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Double Trouble LbNA #46705 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 11, 2009
Location:
City:Boulder Creek
County:Santa Cruz
State:California
Boxes:1
Planted by:Team Eye Spy
Found by: Not yet found!
Last found:N/A
Status:a
Last edited:Apr 11, 2009
Author: team eye spy Profile Contact Logbook
Location: Big Basin Way
Boulder Creek, CA (United States) [MapQuest] [Yahoo! Maps] [Google Maps]
Hike Length: 0.5 miles
Clue Last Updated: April 15, 2009

Status: active (Last found: Apr 16, 2009)

This letterbox contains a double sided stamp, hence double trouble... While camping in Big Basin (celebrating my birthday) we spotted many unusual mushrooms along the trail. This sparked conversation as to how many people in California die from eating poisonous mushrooms each year. Hmmm 5, 10 , 20, 30? More than are attacked by rabid raccoons? What do you think? As it turns out there was only 1 death by poisonous mushroom in California last year. However there were 895 people who got sick and 5 who had major health issues such as liver failure leading to coma, liver transplant or renal failure. There are many perfectly safe mushrooms growing in the wild but unless you are an expert in identifying mushrooms or are with an expert you should never attempt to pick and identify and eat mushrooms on your own. Most safe mushrooms have look-a-likes that are poisonous, some deadly. Experts even advise against using pictures in guide books for reference. Most people who have gotten sick or died mistook the mushrooms they ate for a similar looking species. As for rabid raccoons in California, there were only five cases reported in the last 10 years. Rabies in raccoons is very common in south eastern, mid Atlantic and northeastern united states. According to an article I read, canine and feline distemper is common in raccoons and can be mistaken for rabies as some of the symptoms are similar. The good news is it is not transferable to humans.

Now for the clues: Stop at park headquarters and get a trail guide. Unscramble the following letters to get the name of the trail you will start on. CBSOROKEMEL RTIAL You will need to find a place to park your car. This hike starts just outside of a campground. Find the gate next to the bridge. Cross the bridge then turn right and follow the trail whose name you just unscrambled. Follow until you hit the intersection for (unscramble) AILMPNNITETR. Stay to the right, head down hill counting approx 6o steps from the intersection. This is where we found Jeff and Jackie. If you search high and low you may find them too. Once you find them you will find what you are looking for. Be careful when retrieving this box and please recover well to protect it from the elements.
You can back track to the starting point, but we suggest following the trail a bit further. Cross the bridge built in 1988. See if you can figure out how we knew the year it was built then continue down the trail past the sign that says Soroptimist Big Basin Grove II. Just past the sign you will hit the maintenance road. Turn right and cross the wooden bridge to Hinh Hammond Rd. As soon as you cross the bridge look to your right and you will discover a cool old moss covered fire place. You can stop here for a snack. Follow the road back to the gate. (make sure you turn right once you are off the bridge to get back to the gate.) You can also make a quick detour by turning left and heading to the paved bridge for a look at the river.
*** first finder , contact me if you would like a first finder commemorative photo card emailed to you. It is not the photo seen on this page