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The Three (Unlike) Bears LbNA #43061

Owner:Wisconsin Hiker
Plant date:Aug 12, 2008
Location:
City:Salisbury
County:Litchfield
State:Connecticut
Boxes:3
Found by: Trailhead Tessie
Last found:Jun 12, 2018
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:May 14, 2016
Last checked/found: 12-AUG-08

Location: From Salisbury, take route 41 north for 3.2 miles until you reach a parking lot that is UNLIKE “Over Valley” Trail parking lot. It will be on the left. A small blue oval sign marks the entrance to the parking lot.

Distance/Time: 6.7 miles / 4 hours

Terrain: Moderately strenuous rocky trail

NOTE: There are no inkpads in these boxes. If you're the "realistic" type, bring black or brown ink. If you're in a more "surrealistic" mood, bring any color you choose!

CLUES:

Once upon a time, there were 3 Bears... No, not THOSE 3 bears! The 3 bears in THIS story are sick of hearing about that famous bear family and their amazing deductive powers in tracking down a girl in their own house. Duh! That couldn’t have been too hard, could it?

Well, THESE 3 bears aren't a family and they don't even have much in common. However they all started out together one morning to hike up a mountain named after them. They began at the rock on the right side of the parking lot and then proceeded to the bulletin board in the woods. The broad blue-blazed trail beckoned to them, so they began their journey on the forested path, eventually reaching a stream on their left where they paused for a refreshing drink and then continued on.

When they reached a double blaze, the trail veered away from the stream. Then about 5 minutes later they noticed a sign high up on a birch tree on the right side of the trail, in the midst of a small rock spillway. The unlikely trio debated what to do. Of course, they all had a different opinion – “We’re on a roll, let’s continue on the main trail” said Bear on a Roll. “No, I think we’ll get a better hike if we turn here” said Hiker Bear. “No, I think we’ve already hiked a mile and that is far enough. Let’s turn back” said Lazy Bear. They almost split up at this point, but ultimately agreed to stick with Hiker Bear.

After walking another 5-10 minutes they reached another small trail and camping sign. At this point Lazy Bear started complaining. “I’m too tired to keep walking and need to turn around. But I’m going to stop here for a rest before I head back.” He looked around for a good spot, and then padded forward 10 steps further on the main path. Here he crawled under a rock near the far end of a hollow log on the left.

The other two bears just looked at each other and shrugged. “Suit yourself” said Hiker Bear. “Have a nice nap!” exclaimed Bear on a Roll. They then continued onward discussing their disparate viewpoints on a wide variety of topics as they hiked for approximately 2 more miles.

At this point Hiker Bear became very excited. “Woo hoo - It’s the BIG trail now! I’m heading for Maine!” However Bear on a Roll had his heart set on reaching his namesake summit, so he waited at the signpost and watched Hiker Bear head into the ravine. Hiker Bear only traveled a minute or two before she came to 4 log steps in the trail, very near the stream bank. She noticed a log on the left that pointed at the first step, then called up to Bear on a Roll that she was going to take a break before continuing on the long trek to Maine. She followed the log all the way back, away from the trail, then chose a spot between an upright tree and another nearby log only a few feet away. Here she shrugged off her pack, took out her water bottle & some trail mix and began to study her maps for the long journey ahead.

After seeing her get settled in, Bear on a Roll continued toward the summit. “Whew! This is the STEEPEST trail I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a good thing that Lazy Bear didn’t come this far.” After another ½ mile, or maybe a bit further, he was elated to reach the impressive stone pyramid. He stopped to enjoy the view, visited his nearby cousin, and then eventually continued in a southerly direction on the loop. He hadn’t gone very far when he noticed blueberry bushes amongst the rocks. “Yum! This is a tasty reward for my hard hike!”

About a mile from the summit he reached another large signpost. “Hooray! I’m on a roll now – it’s all downhill from here” he shouted. He turned onto the blue blazed trail and bumped down a series of steep steps. When the trail veered left, he bounced off a long log across the trail, rolled along the long boulder on the left side of the trail and landed between the boulder and the adjacent tree. “I guess I’ll take MY break here; I sure need it after that exciting trip down!”

It now seems you’ll have to finish the rest of the loop without the bears - just another 2 miles or so and you’ll be back at your car.

Since we live a long ways away, we’d really appreciate an email with a status update if you look for these boxes. Thanks for joining us on the hike!


Hike length: 5-8 miles