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Oak Leaf LbNA #6108

Owner:BlackA
Plant date:Oct 18, 2003
Location:
City:Pelham
County:Hampshire
State:Massachusetts
Boxes:1
Found by: Fiddler of the Edema Ruh
Last found:Nov 30, 2023
Status:FFFFFFFFFOFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Nov 2, 2017
Originally planted by Bonnie and adopted October 12, 2008 by BlackA.

The Oak Leaf Letterbox
Cadwell Memorial Forest
Pelham, MA
Established: October 18, 2003
Clue difficulty: Easy
Terrain: Easy; some parts of the trail are rocky and muddy. This circular hike takes 30-45 minutes (if you go the long way). Bring fly spray!

11-01-2017: The clue were up dated.

Driving directions: Locate Route 202, directly west of the Quabbin Reservoir, in western Massachusetts. Take Route 202, from either Route 9 in Belchertown or Route 2 in New Salem, to Packardville Road. Packardville Road is directly across from Quabbin Reservoir Gate 8 (large sign, can't miss it). Turn west (away from the Quabbin) onto Packardville Road. Very soon you'll pass a cemetery on your left, which is the home of the Oyster Tombstone Letterbox (visit www.letterboxing.org for the clue). Continue west; you'll pass Gulf Road on your left; stay right. Watch for a red gate on your right, moments after you pass the Pelham town line. This red gate is kitty-corner across the road from a mailbox numbered 137. Do not park in front of the gate; there's parking a few feet farther down the road. Now there is a long way and a short way...

The long way:

Clue: Walk around the gate and pick up a trail map from the box on your left. You're on a cinder road called Tower Road. When it turns right, you'll see other trails, but stay on the cinder road and continue all the way up to the fire tower. (Out of Africa: Zebra Letterbox can be found up there.) Check out the fire tower, then look for the Metacomet-Monadnock (M-M) Trail behind it. A double-trunked oak tree marks the path. Follow the M-M trail, which is marked with frequent white blazes on trees. It proceeds downhill for quite a while, at first rocky and wet, later more level and less rocky.

Be on the lookout for the remains of a stone wall that runs perpendicular to the trail. When you come to the stone wall, step across the wall and walk left along the stone wall for 16-18 steps to the high point on the wall. The Oak Leaf is protected by several stones. (If you miss the stone wall and walk out to the road, you can follow the directions to "the short way" and find the Oak Leaf Letterbox.)

After stamping in, continue onward on the M-M trail. In a few minutes you'll be back at Packardville Road. Turn right and walk along the road back to your car.

The short way:

Clues: Walk onto the Packardville Road and go left up the road 2/10th of a mile and you will find the M-M trail. Go left onto the M-M trail. Walk about 110 steps to the remains of the stone wall that crosses the path. When you come to the stone wall, stop and walk right, off the trail and along the stone wall, for 16-18 steps to high point on the wall. The Oak Leaf is protected by several stones. You can retrace your steps back to your car.

Don't forget to search for the Oyster Tombstone Letterbox before or after you find the Oak Leaf! Pelham: Monk's Cave is on this road, too.