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First aidGreenbelt Rocks LbNA #55765

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Sep 18, 2010
Location:
City:Gloucester
County:Essex
State:Massachusetts
Boxes:9
Planted by:Greenbelt Rocks!
Found by: Essex Explorers
Last found:Sep 17, 2020
Status:FFaFFFF
Last edited:Sep 18, 2010
Cairn Rocks
Walk along the path through the graveyard to the end of the pavement. Walk 50 steps to the trail marker. Follow the trail up the rocky woods path 150 steps to a clearing where you'll see a blueberry patch and small birch clump on your left. Bear right and walk 35 steps (up a small rock ramp) to the small cairn on your left. Your first cache will be under this the cairn.

Summit Rocks
Walk 15 steps to a trail intersection. Bear left and walk 80 steps up a rocky slope. Walk another 50 steps up the steep incline between the rocks to a beautiful summit surprise! Head slightly to the left (SE) look for your next cache in the rock crevice.

Erratic Rocks
Head NW down the trail, walk 35 steps to another granite rock face (notice fire pit on your left). Continue straight across this rock face (heading west) 65 steps down to the end of this rock ledge. Continue on the path down the hill. Walk (70 steps) to a trail intersection. Notice white pines and oaks here. Bear left at this intersection and walk 35 steps down the hill. Look to the right and see a small glacial erratic boulder, where you’ll find your next cache.

More Boulders
Walk (22 steps) to the next trail intersection. Turn left. Walk (98 steps) to the Greenbelt marker. Walk (15 more steps) to the trail intersection. Turn right here and walk 32 steps down the hill. On left, you’ll see 3 glacial erratic boulders. Look under one of these to find your cache.

Glacial debris
Continue down this trail (75 steps) to a cairn (you are close to Route 133 now). Turn left and walk 70 steps down the hill to the next Greenbelt marker. Continue 15 steps. On right you’ll see small glacial rocks in front of some giant boulders. Look in between these smaller ones to find your next cache.

Enter the Boulder Field
Walk (48 steps) to the next Greenbelt marker. Continue (43 steps) to the next intersection and bear left. Walk 50 steps, you’ll cross over a dead log here. Take a moment to notice the many “blowdowns” from the hurricane of winter ’10. Walk 54 steps – you are entering the boulder field). If you look to your right, you’ll see trees with charred bases, reminders of the latest big fire to sweep through here in 1993. On your left, notice boulders with a dead tree across them. Find your next cache here.

Into the Boulder Field
Walk 50 steps. On your left, see another tree with charred base from burn of ’93. Walk 80 steps up a winding hill. Walk another 43 steps heading down a gentle slope. See a massive glacial erratic boulder on your left and a smaller one on your right. Find your next cache here.

Nature’s Art
Walk 52 steps and bear right, on the main trail. You’ll see a HUGE glacial erratic above and to the left here. Walk 43 steps to the next Greenbelt marker. Walk 33 steps to the bottom of the hill, where it looks like a tree is posing as nature’s giant pencil. Bear left here on the main trail and walk 25 steps. On your left, see the amazing, naturally-formed boulder sculptures of boulders pile atop one another. There are several dead logs strewn about. Look for the one leaning up against the rock wall. The cache will be to its left, under a rock at the base of this stone wall.

Cairn About Nature
Walk 75 steps to the next Greenbelt marker. Continue on until you reach the stone wall, a reminder of this region’s agricultural history. Walk on to the footbridge. Walk on (about 46 steps) to the Greenbelt marker and intersection. Stay left and walk (63 steps) to next Greenbelt marker. Walk 83 steps to the next intersection. Stay left and continue up the hill. Walk 50 steps up a steep rock face to a cairn. Continue up (YOU’RE ALMOST THERE!!) until you see a fire pit and cairn on your left (about 30 steps). Below the cairn, look for your final cache!!). Take a rest, and look around. If you happen to see garbage around from careless visitors, please pick it up. Thank you!!

Follow the blue dot and Greenbelt trail markers across the rocks and back to where you started. Congratulations and we hope you enjoyed Greenbelt Rocks!!! For more information about the natural and human history of this property and Greenbelt’s work to conserve the best natural areas of Essex County, please visit http://www.ecga.org/properties/tompsonstreet.html