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Take a Walk on the Wild Side LbNA #26228

Owner:Donutz716
Plant date:Oct 2, 2006
Location:
City:Essex
County:Middlesex
State:Connecticut
Boxes:7
Found by: Nairon (6)
Last found:Mar 13, 2022
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Nov 9, 2015
This series is located at the Canfield-Meadow Woods Nature Preserve in Essex and Deep River. It represents the love and appreciation of the wildlife in Alaska, as depicted through the artwork of native artisans and others who love this “last frontier”.

Allow 3 - 3 1/2 hours for easy to moderate hiking with some up and downhill climbing. Bring your own color markers or ink. There is one logbook in the last box. Dogs must be on a leash at the preserve.

Directions:
There are three entrances to the preserve. This Alaskan adventure starts at the entrance on Book Hill Woods Road. On Connecticut Rte. 9, take exit 3 and follow the Essex signs along West Ave. Turn left on Grove St. at the library, then left again onto North Main St. After about ½ mile, turn left on Book Hill and after another ½ mile, left on Book Hill Woods Rd. Park at the end, in the cul-de-sac next to the sign for the Meadow Woods Park. There is a mailbox for maps as you enter the preserve at the Book Hill Woods Road entrance, but it was empty the day these boxes were planted. A map is strongly recommended. Maps are also available at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letterbox-usa/files/CT%20Trail%20Maps/

Clues:
Shortly after you enter the preserve, you will see the intersection of Green and Blue trails. Your Alaskan adventure begins on Blue – like water. After all, fishing is a major industry in Alaska! Follow Blue until you reach the massive tulip tree on your left – a sign is posted on the tree. From the sign, 18 degrees to bottom of wall behind and under to hook Halibut. (hint - it is NOT on the other side of the wall and is not missing as of 10/22/2010)

Continue on Blue. When you reach the Blue/Orange, stand at near end of the bridge. Now walk back on the blue in the same direction you just came from for 11 paces until you come to a tree on your right with a blue blaze. From here go 15 paces at 60 degrees to a shag bark hickory trying to muscle out a boulder and you will find the Salmon spawning. (replaced 10/27/2010)

Back to bridge – cross it and go left on Orange until you come to the intersection with Yellow – Eagle Rock. Now bear right and stay on Orange. Come to another intersection where Orange continues to right and Yellow begins to the left. Go left on Yellow until you come to a stone wall. Stop. Follow wall northerly to a T intersection of another stone wall. Under tree’s roots, look in nest for Eagle.

Back to trail and retrace your steps on Yellow to Orange. Go northeast on Orange. Follow to White, which will bring you to Green. Go north on Green until you reach a stone wall. Follow wall that extends east until you reach the tallest built up level in the wall. Check trap door for the world’s largest member of the deer family - Moose. (and that’s no Bullwinkle)

Continue on Green. Silver will intersect from the left. Stay on Green to the stone wall. Take a westerly heading following the north side of the wall to a large 2 sister tree - one sister much older that the other. Did you hear that howl? Check the trap door den for Wolf.

Go back to Green and retrace your steps to Green/Silver. Now follow Silver to Black – taking a left on Black to follow the trail marked “unimproved trail”. Cross over stone wall then eventually climbing up a definite hill with boulders and ledge on both sides of the trail. Just before reaching the top, you will see a tree on the right side of the trail with a black marker. 120 degrees to where beech tree and boulder meet. Whale is breaching between them on far side behind trap door.

Continue to follow Black to Light Blue. At Y intersection, go right on Light Blue. At intersection of Light Blue, Yellow and Red – take Yellow (to your right). Further down the trail, Red will intersect again with Yellow. Go to the right and continue on Yellow. Come to a Y intersection – (both Yellow) follow Yellow at 56 degrees and continue through stone wall. As you follow the trail, the stone wall is now to your right shoulder. Follow trail until there is a break in the stone wall and you are at a T intersection with the Yellow Loop trail. Go through the wall and stop. Follow the stone wall to your left until you come to the beech tree with the trap door leaning almost directly on it. (You will see snakes climbing the trees nearby, but no worries - there are no snakes in Alaska.) Now look about 2 feet farther to the right of the trap door for Grizzly's cave, under a few rocks within the stone wall.

Back to trail, head southerly on Yellow to Orange. Bear right at the Y to stay on Orange. Orange ends at Green. Stay straight on Green to go back to your car. Hope you enjoyed your “Alaskan” experience.

Thank you, Antiboxer 2, for a wonderful Alaska vacation this past July and for spending a couple of days with me scoping out this Preserve along with the planting. (Great location - thanks B'fly!) At least we didn’t have to chant “Hey Bear” every few minutes to scare the creatures away! (not to mention – no bear scat on the trails…)

ENJOY!