Sign Up  /  Login

Slate for Paine on the 4th LbNA #4653 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jul 4, 2003
Location:
City:Northfield
County:Washington
State:Vermont
Boxes:1
Planted by:Chapuline
Found by: Andi's Delight
Last found:Jun 28, 2015
Status:FFFFFFFFFaOF
Last edited:Jul 4, 2003
This letterbox is planted in Northfield, Vermont on Paine Mountain, a wooded area crisscrossed with hiking trails from five different trailheads. The mountain is named for two businesmen, Elijah Paine, who in 1812 founded a thriving woolen mill, and his son Charles, who as president of Vermont Central Railroad, pushed to have it extended northward through Northfield. Today, Norwich University is the town’s largest employer.

Directions:
From the center of Northfield, turn onto Slate Avenue, located between the library and post office. Go the end of the street where you'll find limited parking. This is the Lybrand Trail, although there’s no signage. It’s four miles to the summit, but you’ll find the letterbox after a leisurely half hour stroll.

Clues:

This unblazed but easy-to-follow trail starts out on an abandoned road in an open area along the river. When the path veers away from the river, you’ll notice slate outcroppings and slate chips in the path. In the 1860s and 70s, slate companies employed more than 200 people, but quarry activity declined by the 1880s.

Soon you will enter a wooded area and come upon a quarry pond. We hiked leisurely for about half an hour, coming to an inverted Y. The trail continues uphill and intersects with other trails, but at this junction, take a left and note the two white birches, then a cluster of beech trees, about 25 steps from the inverted Y. Look uphill at 220 degrees to the evergreen tree with a large trunk. You’ll find your Fourth of July Fireworks hidden under slate chunks near the trunk of this tree.

Planted on the Fourth of July 2003 by Chapuline, who lives in Oaxaca, Mexico and Lebanon, N.H. Chapuline was hiking with Rubaduc this Independence Day on Paine Mountain. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
email: geriande@yahoo.com