Salem Woods LbNA #19686 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Dec 17, 2005 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Salem |
| County: | Essex |
| State: | Massachusetts |
| Boxes: | 2 |
| Planted by: | Team Randalstik  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | Handsome Hounds (2) |
| Last found: | May 5, 2007 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Dec 17, 2005 |
SALEM WOODS
Salem Woods, also called Highland Park, is 129 Acres of woods. It WAS in danger of redevelopment by the expansion of the current 9-hole Olde Salem Green golf course to an 18-hole course. BUT as of December 11, 2005, the Salem City Council voted 8-3 and passed a resolution that said "all of Highland Park, that is not a Golf Course, shall remain undeveloped in perpetuity and shall only be used for passive recreation ..." YEAH!
But of course this was decided prior to my creation of these stamps back in September. Aaannyhoo . . . enjoy the woods and find the letterboxes and hopefully they will remain forever, but those darn resolutions can be overturned in the future. The first letterbox does not have a journal. It is in the second letterbox. FOOOOOORE!
http://www.salemwoods.org
has a map and directions. Don't count on maps at the trailhead.
NUMBER OF BOXES: 2
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
TERRAIN: Moderately difficult. Rocky, muddy, sloped, narrow paths. Winter is icy.
TIME: 1-1/2 to 2 hours, round trip
COMPASS: Needed. All readings are true North.
STAMP: Hand carved. Bring your own ink pad (BYOIP)
CHILDREN: Not stroller friendly but possible to do with a four+-year-old
LOCATION: Salem Woods
DIRECTIONS:
You can Mapquest 77 Willson Street, Salem, MA, this is the address for Salem High School. And yes there are two "l's" in Willson, but Mapquest seems to do something funny with it but it still works. It is basically off of route 107 (Highland Avenue) in Salem.
During the winter, turn onto Willson Street from Highland Avenue, and drive up Salem High School's driveway, which will be on your right. In addition to Salem High School, you will pass Nathaniel Bowditch Elementary School, which is located on the same property. You can park in the Salem High Parking lot and walk up the hill past Bowditch's playground on the left. The road continues down the hill and to the left. A field is on top of the hill on your right. There is a path that leads along the chain link fence down to the golf course parking lot and trailhead. Alternatively, you MAY be able to park on the road right next to the chain link fence on the weekends. If so, park right after the speed bump.
During the summer, turn onto Willson Street, pass Salem High School on your right, and turn into the Olde Salem Green entrance a little farther along Willson Street. Park at the very back of the Olde Salem Green parking lot, past the golf course on your left. You will see the trail head at the back corner. The trail head has a very basic map on it.
CLUES:
You will be following the yellow trail markers at all times.
FORE! Letterbox
Entering the trail head, walk over two small boardwalks. At the yellow and blue trail marker on the tree to your right, begin counting your paces. At 14 paces (single steps) there will be a rotted tree trunk on your right. At 38 paces you'll see a low post marked with a #4 which marks a small trail towards a marsh. On the opposite side of the path from the #4 marker, you will see a fallen tree. Walk 14 paces towards, and over, this tree. Farther up the slight incline you will see the pristine, green, golf course. Be careful of sliced golf balls. On the left is a clump of 5 thin trees. Check in the middle of them and there you will find the first letterbox (it's a microbox).
SALEM WOODS Letterbox
Continuing on over 2 more boardwalks, the path will veer to the right and up a hill. You will come to another fork and will stay along the lower path along the rocks. You will pass a yellow marker and a #10 marker painted on a rock face on your left. Soon you'll see a fork with a yellow marker and a stump with the letter "B" on it. Take the left fork and walk up the rocks into the pine trees. The tree on the left will have yellow paint and there will also be a #6 marker on a stump. Continue up the incline, and at the clearing at the top you will see yellow paint on rocks on the ground. Walk sraight over these rocks. Next, you'll see yellow paint on the right before the planks across the trickling water and a letter "C" on a stump. Walk south up the hill and past the cliff face on the right. Go up the rock face. Go 143 degrees up past the openness with the rock in the middle. Walk over a bridge. Walk over the rocks at 143 degrees. Walk down.
You'll see yellow paint and a round marker on a tree on the left. Go 170 degrees. It's a tight squeeze. Next you'll see yellow paint and a round marker on a tree on the right. Walk over the boardwalk. Go over the hill 250 degrees past a letter "D" stump on the left. At the top where it opens up, there is a yellow marker on the ground and a letter E stump on the left. Take the path at 250 degrees..
There is poison ivy in summer. Winter is almost easier since the trails are well used and it is more obvious where to go. At the small clearing there is a rock on the ground. Go 188 degrees for 25 paces, and at the right will be a tree with 5 arms stretched out. Continuing 6 paces along the path, you will see to the left a pile of rocks that would be an obvious spot for a letterbox.
Keep going 206 degrees. There is a clearing on the right with yellow paint on the ground. At the middle of the clearing, head 164 degrees toward a tree with a yellow marker. Go over the rocks and across the path.
At the fork, take a right. Go up the hill and you did it!!!! This is the scenic outlook. The meadow, train tracks and the marsh are to the left (for the best view, walk past this plateau, and where the path splits take the left fork).
As you reach this top plateau, a small evergreen is growing by itself in the rock on your right. Let's call it TINY. Continue 14 paces on the path to the yellow paint on the ground. Go about 11 paces at 198 degrees to an oak tree on the edge of a cliff. When you are standing on the rocks, at the base of the oak tree you will see a big hole with a small branch growing from it. Look behind the tree and under the large rock that the tree is growing into. Please be careful with the branches of the tree.
Congratulations!
To get out:
You are at the halfway point of the trail, so you might as well continue on. You will cross another small boardwalk with a small rock face and rock pile to the left of the path. Just keep following yellow markers.
Love to know how it went: esjunk@comcast.net
Salem Woods, also called Highland Park, is 129 Acres of woods. It WAS in danger of redevelopment by the expansion of the current 9-hole Olde Salem Green golf course to an 18-hole course. BUT as of December 11, 2005, the Salem City Council voted 8-3 and passed a resolution that said "all of Highland Park, that is not a Golf Course, shall remain undeveloped in perpetuity and shall only be used for passive recreation ..." YEAH!
But of course this was decided prior to my creation of these stamps back in September. Aaannyhoo . . . enjoy the woods and find the letterboxes and hopefully they will remain forever, but those darn resolutions can be overturned in the future. The first letterbox does not have a journal. It is in the second letterbox. FOOOOOORE!
http://www.salemwoods.org
has a map and directions. Don't count on maps at the trailhead.
NUMBER OF BOXES: 2
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
TERRAIN: Moderately difficult. Rocky, muddy, sloped, narrow paths. Winter is icy.
TIME: 1-1/2 to 2 hours, round trip
COMPASS: Needed. All readings are true North.
STAMP: Hand carved. Bring your own ink pad (BYOIP)
CHILDREN: Not stroller friendly but possible to do with a four+-year-old
LOCATION: Salem Woods
DIRECTIONS:
You can Mapquest 77 Willson Street, Salem, MA, this is the address for Salem High School. And yes there are two "l's" in Willson, but Mapquest seems to do something funny with it but it still works. It is basically off of route 107 (Highland Avenue) in Salem.
During the winter, turn onto Willson Street from Highland Avenue, and drive up Salem High School's driveway, which will be on your right. In addition to Salem High School, you will pass Nathaniel Bowditch Elementary School, which is located on the same property. You can park in the Salem High Parking lot and walk up the hill past Bowditch's playground on the left. The road continues down the hill and to the left. A field is on top of the hill on your right. There is a path that leads along the chain link fence down to the golf course parking lot and trailhead. Alternatively, you MAY be able to park on the road right next to the chain link fence on the weekends. If so, park right after the speed bump.
During the summer, turn onto Willson Street, pass Salem High School on your right, and turn into the Olde Salem Green entrance a little farther along Willson Street. Park at the very back of the Olde Salem Green parking lot, past the golf course on your left. You will see the trail head at the back corner. The trail head has a very basic map on it.
CLUES:
You will be following the yellow trail markers at all times.
FORE! Letterbox
Entering the trail head, walk over two small boardwalks. At the yellow and blue trail marker on the tree to your right, begin counting your paces. At 14 paces (single steps) there will be a rotted tree trunk on your right. At 38 paces you'll see a low post marked with a #4 which marks a small trail towards a marsh. On the opposite side of the path from the #4 marker, you will see a fallen tree. Walk 14 paces towards, and over, this tree. Farther up the slight incline you will see the pristine, green, golf course. Be careful of sliced golf balls. On the left is a clump of 5 thin trees. Check in the middle of them and there you will find the first letterbox (it's a microbox).
SALEM WOODS Letterbox
Continuing on over 2 more boardwalks, the path will veer to the right and up a hill. You will come to another fork and will stay along the lower path along the rocks. You will pass a yellow marker and a #10 marker painted on a rock face on your left. Soon you'll see a fork with a yellow marker and a stump with the letter "B" on it. Take the left fork and walk up the rocks into the pine trees. The tree on the left will have yellow paint and there will also be a #6 marker on a stump. Continue up the incline, and at the clearing at the top you will see yellow paint on rocks on the ground. Walk sraight over these rocks. Next, you'll see yellow paint on the right before the planks across the trickling water and a letter "C" on a stump. Walk south up the hill and past the cliff face on the right. Go up the rock face. Go 143 degrees up past the openness with the rock in the middle. Walk over a bridge. Walk over the rocks at 143 degrees. Walk down.
You'll see yellow paint and a round marker on a tree on the left. Go 170 degrees. It's a tight squeeze. Next you'll see yellow paint and a round marker on a tree on the right. Walk over the boardwalk. Go over the hill 250 degrees past a letter "D" stump on the left. At the top where it opens up, there is a yellow marker on the ground and a letter E stump on the left. Take the path at 250 degrees..
There is poison ivy in summer. Winter is almost easier since the trails are well used and it is more obvious where to go. At the small clearing there is a rock on the ground. Go 188 degrees for 25 paces, and at the right will be a tree with 5 arms stretched out. Continuing 6 paces along the path, you will see to the left a pile of rocks that would be an obvious spot for a letterbox.
Keep going 206 degrees. There is a clearing on the right with yellow paint on the ground. At the middle of the clearing, head 164 degrees toward a tree with a yellow marker. Go over the rocks and across the path.
At the fork, take a right. Go up the hill and you did it!!!! This is the scenic outlook. The meadow, train tracks and the marsh are to the left (for the best view, walk past this plateau, and where the path splits take the left fork).
As you reach this top plateau, a small evergreen is growing by itself in the rock on your right. Let's call it TINY. Continue 14 paces on the path to the yellow paint on the ground. Go about 11 paces at 198 degrees to an oak tree on the edge of a cliff. When you are standing on the rocks, at the base of the oak tree you will see a big hole with a small branch growing from it. Look behind the tree and under the large rock that the tree is growing into. Please be careful with the branches of the tree.
Congratulations!
To get out:
You are at the halfway point of the trail, so you might as well continue on. You will cross another small boardwalk with a small rock face and rock pile to the left of the path. Just keep following yellow markers.
Love to know how it went: esjunk@comcast.net