The Bravest LbNA #5101

The Bravest: A letterboxing tribute to firefighting and 9/11

Boxes: 3
Difficulty: Easy To Moderate (some hills and scrambles)
Time: about 90 minutes (?)
Distance: 2-3 miles

Note: . Fall showers and springtime run-off may increase the difficulty a bit and cause some wet toes!



Directions: This series and Oriental Medicine have the same start point. From Route 85 (Just north of Nature's Art in Chesterfield), follow Salem Tpke to the west. This is a right turn headed down from Colchester, a left headed up from East Lyme. Turn left onto Holmes Road at the "Y" and follow it to a narrowing end. A dirt circle on the left hand side once passing the Nehantic State Forest sign serves as your parking area. Cross the street by the bar gate and you will see several paths: a blue trail, a path bearing slightly right, one to the hard left, and a "paved" path bearing left at about 10:00 - take the paved path! Oriental medicine is a short way up the path bearing slightly right (but not the blue!).
Home


Clues:
Start up the paved path once you have passed the bar gate and the off-shoot for the blue trail. Up a gentle hill that curves around to the right. At time of placement, this hill had a lot of wash-out, sediment, and small rocks. Over the top of the hill, the path goes down the backside of the hill, over a "cobblestone" effect, and curves right again. Mountain laurel dominates the landscape and ahead you can see the path turning left. Before you continue, look for a twin-trunked beech tree (silvery/gray bark) at the base of small ledges, with a flat rock to its right and a big of a blocky-rectangular rock in front of it. You first box lies on the far side of the "turtle shell" behind this twin. You have found the Maltese Cross !

Continuing up the trail around the left-turning curve, notice the ledge high on the right side as you climb up hill. At the "y" take the right path and follow it away from the campfire ring. Path sweeps back downhill and through a wet/swampy area. Back up the hill, notice the abundance of yellow paint on the trees to the right. Take this right and head for the painted trees -- note the path you are headed for -- continue up that path once you have stamped into "Skyline". "Skyline can be found in chest-high ledge behind the yellow trees and forest boundary markers. It is covered in sticks, stones, and bark -- rehide carefully as it is hidden in plain sight.

Continue up the trail and over a higher ridge. From this point, Hartman Park lies ever so slightly west -- you may even see the valley leading to the pond at Hartman from this lookout if the leaves are down! Press on, down a long grade and crossing a brook with a flat stone in the middle. Use caution in spring as we're not sure what the run-off situation will be, there was a nice flow through here in August at time of placing. Once past the stream, a different forest emerges. Oak and hickory become pine and scrub. A right turn in the pine and up a scramble yields more scrub. At the top of the hill, pass through the two "gate keepers" and continue through scrub down the long grade. As the hill comes to an end and the path veers right, note the "boulder field" on the right side. In the middle of the "field" is a rock that is taller than the others -- maybe 18 inches high instead of 12. Check the tree closest to this rock for you third prize.
The way home from here is a bit long; it is shorter than if the series was an "out-and-back". It is, however quite scenic and we encourage you to take your time and enjoy the wonderful ledges and stone walls. That being said, continue down the trail from "343" and check out the high cliffs to your left. A brief up-hill passes a huge "field" with remarkably little undergrowth. The field is encompassed by a very long stone wall and there looks to be some sort of fort in the middle of the field - though we did not have time to go exploring yet. Back up the hill, take a right onto a gravelly road and follow it past a section of forest that has been used for a controlled burn. This road brings you back towards the car in about 15 minutes. Skip the left just prior to the burned patch and follow the gravel. As the gravel road bends downhill, you can take the left off shoot and cut down the hill to save time. Through the weedy field, and back onto the path.
If you brought clues to the Oriental Medicine Series (and want to do the series backwards), this right hand sweeping corner after the weedy field is the landmark for your compass bearings on the 5th element (wood) and the box is generally to your right - not to give to much help! If you choose to start from the beginning of this series, travel down the path for about 5 minutes. And the last option is returning to the car - about 6 minutes down the path, which you will follow more burned forest, past a section of blue trail, and back down to the bar-gate. Your vehicle should be directly across the street!

Help! These boxes need new tupperware! If you plan on finding and wish to make arrangements to re-box them please email us and we'd owe a great debt! Thanks!

Email us a site report or tell us what you thought of the hike!!!!
Boxes last verified April 19, 2005

www.geocities.com/stephenholyfield@sbcglobal.net/bravest.html?1060118072033