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H's Four LbNA #34322 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Family Grave Seekers
Plant date:Aug 19, 2007
Location:
City:Ripley
County:Jackson
State:West Virginia
Boxes:1
Found by: PTea and Catchul8r
Last found:Jun 15, 2009
Status:FFFFFa
Last edited:Aug 19, 2007
H’s Four

Cedar Lakes Conference Center began over 50 years ago as an FFA/FHA camp but now hosts many conferences along with youth groups for band camp and 4-H camp. Growing up in this area, I only attended 4-H camp at Cedar Lakes once because it was too much like camping in my own living room since home was so close. 4-H did give me many memories and plenty of songs to sing to my children. This letterbox commemorates a favorite titled ‘H’s Four’ which is basically the 4-H pledge set to music:

I pledge my head to clearer thought, that in this life I face, I’ll make my home, my country and my world a better place.
I pledge my heart to loyalty, that I will surely be a champion of justice for all humanity.
I pledge my hands to service that I may always try to give my courage and my strength to those with less than I.
I pledge my health to living a life in which I dare to reach out for my brother’s hand to love and hope and care.
I take my stand, I make my pledge and each day it means more. And from now on, through all my life, I’ll pledge the H’s Four.

Directions:
Locate Cedar Lakes Conference Center 2 miles south of Ripley on Cedar Lakes Road. See www.cedarlakes.com for directions and a map of the grounds. Drive onto the grounds, noting a large ‘Cedar Lakes’ sign on your right and the Staats Mill Covered Bridge on your left. You will come to an intersection with a second large ‘Cedar Lakes’ sign at which traffic is one-way and you are directed to the right. Continue around Mirror Lake and park just past the Dining Hall on the right (Lot # 25 on the map). Walk over to the Council Circle (#67 on the map) which is much nicer than the one that was there when I was a kid. Continue east onto the earthen dam for the lake. Follow it to the north and cross the spillway via the bridge. Take the steps up to the dirt roadway and turn right. You will see a large sign of Smokey the Bear. Standing in front of Smokey with your back to the sign, take a bearing of 260 degrees and proceed 22 steps to a cedar tree. What you seek is a zip-lock bag covered in camouflage at the base of this tree. Please take care to ensure the bags are all properly sealed before rehiding. You can continue around the lake watching for deer and other wildlife or retrace your steps to your vehicle. While you are here, see if you can find “Staats Mill Covered Bridge” and “Cedar Lakes” letterboxes hidden nearby. Enjoy!