Laurel of the Mountains LbNA #782
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jul 3, 2002 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Phillipston |
| County: | Worcester |
| State: | Massachusetts |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | Ginger Blue  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | HenroHen |
| Last found: | Sep 7, 2021 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFaFFFFFFaF |
| Last edited: | Jul 3, 2002 |
Laurel of the Mountains Letterbox
Location: Elliot Laurel Reservation
Date planted: 7/3/02
Terrain: easy, 1mile round trip
Clues: whimsical
Placed by: Ginger and Bob (gbheron)
Getting There: From the east, take Rte 2 West, getting off at Exit 21. Bear right at end of the ramp following Rte 2A West to Templeton Center. In the center, bear left onto Rte 101. Follow Rte 101 South for about 4 miles. Entrance to Elliot Laurel Reservation is on the right. Park on the side of the road.
From the west, take Rte 2 East, getting off at Exit 20. Take a right at the end of the ramp onto Baldwinville Rd. Take this road to Templeton Center, taking another right onto Rte 101 South. Follow Rte 101 South for about 4 miles. Entrance to Elliot Laurel Reservation is on the right. Park on the side of the road.
Clues: Long ago in a forest primeval, lived young Laurel of the Kambria family. A field nearby provided Laurel with glimpses of butterflies, rabbits and an occasional coyote. But Laurel was not content with the view from her stand in the forest. Her heart yearned to climb mountains from where she could see the world.
Grandfather Rhodo warned her of the Wood Wizard who lives deep in the forest. Her cousins had already been captured by one of his spells. Leaving home, they had cut off their roots to make travelling easier. Soon they forgot who they were and from where they came. On their journey, they became enraptured by the beauty of the Hemlocks and thought they could become one of these great firs. The Wood Wizard used the charm of the forest to cast his spells. He drew in a deep sigh and released a chilling breath covering the cousins with stone. Even today they each keep their general size and shape but nothing else of their original form remains. Listening to Grandpa Rhodo’s story, Laurel promised to carry her roots with her and never forget her home with the Kambria family.
Still determined to climb mountains, she headed north on the forest path, staying close to the neighboring field. She suddenly came upon a giant ash in the back corner of the field. This tree was the Guardian of the Forest Travelers. She told Laurel she could grant her one wish, but one wish only, to be decided on and used whenever she wanted. Laurel bowed in thanks to this ancient arbor and slowly wound her way along a narrow path. Eventually she passed a rock outcrop on her left and on her right. Up over the crest of the hill and downhill through a fern covered forest floor wandered Laurel. The ferns delighted Laurel with their airiness. All of a sudden she noticed a cluster of boulders off to the left side of the path. She recognized the slanting rectangular shape of her oldest cousin standing behind a forked pine and the round shape of another cousin nestled in front of an oak. On the left of these lay the smaller flat-top of her littlest cousin. She approached and as she walked through the ferns, she wistfully dreamed of what it would be like to carpet the earth as one of these feathery fronds. Too late, she remembered Grandpa Rhodo’s warning. Quickly she shouted out her wish given to her by the Guardian of the Forest Travelers. “Let me keep my appearance as a Kambria, complete with leaves and blossoms!” The Guardian stayed true to her word and so Laurel kept her flowers and leaves. However, if you peek beneath the south side of the littlest cousin, you will discover that Laurel did not completely escape the cast of the Wood Wizard’s spell. There she remains – not stone – not real – but able to leave a lasting impression with all those who visit. Though Laurel never returned home, her family knew of her wish to climb mountains and fondly remember her as Laurel of the Mountains.
If you find Laurel nestled beneath her littlest stone cousin, stamp in. She’ll be glad to meet people from places that she never got to see. Then continue on downhill. As the trail begins to flatten you will be walking through a forest of pines and hemlocks. Be careful here. A trail forks off to the right dipping slightly and then back up over a knoll. Rather, take the trail that forks to the left. Look for a yellow dot blaze and continue up a gradual incline, then through an opening in a stone wall. This trail loops back to the path that follows the adjacent field. A right on this path takes you back to the start.
(You’ll know you’ve taken the wrong path if you come upon a large fallen hemlock blocking the trail. However, you can circumvent this tree and continue on this faint trail. It will bring you back to the path you started out on, close to your car.)
Location: Elliot Laurel Reservation
Date planted: 7/3/02
Terrain: easy, 1mile round trip
Clues: whimsical
Placed by: Ginger and Bob (gbheron)
Getting There: From the east, take Rte 2 West, getting off at Exit 21. Bear right at end of the ramp following Rte 2A West to Templeton Center. In the center, bear left onto Rte 101. Follow Rte 101 South for about 4 miles. Entrance to Elliot Laurel Reservation is on the right. Park on the side of the road.
From the west, take Rte 2 East, getting off at Exit 20. Take a right at the end of the ramp onto Baldwinville Rd. Take this road to Templeton Center, taking another right onto Rte 101 South. Follow Rte 101 South for about 4 miles. Entrance to Elliot Laurel Reservation is on the right. Park on the side of the road.
Clues: Long ago in a forest primeval, lived young Laurel of the Kambria family. A field nearby provided Laurel with glimpses of butterflies, rabbits and an occasional coyote. But Laurel was not content with the view from her stand in the forest. Her heart yearned to climb mountains from where she could see the world.
Grandfather Rhodo warned her of the Wood Wizard who lives deep in the forest. Her cousins had already been captured by one of his spells. Leaving home, they had cut off their roots to make travelling easier. Soon they forgot who they were and from where they came. On their journey, they became enraptured by the beauty of the Hemlocks and thought they could become one of these great firs. The Wood Wizard used the charm of the forest to cast his spells. He drew in a deep sigh and released a chilling breath covering the cousins with stone. Even today they each keep their general size and shape but nothing else of their original form remains. Listening to Grandpa Rhodo’s story, Laurel promised to carry her roots with her and never forget her home with the Kambria family.
Still determined to climb mountains, she headed north on the forest path, staying close to the neighboring field. She suddenly came upon a giant ash in the back corner of the field. This tree was the Guardian of the Forest Travelers. She told Laurel she could grant her one wish, but one wish only, to be decided on and used whenever she wanted. Laurel bowed in thanks to this ancient arbor and slowly wound her way along a narrow path. Eventually she passed a rock outcrop on her left and on her right. Up over the crest of the hill and downhill through a fern covered forest floor wandered Laurel. The ferns delighted Laurel with their airiness. All of a sudden she noticed a cluster of boulders off to the left side of the path. She recognized the slanting rectangular shape of her oldest cousin standing behind a forked pine and the round shape of another cousin nestled in front of an oak. On the left of these lay the smaller flat-top of her littlest cousin. She approached and as she walked through the ferns, she wistfully dreamed of what it would be like to carpet the earth as one of these feathery fronds. Too late, she remembered Grandpa Rhodo’s warning. Quickly she shouted out her wish given to her by the Guardian of the Forest Travelers. “Let me keep my appearance as a Kambria, complete with leaves and blossoms!” The Guardian stayed true to her word and so Laurel kept her flowers and leaves. However, if you peek beneath the south side of the littlest cousin, you will discover that Laurel did not completely escape the cast of the Wood Wizard’s spell. There she remains – not stone – not real – but able to leave a lasting impression with all those who visit. Though Laurel never returned home, her family knew of her wish to climb mountains and fondly remember her as Laurel of the Mountains.
If you find Laurel nestled beneath her littlest stone cousin, stamp in. She’ll be glad to meet people from places that she never got to see. Then continue on downhill. As the trail begins to flatten you will be walking through a forest of pines and hemlocks. Be careful here. A trail forks off to the right dipping slightly and then back up over a knoll. Rather, take the trail that forks to the left. Look for a yellow dot blaze and continue up a gradual incline, then through an opening in a stone wall. This trail loops back to the path that follows the adjacent field. A right on this path takes you back to the start.
(You’ll know you’ve taken the wrong path if you come upon a large fallen hemlock blocking the trail. However, you can circumvent this tree and continue on this faint trail. It will bring you back to the path you started out on, close to your car.)