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T-Series LbNA #53001

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 12, 2010
Location:
City:Barkhamsted/East Hartland
County:Litchfield
State:Connecticut
Boxes:20
Planted by:Rubaduc
Found by: Team Rogue (7)
Last found:Sep 9, 2023
Status:FFFFFFOFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Apr 12, 2010
The Northern section of the Tunxis Trail is described in the Connecticut Walk Book as one of the steepest, most remote and least used of all the blue trails. In some of my clues I follow the wording from the walk book even though we walked it. The 20 boxes represent the 20.4 miles of this section even though the boxes might be more (or less) than a mile apart. Having a walk book along would be a good idea for this series along with a pedometer and a compass. There are only 10 log books and each clue will indicate a log or not. The first two boxes were carved by T-1, the second two were carved by T-2 and the rest were carved by Gizz. Thanks to all of you for making this possible.

Park on Satan's Kingdom road in one of the pull offs on the right. Walk out to route 44, turn right, cross the big bridge and turn left on Breezy Hill Rd. Take an immediate left onto Farmington River Turnpike. When this road turns to dirt, look for the blue blaze on a two sister tree on the right. Start following blue uphill and at the top turn left. Walk along, wave to "Endless Inksplot" and just before a slight downhill look to the right in the roots of a dead pine for T-1 with log book.

Continue on Blue come to a paved road, go left, turn left back into the woods, going UP , UP, Up and passing under powerlines and coming to a wooden townline marker. Turn left and then left again into the woods. Cross a seasonal stream, pass the Little Brook register on the left- go right, step among the rocks and go uphill. Very soon you'll come to a rocky area underfoot and after the third such place, look for a two sister tree on the left followed by a spikey downed tree on the left followed by a two sister on the right. Look behind the rock leftish and one level up from this tree for T-2. No log book.

Cross open area where apparent clearing (not as apparent today as a few years ago) was once done. Find first box of Antler's and Friend. Now go down, down, down to a picnic table near a pond and dam. Follow blue through the meadow, this area is rumored to soon become inaccessible to hikers so PLEASE obey the posted signs, going back into the woods (finding the first box of Brooks of the Tunxis series) and up hill. When the trail levels out look for Antlers #2. Go down into a gully with some old stonewalls and then up and out the opposite side. Nearing the top notice a large pine on the right followed on the left by a skinny double blazed tree. Go another 15 steps on trail, then turn left and bushwhack 20 steps to another large pine. From this tree look a bit right to see a couple of rocks at the base of a twin pine. T-3 is in these rocks. No log book.

Cross paved road, find My Senior Moment (clues are backwards) come to paved road again and turn left watching for blue to re-enter the woods on the left. Cross bridge/brook/ wet area. Cross another two plank bridge going uphill past a 10 foot stump to a flat faced rock with T-4 and log book hiding behind it.

Continue on blue going around (between?) 2 large boulders (look for Ogham Hole Plug d). When you come to another large boulder the red dot trail goes left (to find Foxy Bare #1) continue on blue coming to another trail register at the top of the ridge. Go downhill onto the forest floor, cross over it and start up again, walk over rocky, mossy ledge, watch for Foxy Bare #2. Going gradually downhill come to two badly abused beech trees on the right, walk through an area of laurel and white birch trees and at a double blazed beech walk another 35 steps to see a ledge in front of you. T-5 is hiding on top of the "split" rock (I'm told that there's a tree down here but the box can be found by navigating around it). No log book.

You have a couple of ups and downs here (remember you need to walk a mile) before coming to an open area with (today) a couple of streams running through it. After crossing this wet open spot, there's a rocky section coming to a very old dead tree on the right and then a very old (snag?)on the left. Opposite this old guy is a tree with a sign that says o ing. T-6 with log book is in the roots of a larger tree behind this tree.

Continue on (pass Castles In The Air #13) mostly downhill, coming to a paved road, go left and soon cross road to re-enter the woods on the right. After some more downhill cross a difficult brook and go up again. At the first leveling off spot, look left in the center of a three sister shagbark for T-7 no log book.

Continue on and cross route 219. Follow blue until you have a stonewall on your left. Keep going until you cross over this wall and have a very large, very old tree in front of you. This is probably short of a mile but my motto is "no magnificent tree shall be left boxless". Stand with your right shoulder to the tree and site 240 degrees. T-8 with log book is under one flat rock on the lowest level of this pile.

Continue on coming to a sharp right U-turn with a magnificent mossy wall now on your right. The trail is uneventful (a couple of downhills) until you come to Kettle Brook which has a magnificent mossy ledge on the left. Look for box #2 of the Brooks of the Tunxis series here. Today there was also a neat cairn mid-stream. Cross open area with a hint of a woods road and enter a pine forest, coming down to another woods road. Cross a culvet, pass a left turn and turn left on blue. Go uphill and soon see a large pine tree on the right with it's roots crossing the trail. Standing on these roots, walk along the trail for 60 steps and look left for the remnants of a stone wall with one magnificent quartz rock in it (the wall is not always visible with foliage but the quartz rock can be seen). Look behind/under this quartz for T-9. No log book.

Continue on blue crossing an old fire road and eventually coming to an open sunny spot (if you're lucky :-) with fairly level bedrock. After resting or eating a snack, continue on a short distance to the top of Indian Council Caves (here you can start following clues for My Love of Music #23 Dark Side of the Moon but you'll be doing them backwards) and then descend steeply to the south side of the caves (at this point you can start following the clues to the Pine Mountain boxes planted by The Bird Stamper but you'll have to do them backwards). Have fun in there and don't forget the mystery box nearby(email me if you want to be told about it). When you're ready to continue on, stay on blue coming to what looks like a three way intersection with a pond in front of you. Blue turns left but you need to go right on the unmarked trail for about 50 steps or until you stand on rocky ledge with more mossy ledge to the right. Bushwhack 25 steps right to a lone rock and look under the right side of the pointy end overhang for T-10 (log book).

Go back to blue and continue on, passing a foundation on the right and stone walls along beside of you. At the next foundation (with a pond on the right) head leftish still following blue blazes. This will be mostly downhill coming to a bridge built by the Loomis Chaffe School students. THANK YOU. Look for box #3 of Brooks of the Tunxis Series here. At the far end of the bridge the trail goes left to camping but stay to the right and come to a tree with a sign on it. You'll be on an old woods road walking uphill, coming to an old wooden gate and going into what appears to be a cul de sac. Stay straight (still uphill) (passing Rescued Hole Plug #1) and coming to a double blazed tree. At this tree go straight for 30 steps to a mossy ledge on the right. Look in the roots of the two sister for T-11 (no log book) As of 10-25-11 the ledge is covered with debris from a recent scrub cutting venture by the state foresters but this will not affect the step count.

Back to the double blaze and follow it's direction, uphill heading for the summit of Pine Mt. This is a pretty easy walk considering where you're going. There's one "false" summit on the way but you'll know you're there if you can see a church steeple N.E. and the trail turns left away from the view. After leaving the view (maybe two tenths of a mile) on the right you'll see a rock jutting out towards the trail on the right, about shin high. Turn and walk back 25 steps, look left for a pointy rock about 25 feet off trail. Behind this is T-12 (log book)

Continue downhill and cross Pine Mt. Road, staying on the blue blazed trail. Turn left onto an old woods road. Pass a big boulder and walk a long boring flat stretch until you turn right and onto a trail that's not so woods road looking. Go down a short but steep hill and another longish walk with no discernible landmarks until you come to where the trail bears right without the usual right turn blazes (these blazes appear to be one above the other)with a small hill of rock and trees in front of you. Go off trail to the leftish of this "mound" and see a large flat faced stone leaning against a tree. Look in back of the stone, in the roots of the tree under ledgy rock for T-13 (no log book).

Soon you go downhill, crossing Roberts Brook on rocks. Look here for box #4 of the Brooks of the Tunxis series. After a short climb descend steeply into A ravine. After going steeply uphill watch ahead of you for a nice erratic trailside, right. You might see some barbed wire imbedded in trees on the left, then a yellow water marker coming to a twin (one twin is really only a half) evergreen tree on the right (off trail left is a nice white birch). Look behind the evergreen for #14, no log book.

Walk through a cut birch tree and follow blue which is a bit difficult along here because of some blow downs. You'll see more barbed wire on left and more yellow pipes (I'm told that the pipes are missing?). Come to a stone wall and follow it for awhile eventually coming to an uphill with a large ledge on the right and finally go down into a gully with a brook (might be dry in summer) up and out the other side. Come to a wettish area and watch for a beech tree on the left with a heart. With your back to the heart site 260 degrees to a tree with many legs. Behind this tree is another tree up on drier ground. Look in the front of this dryer tree under a mossy rock for box #15 with log book.

Continue on, pass a Woods Thinning sign. Watch carefully for blue it might be tough to follow along here. Cross old route 20 and after walking on an old woods road the trail turns right at a large cut downed tree. At the foot of the first small downhill and just before walking between two evergreen trees, look right for the very large root system of a blow down. Walk along the right side of this, step over a mossy rock and look in the roots of a small beech tree with rocks around it for T-16 (no log book).

Continue on blue coming to a long gradual downhill to Morey's Brook. Cross this brook and go right along it, go up "steps" and keep watching for waterfalls and ledges along the brook, beautiful!! Finally turn away from the water, come to a woods road, turn right along it and then left back into the woods. Stonewall on the right then downhill passing another stonewall, still going downhill. When the trail begins to level out (in an area of fallen birch trees) look left for a two sister tree with a rock sidekick. Look behind the twin for a hidey hole and T-17 (log book). If you come to a large ledge on the right with a large topless tree in front of it you've gone too far.

Continue on, cross new route 20, go left to blue on the right. This is Trillium hill. It goes up and up and up past foundations and remains of some very old trees. When the trail first levels out (after the first major up) look right for a stonewall. At the base of the tree at the beginning of the wall is T-18 (log book).

Continue going up eventually coming to the summit (with sign) of Trillium Hill, pass box #1 of the Mainline Series and then begin to descend, crossing mossy ledges along the way. Cross Hurricane brook Road (going left on the road is Mr. tootsie pop owl and the DEP Tunxis State Forest box) and (find the final box of the Brooks of the Tunxis series) Hurricane Brook (use the yellow/blue go around if need be) pass Box #2 of the Mainline Series (blue has been rerouted so look way uphill on the right for the graying boulder mentioned in those clues) cross a smaller stream and start looking left uphill for a good sized tree growing out of ledge about 50 feet uphill. Look in the upper root for T- 19 (no log)

Continue on crossing several streams and seeing the remains of a lean-to on the right. This next section is one of the toughest, longest (must be more than a mile) and most scenic of all the Tunxis Trail) Up and down, over streams, mossy ledges along the right side and come to a 45 foot tall waterfall (if there's water). The water slides down the moss covered slabs. Before crossing the brook, look for I Vote For This letterbox. Come to a section of trail that's very narrow and you feel like you might slip off to the left, climb up some more and just before it levels out at the state line marker signs, walk between two good sized quartz rocks on the trail (you can't miss them) and look over the top of a large stump on the left to spot a very dead and rotted snag 20 steps off trail. Look in the hole under a flat rock for T-20 with log book.

Pass box #3 of the Mainline Series and in another 0.4 miles is the terminus of the Northen Tunxis Trail and a final letterbox..........Tunxis Trail Terminus.