Porcupine Den *** RETIRED*** LbNA #7925 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Apr 15, 2004 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Alfred |
| County: | York |
| State: | Maine |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | Giddy  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | Bell Lady |
| Last found: | Aug 25, 2005 |
| Status: | FFFFF |
| Last edited: | Apr 15, 2004 |
****** RETIRED ******
This letterbox hunt requires about two miles (round trip) of trail walking. Getting to the letterbox itself requires bushwhacking off trail. This area is full of swamps and is crossed by many old trails that may lead you nowhere or into the next county. The hiding spot is a rock outcrop full of small caves that can be dangerous. It would be safest to stay off the rocks, and also to hike with another person. The rocks at the end of this quest are not a good place for kids (although I would have loved to explore it as a kid). Also consider that this rock area is large enough to contain the dens of other animals, from squirrel-sized to bear-sized.
The Clayton M. Carl Trail lies off of Ida Jim Road in Alfred, Maine. There is a parking area on the north end of the road by a double gate. From here it is about a quarter of a mile stroll to the trailhead on your left. Check out the map at the small sign board. The letterbox lies about a third of a mile up the Atlantic White Cedar Trail, which is a loop beginning and ending at the end of the Clayton M. Carl Trail.
Paces are not the best tool for this hike, but for calibration, it is 31 paces from the Atlantic White Cedar Trail sign (above eye level on a tree) to the second blue blaze on the same trail. About 176 more will bring you to a wood duck nest box on your right, followed by another on your left. About 700 more paces to go, if you feel like counting.
About a third of a mile down the trail you can find a shoulder of rock (that from here looks at least 15’ high) about fifty feet off the trail on your left; this is your destination. You may be able to see that a marsh or some sort of clearing lies just behind this outcrop. For further description, the trail directly in front of you goes through a low area and is rutted out by tires and may be a large puddle. If you are at the right spot you passed a tiny grassy clearing on your left a dozen paces back which is large enough to park a pickup in. If it hasn’t been destroyed, there should be a cairn on your left.
Pick your own way to the rock outcrop, keeping it on your right. This area is thick with spruces. Notice that the bark on many trees has been stripped by porcupines (be careful of leaking sap). In the winter, porcupines leave wide troughs as they cross through this area in the snow. Circle around the rock outcrop until you get to a place that is more “cavey” than the rest. Imagine the flat ferny area as the seat of a gigantic throne. Walk to the end of the arm of rock that thrusts out the furthest (the “right arm” of the “throne”). Stand at the end, face the outcrop, and find the end boulder which sits between a dead stump on your left and a clump of tree trunks on your right. Look under a flat stone at the base of this boulder.
Take a peek at the marsh behind you, take a rest, enjoy! Keep an eye out for porcupines in the trees even as far as Ida Jim Rd. Check out the SPRING PEEPER nearby.
This letterbox hunt requires about two miles (round trip) of trail walking. Getting to the letterbox itself requires bushwhacking off trail. This area is full of swamps and is crossed by many old trails that may lead you nowhere or into the next county. The hiding spot is a rock outcrop full of small caves that can be dangerous. It would be safest to stay off the rocks, and also to hike with another person. The rocks at the end of this quest are not a good place for kids (although I would have loved to explore it as a kid). Also consider that this rock area is large enough to contain the dens of other animals, from squirrel-sized to bear-sized.
The Clayton M. Carl Trail lies off of Ida Jim Road in Alfred, Maine. There is a parking area on the north end of the road by a double gate. From here it is about a quarter of a mile stroll to the trailhead on your left. Check out the map at the small sign board. The letterbox lies about a third of a mile up the Atlantic White Cedar Trail, which is a loop beginning and ending at the end of the Clayton M. Carl Trail.
Paces are not the best tool for this hike, but for calibration, it is 31 paces from the Atlantic White Cedar Trail sign (above eye level on a tree) to the second blue blaze on the same trail. About 176 more will bring you to a wood duck nest box on your right, followed by another on your left. About 700 more paces to go, if you feel like counting.
About a third of a mile down the trail you can find a shoulder of rock (that from here looks at least 15’ high) about fifty feet off the trail on your left; this is your destination. You may be able to see that a marsh or some sort of clearing lies just behind this outcrop. For further description, the trail directly in front of you goes through a low area and is rutted out by tires and may be a large puddle. If you are at the right spot you passed a tiny grassy clearing on your left a dozen paces back which is large enough to park a pickup in. If it hasn’t been destroyed, there should be a cairn on your left.
Pick your own way to the rock outcrop, keeping it on your right. This area is thick with spruces. Notice that the bark on many trees has been stripped by porcupines (be careful of leaking sap). In the winter, porcupines leave wide troughs as they cross through this area in the snow. Circle around the rock outcrop until you get to a place that is more “cavey” than the rest. Imagine the flat ferny area as the seat of a gigantic throne. Walk to the end of the arm of rock that thrusts out the furthest (the “right arm” of the “throne”). Stand at the end, face the outcrop, and find the end boulder which sits between a dead stump on your left and a clump of tree trunks on your right. Look under a flat stone at the base of this boulder.
Take a peek at the marsh behind you, take a rest, enjoy! Keep an eye out for porcupines in the trees even as far as Ida Jim Rd. Check out the SPRING PEEPER nearby.