bench

bench
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

This picturesque little bench perches on the bluffs at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, where I went letterboxing at today.

I highly recommend the "Moose Hill" letterboxing set, both for the quality of the boxes and for the nice hike around the grounds. I spent 2.5 hours hiking, and quite a lot more time hunting, especially for the first box, which was tricky. And then I didn't have a map, and got all turned around, and wound up finding box #3 before box #2. I wasn't sure I'd find any of them, so it worked out well.

I was encouraged to become a member of Mass Audubon in order to avoid paying the $4 entry fee to Moose Hill. The cost of membership is $44, but I'm hopeful that I'll be using the Mass Audubon sanctuaries frequently. Plus I think it's a good cause. Lord knows the state of Massachusetts can use more conservation land, especially near Boston.

Hopkinton State Park

Hopkinton State Park
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

This is a view of a little island in the reservoir at Hopkinton State Park. You see this from along the Reservoir Trail, where I hiked today.

Trail at Callahan

Trail at Callahan
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I went for a short hike at Callahan State Park. It was a warm day and it had rained yesterday. Nevertheless, the trail was still thick with ice in most places. I didn't go very far... but I did collect my first letterbox in Massachusetts!

Damaged letterbox

Damaged letterbox
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

Last weekend, I went letterboxing at Elderslie Preserve. The last box that I went searching for was called "Triple Fork". I discovered it easily. It had been damaged - the box had a crack in the bottom of it, allowing moisture to seep in. Apparently this happened months ago, judging from a comment left by the last boxer to stamp in. That boxer had rebagged everything in the box, which was nice. Unfortunately, when I found it, the logbook was practically dripping wet, sealed away in its bag. Everything else in the box was pretty dry, so I took the logbook home to dry it out thoroughly. I returned the log today, and replaced this split box with a brand new one.

Coginchaug Cave revisited

Today's hike: 2.3 h | 5.8 mi | 2.5 mph

Weather: spectacular, cool, dry. I did the Coginchaug Cave section of the Mattabesett today, starting at Harvey Rd and going out to Old Blue Hills Rd. I guess the last time I was there was about a year ago on July 8, 2006.

After crossing Higganum Rd, I began to hear the voices of hikers ahead, and slowed my pace because I didn't want to run into them.

After hiking for about five more minutes, I felt a sharp pinching pain on my right ankle. I looked down to see about 10 yellowjackets grasping tightly to my socks and boots (left and right). Obviously, one had managed to hit my ankle with its stinger! I began frantically to brush at them with a stick. They seemed incredibly determined to finish me off, even at the cost of their lives, and would not easily release their grip on my socks. At some point I began to notice a few flying around, so I took off at a dead run down the trail!

I stopped again soon to continue brushing them off my feet. I do not understand why they went for my ankles. My socks were a kind of heather blue and my boots are brown. Do yellowjackets find those colors particularly provocative? I can't understand why they didn't land on my skin, but I'm glad that they didn't. Anyway, I started off running again, when it seemed there were still a bunch flying around me.

Soon thereafter, I almost ran straight into a crowd of hikers. They asked if I had been stung and one guy noticed a yellowjacket on my (olive green) shorts! Apparently this group of hikers had just been through a similar experience with the yellowjackets. I asked if they knew why these insects had attacked - I've never been attacked by yellowjackets, although they do sometimes bother me when eating outdoors. One hiker thought that someone at the front of the group must have disturbed a nest of them, though it wasn't really clear what happened. Perhaps there was a yellowjacket nest built in the ground along the trail? Scary stuff.

I crossed through the group and moved onward quickly, hoping to leave them behind because I had planned to hunt for a letterbox up ahead. I kept my pace fast, got to Coginchaug Cave, and found the letterbox quickly, retrieving it and moving off into the woods to stamp in. The hikers began arriving shortly after that, but I don't think they noticed me where I was sitting. Since I couldn't rehide the box at that point, I left the letterbox at my hideaway and circumvented the hikers via a side trail, hiking on out to Old Blue Hills Rd. By the time I got back, the hikers had left and I could hide the box back where it belonged - whew!

I wasn't sure how long the yellowjackets might hold their grudge, but apparently things were back to normal soon, since the trip back was uneventful. The sting on my ankle hurt a lot at first, but by the time I'd hiked to the Cave, it was feeling a bit better. This evening it only hurts a tiny bit, on occasion, and I can hardly see where I was stung. I regret that I panicked when seeing the critters on my socks. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to pull out my camera and get a photo.

Crescent Lake and Castle Craig

Crescent Lake and Castle Craig
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I never get tired of this view over Crescent Lake, with Castle Craig off in the distance.

Today I went letterboxing by Giuffrida Park, hiking around Crescent Lake and all the way up to Chauncey Peak and back again. Nice day for it, although it is still too humid. There was a breeze, which helped.

Baby snake

Baby snake
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

When letterboxing, you often wind up picking up stones to see if there's a letterbox underneath. A somewhat risky procedure, I guess.

It is hard to imagine how this little snake had managed to cram itself under the rock that I picked up. I guess it was at least as shocked to see me as I was to see it. Nevertheless, it took several minutes before sliding away. Probably going to tell its snake friends about the alien monster that flashed lights at it.

North Farms Trails map

North Farms Trails map
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I did a quick little hike over at North Farms Trails, in North Branford, Connecticut, today. Letterboxing, of course.

The park is pleasant, though small. The stream running through it gets pretty wide in spots, and the trails that I took were nice and shady.

Black Pond

Black Pond
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

Another day of letterboxing. The weather was far from perfect, but once I reached this great view of Black Pond, high up on Beseck Mountain, there was a nice, constant, cool breeze.

Shagbark hickory

Shagbark hickory
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

Another look at the shagbark hickory. The leaves are pinnate (i.e. feather-like), with three, five, or seven leaflets.

Shagbark hickory

Shagbark hickory
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

Nature lesson for today: This is the trunk of a shagbark hickory tree.

Trees at Cockaponset State Forest

Trees at Cockaponset State Forest
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I went letterboxing at Cockaponset State Forest today. What a day! Trees. Blue sky. Little puffy clouds. This is heaven!

Engraving

Engraving
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

This engraving reads "1924 FMH DEG".

I found it along the white trail at Sleeping Giant, up around the Right Leg. I'd never noticed it before. Is it really from 1924? It does have an authentic look to it...

I finished up "The Table" letterboxing series today. The hardest box was "The Quartz Rock". Reading the description, I was sure that I knew exactly where it should be found, in the vicinity of another letterbox that I've previously discovered. However, the clue mentions a pipe embedded in the rock, and I couldn't find that anywhere... It turned out to be one of those cases where you're so sure, but in fact you're completely wrong. All the more rewarding when you do find it, though!

Purple-flowering raspberry

Purple-flowering raspberry
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

While letterboxing on Sleeping Giant today, I came across this interesting plant. After a bit of hunting, I think I've identified it as a purple-flowering raspberry. It was very attractive to insects. Here, a very small insect is getting drunk on pollen. A larger bee kept hovering around, and would often kick this smaller insect out of the way to start its own frantic pollen harvest.

There are a few of these flowering plants currently blooming along the red circle trail.

View from Giant's shoulder

View from Giant's shoulder
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

This was the view at Sleeping Giant this morning. More letterboxing fun today!

Tulip tree above

Tulip tree above
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

If think you've spotted a tulip tree based on its trunk, look up. Here you can see the distinct four-lobe leaves that cinch the identity of this tulip tree.

Ok, that's all for today's nature lesson.

Tulip tree trunk

Tulip tree trunk
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

This is the trunk of a tulip tree. Now you can see the corrugated pattern as it runs up and down the tree.

A tulip tree may have several trunks growing up from one central root. In letterboxing, if a tree has two trunks, it may be called a "two-sister" tree. A "four-sister" tree has four trunks, and so on.

Tulip tree bark

Tulip tree bark
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

This is the bark of a tulip tree. I put my hand up against it to give a sense of scale. Notice the very distinct ridged pattern, almost corrugated.

The bark alone is not enough to identify the tree for me; I often get it confused with certain oaks. However, you know what you're not looking for - nothing smooth or silvery or partially split.

Tulip tree leaves

Today's letterboxing clue involved seeking out some tulip trees. I found that several people had made comments in the logbooks that they didn't know what a tulip tree was, and therefore had difficulty finding the treasure. Lesson to the wise: read the clues before you set out to make sure that you know what natural features you will be asked to recognize.

So here's a little nature lesson. Tulip trees are particularly recognizable in the summer, because their leaves are so distinctive. These are some tulip tree leaves that have parted with their parent branch. Notice the four pointed lobes to each leaf.

Tulip tree leaf
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

View from spur trail at Spiderweed Preserve

View from spur trail at Spiderweed Preserve
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I went letterboxing at Spiderweed Preserve today. It was a very rewarding experience! Fantastic weather, moderate temperature.

Spiderweed Preserve is a real playground, a pleasure in which to roam. Lots of interesting geological features, massive stone outcroppings and so on. Also has a few interesting ruins - the usual stone walls, a stone foundation, and a falling-down house.

This view was taken from the pegmatite outcrop mentioned in the trail guide (pdf).