QHP Letterbox #1: “The Great Wall of Rochester”  LbNA # 31467

Clues

QHP Letterbox #1: “The Great Wall of Rochester”

Difficulty – Medium Level
30 Minute brisk walk (roundtrip)
Update: Apr 6, 2010- Stamped fixed and new logbook put in box.
Update: Apr 7, 2011 - Put newly carved stamp into the 'Great Wall of Rochester' Box

For almost one hundred years, prior to 1965, the land now called Quarry Hill Park was owned by the Rochester State Hospital and used as a worksite for many of the patients who farmed the land, mined the quarry, and milked the cows, along with many other tasks needed to run this self-sufficient city-like hospital. Quarry Hill Park was purchased from the state by the City of Rochester in 1965. Remains of several Rochester State Hospital stone structures can be found within Quarry Hill Park. This letterbox will lead you by some of those stone structures. The park is a favorite of all the children in Rochester because there are some many paths that can be explored!

Rules to follow while in Park

o Bikes are to be used on paved bike paths only.
o All dogs should be leashed and cleaned up after.
o Park is opened from 5 am to dusk

The clues:

Park in the main lot by the Nature Center. You may want to take a few minutes to look at the exhibits on display.

From the Nature Center, take the main paved path past the Harry Buck Children’s Pond. The pond will be on your right.

Continue on the path until you see a sign for Parkwood Hills. Take the right hand path for a few steps and you will see the remains of a stonewall. Read the sign describing the wall, and be sure to also read the Caution part as well. This is a popular spot for kids to try and climb on the wall… but caution must be observed.

After going over to the wall and looking it over, come back out to the path you were just on and continue walking north (the wall be on your left).

You will eventually come to another path that splits off to the right and leads to a bridge down to the pond. DO NOT take that path. Just keep on the same path you’ve been on, for another 50 feet or so, looking for a gravel path on your left. You will know you are at the right path when you see the pick and shovel.

Take that gravel path, and keep following it up, up & up until you get to a “Historical Structures informational” sign. The sign will be at an intersection of 4 paths. Facing the sign, the path to the immediate left will be the one you just came on. The one to the left of that path will be a narrow dirt trail. Take that narrow dirt trail.

It will soon go up an incline. At the first "leveling off" of the first steep incline, look to your right. About 50 feet into the woods will be a large dead tree. The left side of the tree is split and is lying on the ground. Look in the opening to the left of the trunk, under the fallen section. There will be a flat rock in the opening. Under the rock will be the letterbox

You might want to poke a stick around in the tree before reaching in just in case there might be critters in there! Try not to push the box in deeper though! Please re-hide accordingly. Please put rock back in hole so that animals won't drag the box away. Cover rock with bark and leaves so the hiding spot is not too obvious! Happy Hunting!

Be very careful there are a lot of hikers and bikers on this path, so you need to use caution when retrieving this box

Bring your own stamp pad. Suggested colors: black

Please email us when you find it: twofreetimers@yahoo.com

Before you set out, please read the waiver of responsibility and disclaimer.