All for the Love of Nature LbNA #68037
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jan 20, 2014 |
| Location: | Pilcher Park |
| City: | Joliet |
| County: | Will |
| State: | Illinois |
| Boxes: | 5 |
| Planted by: | C&J719  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | 66gypsies (5) |
| Last found: | Jul 23, 2016 |
| Status: | OaF |
| Last edited: | Jan 20, 2014 |
On January 20, 2014, I completed the following hunt with my then boyfriend. It was on this walk that he asked me to be his wife. We hope you enjoy this letterbox with someone special. :)
--->Enter the main road through Pilcher Park by going over the railroad tracks and turning left before the greenhouse coming away from Route 30, or by turning right after the green house going towards Route 30. Your adventure is just about to begin!
Keep going straight past the playground and picnic pavilions; there will be time to play and eat later!
At the first fork, take a right so you don’t attract attention from the authorities!
At the next fork, you will see the Nature Center sign. Be sure to take a left at that one. Soon, you will see yellow posts on the right.
Continue to follow the road in your car until you cross a bridge with yellow sides. A short ride from that bridge is a yellow gate. Be sure to park far enough from the gate so you don’t block the fire lane!
Go on to the trail straight ahead, if you see the map posting, you will be taking the Purple Circle Trail at first.
Continue down this path until you see some posts filled with goodies left by litterbugs. Take that right.
About forty steps past those garbage-ridden posts is a tree whose life was brought to an abrupt end by a storm. It is here that you will search for your first reward.
Get back on the path, the fun has just begun! Continue on this trail, you’ll see a tree with the top half missing. Keep on going.
Soon, you will see a bench facing some bricks overlooking a ravine. Looks like a nice spot to relax, but not today! Take the gentle decline into the ravine by going down the right side.
While the natural wonders of Pilcher may consume you, you must pay attention to a man-made square of concrete with some pipes leading out of it. Who made this? Why? We don’t know, but we do know you’ll find your next prize hidden in some tree roots off to the side of the ravine near this landmark.
No dilly-dallying in the ravine! Now you have to use your trail instincts to find the trail with two small broken trees over it. If you can’t find the trees, or need another clue, you should be heading up an incline which then descends again.
Continue on this trail, jumping over a medium-sized tree if necessary, until you come to a primitive habitat on the right. We hope the inhabitants weren’t expecting to be covered from Chicagoland weather! Either way, ransack the house to find the next letterbox.
After dealing with the fort, get back on the trail and continue on the decline until you reach a fork. There may be some broken trees, but don’t let that scare you into the wrong decision; we know you’ll get it “right!”
While heading down this next trail, you will spy another piece of man-made material in this natural landscape. Is this blue marker stuck in a pipe with boards and nails marking a gas line? An electric line? A cable line? No matter, just take a left.
This path is a bit more rugged and small. But you have plenty of food and water if you get lost right? No worries, get through these small branches and logs littering the ground and try to follow the small paths. Stay straight, use your human compass!
Not too far in, you will start to see a neighborhood on the right. Civilization at last, you’re thinking? Think again. Don’t. Get. Distracted! Keep on your woodland trail.
Veer towards the left path when there’s a path that appears to be coming from a tall blue house. There will be tall grass in front of you as well, don’t get lost in it, and make sure you take that left!
You may have to walk between two small trees with a pointed stump at the right, but keep going straight on these small trails.
Feeling a bit lost? Don’t worry, this next reward will have you cruising down the right path. Even though Americans love this invention from 1769, there are two abandoned ones in this very forest preserve. Inspect the one on the right for a well-earned stamp.
Continue on past the metal behemoths, and then take a left on a trail with some man-made tracks that looks bigger, almost as if it used for the locals from the neighborhood to take this very same adventure!
Keep going. You are almost halfway there!
Take a right when there’s a fork, and then you will spot yet another tree over the trail, unless some woodland creature ate it for lunch, that is!
Continue on, and enjoy the walk for a bit, as you pass streams and banks on both sides, and then larger, shallower banks on each side. This trail is a bit clearer to follow, but wasn’t it fun to take the road less traveled?
Keep going, you’ve made it this far! There are two stones benches, take a rest if you like, but if you are ready, take a look at the Nature Center Sign, as well as the Upper Trail Sign. What you want to do is take a left onto the Yellow Star Valley Road. Which, if you’re confused, is before the second bench, but after the first!
Follow this trail, which appears to have been paved in days past, but now has dips and trees all over! You may see a small tree leaning on a large tree, or a tree that is just hanging on by a thread, but still, continue on.
It is at this point you need to be very keen on observing your surroundings. The stream has carved a peninsula to the right of the path. You need to walk to the end of this jut of land, and safely cross the stream out to a set of exposed roots. Walk up the hill, to the right, and follow the bank, until you get to two trees that are joined together forever. It is here that you will find the letterbox you have been waiting for. Inspect the natural landscape, and enjoy the view. You will be looking out over the entire forest, and you conquered it! Well done.
Note: Take the trail to the left and follow it under the broken tree and across the stream to get back to your starting point.
--->Enter the main road through Pilcher Park by going over the railroad tracks and turning left before the greenhouse coming away from Route 30, or by turning right after the green house going towards Route 30. Your adventure is just about to begin!
Keep going straight past the playground and picnic pavilions; there will be time to play and eat later!
At the first fork, take a right so you don’t attract attention from the authorities!
At the next fork, you will see the Nature Center sign. Be sure to take a left at that one. Soon, you will see yellow posts on the right.
Continue to follow the road in your car until you cross a bridge with yellow sides. A short ride from that bridge is a yellow gate. Be sure to park far enough from the gate so you don’t block the fire lane!
Go on to the trail straight ahead, if you see the map posting, you will be taking the Purple Circle Trail at first.
Continue down this path until you see some posts filled with goodies left by litterbugs. Take that right.
About forty steps past those garbage-ridden posts is a tree whose life was brought to an abrupt end by a storm. It is here that you will search for your first reward.
Get back on the path, the fun has just begun! Continue on this trail, you’ll see a tree with the top half missing. Keep on going.
Soon, you will see a bench facing some bricks overlooking a ravine. Looks like a nice spot to relax, but not today! Take the gentle decline into the ravine by going down the right side.
While the natural wonders of Pilcher may consume you, you must pay attention to a man-made square of concrete with some pipes leading out of it. Who made this? Why? We don’t know, but we do know you’ll find your next prize hidden in some tree roots off to the side of the ravine near this landmark.
No dilly-dallying in the ravine! Now you have to use your trail instincts to find the trail with two small broken trees over it. If you can’t find the trees, or need another clue, you should be heading up an incline which then descends again.
Continue on this trail, jumping over a medium-sized tree if necessary, until you come to a primitive habitat on the right. We hope the inhabitants weren’t expecting to be covered from Chicagoland weather! Either way, ransack the house to find the next letterbox.
After dealing with the fort, get back on the trail and continue on the decline until you reach a fork. There may be some broken trees, but don’t let that scare you into the wrong decision; we know you’ll get it “right!”
While heading down this next trail, you will spy another piece of man-made material in this natural landscape. Is this blue marker stuck in a pipe with boards and nails marking a gas line? An electric line? A cable line? No matter, just take a left.
This path is a bit more rugged and small. But you have plenty of food and water if you get lost right? No worries, get through these small branches and logs littering the ground and try to follow the small paths. Stay straight, use your human compass!
Not too far in, you will start to see a neighborhood on the right. Civilization at last, you’re thinking? Think again. Don’t. Get. Distracted! Keep on your woodland trail.
Veer towards the left path when there’s a path that appears to be coming from a tall blue house. There will be tall grass in front of you as well, don’t get lost in it, and make sure you take that left!
You may have to walk between two small trees with a pointed stump at the right, but keep going straight on these small trails.
Feeling a bit lost? Don’t worry, this next reward will have you cruising down the right path. Even though Americans love this invention from 1769, there are two abandoned ones in this very forest preserve. Inspect the one on the right for a well-earned stamp.
Continue on past the metal behemoths, and then take a left on a trail with some man-made tracks that looks bigger, almost as if it used for the locals from the neighborhood to take this very same adventure!
Keep going. You are almost halfway there!
Take a right when there’s a fork, and then you will spot yet another tree over the trail, unless some woodland creature ate it for lunch, that is!
Continue on, and enjoy the walk for a bit, as you pass streams and banks on both sides, and then larger, shallower banks on each side. This trail is a bit clearer to follow, but wasn’t it fun to take the road less traveled?
Keep going, you’ve made it this far! There are two stones benches, take a rest if you like, but if you are ready, take a look at the Nature Center Sign, as well as the Upper Trail Sign. What you want to do is take a left onto the Yellow Star Valley Road. Which, if you’re confused, is before the second bench, but after the first!
Follow this trail, which appears to have been paved in days past, but now has dips and trees all over! You may see a small tree leaning on a large tree, or a tree that is just hanging on by a thread, but still, continue on.
It is at this point you need to be very keen on observing your surroundings. The stream has carved a peninsula to the right of the path. You need to walk to the end of this jut of land, and safely cross the stream out to a set of exposed roots. Walk up the hill, to the right, and follow the bank, until you get to two trees that are joined together forever. It is here that you will find the letterbox you have been waiting for. Inspect the natural landscape, and enjoy the view. You will be looking out over the entire forest, and you conquered it! Well done.
Note: Take the trail to the left and follow it under the broken tree and across the stream to get back to your starting point.