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State Symbols LbNA #1703

Owner:Traveln Turtle
Plant date:Sep 22, 2001
Location: Willington
City:Willington
County:Tolland
State:Connecticut
Boxes:5
Found by: Nairon (3)
Last found:May 16, 2015
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Nov 21, 2015
This letterbox is an adoption (with permission) of the original series by the Willington Gang. The clues are fine so I made no changes. I will maintain them and recarve where necessary.

This is our first try at planting letterboxes. We are calling this the State Symbols Series. And we are starting with Connecticut. There are 5 letterboxes Hope you like the Series and the Park.

Planted: by the Willington gang on September 22, 2001.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate hiking some steep hills. It’s about 4.5 miles of trails. It should take 2.5 to 3 hours to do.
Location: The Fenton- Ruby Park and Wildlife Preserve Burma Road Willington, Connecticut, Tolland County

Directions: From the Junction of Route 44 and Route 74. Take RT 74 west and look for Moose Meadow Road on your Right. From Route 84 take exit 69 and go east on RT 74 until you come to Moose Meadow Road on your left. On Moose Meadow Rd. you are looking for Burma Rd it’s on your right. Burma is a dead end dirt road. Park to the right in the parking area that you first see. The trailhead board should have some maps of the Park. History: Clarke Ruby and his wife, Margaret, sold the property to the Town of Willington in 1994 to be maintained as the Fenton-Ruby Park and Wildlife Preserve. Managed by the Willington Conservation Commission, it contains about 225 acres of forests, grassy fields, marshes, and ponds. Wilbert Ruby bought the land in 1908 he was also the owner and operator of the Ruby Lumber Company, an important part of the town's economy at the time. This was left to his son Clarke who was born in the house, which has sense burned down. You can see a bit of the foundation across from the Parking lot.

Connecticut “The State Flower” Letterbox #1 From the parking lot take a right onto Burma Road you will see the trailhead on the right for Weigold trail formally (Ridge trail). {A little note about the rename of Ridge trail to Weigold trail is that it was renamed in honor of Harold Weigold who has since pasted. He was one of the trail developers and made the signs for the tree discription and the rock eratics.}
This is the White trail it is .93 miles and has steep places along the way. Follow the trail up the hill and on your right there is a large rotted tree that was cut down and landed precariously on to its stump. The trail bends to the left and to the right continuing up the hill thru the dense mountain laurel gradually turning back and forth over dead trees. You will twist and turn going up and down working your way to the top of the hill. As you rise to your right you will see some ledge out of the hill and to the left is an oasis of Mountain Laurel. It gets steeper here. When you are about to reach the top on your left there is a tree with a large waste line. As you continue, you will come to a steep knoll and to your right there is a drop off down into the valley. You will go down off that knoll. Keep going until you start walking thru ledge out cropping on top of the ridge. On your right you look over the valley. On your left look for the under side of a fallen tree, with stones in and around the roots, go around the left side to find what you seek. Continue down off the ridge, there will be a large out cropping of ledge on your left. Follow around it and you will now get a glimpse of Taylor Pond on your right. You are really going down off the mountain now twisting and turning until you reach the road. You can go right to Letterbox #2 or go left back to your car.

“The State Tree” Letterbox #2 From the parking lot take a right onto Burma Road, you will see on the left the trail head for Taylor pond which is the Yellow trail it is .73 miles long. Take this trail and as you go you will come to a very nice wooden bridge made by the boy scouts. From the bridge you can see Taylor pond, continue following the ponds edge. When you come out of the white pine grove there will be a bench with a view of the pond, what a great place for a drink and a snack. Continue on and look for a white pine on your right that looks like it was hit by lighting. You’ll come to an open field with a glimpse of the pond on your right the trail will turn left and enter the woods again. Here you will see a three sister pine where the trail bares right stay on the yellow trail and follow the stonewall. The trail leaves the stonewall and you enter a grove of Iron wood trees. Start looking for a very old White Oak on you’re left and behind this is what you seek. Now continue through the grove you will come out to a small field moving toward the pond for another look. Follow the trail away from the pond and back into the woods where you will walk between two white pines and along a stonewall, that is on your left. Watch your head for the low overpass. You’ll now cross over two sets of plank bridges. Then cross over a stonewall and keep going until you reach an intersection with a sign that says “Connector to Ruby trail” take a right and continue on. You will cross a dry stream and a pair of wood bridges. The trail turns right and then you will go up a small hill and thru a stonewall opening. As you go you will see a marker that shows you an Ironwood tree (carpinus caroliniana) and then after that there is a marker for a Black Cherry tree (Prunus serotina) also on the right. Continue on over another stonewall and wood bridge and back to the dirt road. Take a right to return to your car or go left to do the next letterbox.

“The State Animal” Letterbox #3 Take a right out of the Parking lot on to the dirt road. Go past white and yellow trails in and out’s. Stay on the dirt road looking for the Ruby trail which is the red trail on your left it’s a little over a 1 mile long and has steep places. Enter at the very large Maple go until you come to an intersection take a right here. You will walk between 2 glacial erratics and work your way up the hill. Then you will descend down and pass more glacial rocks. You will enter a grove of Ironwood trees. Keep going you will be gradually climbing the hill. When you reach the very top look for a medium size 2 sister pine on your left it’s very, very close to the trail. Off in the distance there is a very large 3 sister pine on your right. Start looking on your right for a large rock which looks to me like the mouth of a whale here is box # 3.

Continue on, you will now go down thru some Mountain Laurel. (This area is very icy in the early spring). The trail bends left, and then you will cross over the stonewall. On your left is a very large rock. You will now be walking along side a stonewall. Start looking for a rock on your left and here is box # 4 “The State Bird” it’s behind it. You will wish you brought your camera for this one. Black and White would be best. (original 4 is missing, there is a store bought stamp; will be replaced shortly 3/27/11)

Continue on down a hill and be careful you are going to need sure footing. There will be a wood bridge to cross then go up and turn to the right. Follow along side the stonewall until it disappears. On your right there will be a grouping of glacial rocks, the trail turns left away from them. You will come to a wood bridge with a sign “Connector to Taylor Pond” this is a blue trail. Don’t go over if you need to get back. (If you’re ready for Box # 5 go over the bridge and follow the Box # 5 direction from this point.) Ok, to get back you will go by a tree marker on your left for a White Oak (quercus alaba). On your right another tree marker for Red Oak (quercus rubra) and then on your right again another tree marker for White Ash. The trail bends to the right and you will come to the end of a stonewall turn left after you pass it and now you are walking between two stonewalls. As you follow these walls you come to the intersection where you started. Take a right on the dirt road back to your car

“The State Insect” Letterbox # 5 Take a right out of the Parking lot on to the dirt road. Go past white and yellow trails in and out’s. Stay on the dirt road looking for the Ruby trail, which is the red trail on your left. Enter at the very large Maple go straight thru the intersection (don’t take the right) you will be walking between two stonewalls, the wall to the right will end and the trail will turn to the right. Continue on, the trail will bend to the left and you will see a tree marker for White ash on your left. The next tree with a marker will also be on your left it’s a Red Oak. There will be one more marker for a White Oak it’s on your right. A little further there will be a bridge on your left with a sign “Connector to Taylor Pond trail” it’s a blue trail. (If you continued on from box # 4 here is where you pick up the directions) Go over the bridge go up the embankment turn right it’s like walking on a dike. You will go up another embankment where it levels off and you will see a tree marker on your left for a Black Oak tree (quercus velotina). You are at the beginning of a large stonewall. On your right will be a tree marker for a White Pine (pinus strobus). On your right you will be looking for a tree with 5 fingers reaching up to the sky. This is where Box # 5 is. The trail goes down and then bends to the right continue on until you come to an intersection and take the left. You will cross a dry stream and a pair of wood bridges. The trail turns right and then you will go up a small hill and thru an opening in a stonewall. As you go you will see a marker that shows you an Ironwood tree (carpinus caroliniana) and then after that there is another marker for a Black Cherry tree (Prunus serotina) also on the right. Continue on over the stonewall and wood bridge and back to the dirt road. Take a right to return to your car.