Elements of Alchemy  LbNA # 33749 (ARCHIVED)

I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THESE HAVE GONE MISSING.

The alchemists of old considered everything to be made up of four elements, earth, air, fire, and water. They also had specific symbols to represent them...

Fairly easy, well cleared trails, probably no more than 1/2 hour to 45 minutes plus stamping time. May have a fee to get in during summer weekends.

Find your way to Hopeville State Park on Rt. 201 in Griswold, CT. I suggest taking Interstate 395 to exit 86. Follow the signs to the park entrance.

Once you're in the park, follow the road to a stop sign, where it splits, and bear right. Continue on this road briefly and park in the small gravelly lot directly before the bathroom building on the left, as far to the right as you can. The trail should be almost straight ahead from here.

Bear left on the trail, and almost immediately you will see a grassy area with a lone picnic table on your right. From this table, you can see the beach portion of the lake. From the front right corner of the table, take 12 steps at 35 degrees to a small cedar tree. Behind it, against the trunk and hidden with rocks and leaves, is Water.

Return to the trail and continue on your walk. You will see a small intersection where another path crosses yours - continue straight. Look on the left for the large tree where one becomes four partway up. If you reach another split in the path, you've gone too far. Go around behind the tree and look up. In the nook created by the branching, hidden with pine needles, is Earth.

Return to the path. Up a head will be an intersection. Take the right hand path and follow it as it loops around. You will see a slight turn-off for a pier (somewhat rickety, be careful) that you can view if you wish. You are very close to the campgrounds here. Right around the bend from this pier, but before the wooden bridge on the right, you will see a medium sized pine on the left of the path, with many knotholes on the trunk. Go behind this tree, and with it at your back take 13 steps to another pine that has streaks at its base. Behind this tree, under some rocks, is Fire.

Return to the path and continue to follow it, which will loop you back to the original path you were on. Take a moment to admire the four sister giant pine before going right at the T intersection. Follow the path until you see the main road near the park office. Leave the trail for this road - beware of cars - and walk up and around towards the camp office. You will see a very large open clearing on your left. Bypass the first entrance to the clearing, with its wooden gate. Go to the second entrance, barred only by a line of rocks. From the left most rock, half shaded by pine boughs, go 220 degrees across part of the clearing to an old stump back within the tree line. Behind it, under rocks, is Air.

These are all microboxes, so bring your own ink, please. Also, it is a fairly busy area so please be very discreet. BRING BUG SPRAY!