerly direction along the drainage ditch and toward the future picnic area. Walk on the dirt road until you see the Sand Canyon Trail which is on your left. Take this trail. Just after going under a quintuple power line, take the right side path, "Contemplative Trail" which heads south. Follow this trail. Be sure to look to your left and see some very old graffiti covered by lichen and a short length of chain. On your right you'll see a round "eye.". The lower layer of rockface on the left reminds you of a Mesa Verde silhouette.

This is a good place to look back north to see the Garden of the Gods rock formation, a continuation of the uplift you’re standing in.

Pass thru a stand of young pines and between two 40’ ones. Rest on the new bench beside the right pine , looking West, and notice a Spy Hole in the big rock to your right
Go up a series of stone steps and continue up the hill. Please stay on the new trail which walks over a "whale" rock. Proceed south and though a narrow channel, called the "birth canal" by the locals. Climb up five steps and curve to the left and down a series of five more timbered steps. Go down the hill and more timbered steps. Stay on the main trail which continues to the south. Do not walk up to the main trail or down to the canyon. Now climb a steep uphill, still going southerly. Look for the rock work trail reinforcement.
At the top of the steep trail look left at the single eye high up in the massive rock formation. You are near the letter box. Stop and look behind you at a trail that goes back down the trail(north)to another bench. Walk in front of the bench and along a faint trail that goes up along the west side of the "eye" formation. Continue north between the tall "eye" formation and the shorter, lichen covered, walrus rock. Go down then up to the second curved fin on your left.

Find our letter box inside the curve of the second "fin." The letterbox is elevated by small rocks and concealed by a large flat rock covered with some natural vegitation. Congratulations! Move the brush and the rock but please wait to look at the box until no casual viewers are present. After leaving your message and stamping our book, kindly re-cover the box with the stone and branches.

Pause to find the summit of Pikes Peak and Section 16. Continue on the path to the end of the contemplation trail. Turn right for a farther walk or left to return to the parking lot.