Threshing Festival Dayv- Missing

It was a hot, steamy August Saturday and Pa woke me early to tell me that we weren't working in the fields today. Seems that we were going to a big get together over in Shirktown, the annual Threshing Event. I had forgotten all about this big day which we attended every year. The summer was flying by so fast and the thought of school coming soon was almost unbearable. The good thing was that I would be in eighth grade and this would be my last year of school. But that was next month - for today, we had a lot of fun ahead of us. We hopped into the wagon and started off down the road to Shirktown. Here the action was limitless and everywhere I looked, I saw members of our family - aunts, uncles, cousins, my sister Rachel and her four kids, brother Elam and his new bride, Barbara. My favorite cousin, Samuel, and I quickly found each other and went to watch Uncle Daniel and Uncle David demonstrate their new thresher. Then we moved on to see the thresher from the Stoltfus family who lived over in Morgantown. From there we went over to see Aunt Mary and Ma at the home made ice cream demonstration and sampled the chocolate AND the vanilla! Tiring of all of this farm stuff, we decided to look for girls and went to the wool making demonstration .....and we weren't disappointed! The tallest one actually smiled at me! By this time cousin John had joined us and we decided to walk down the big road to the old forge there. The Conestoga River flowed through it and we wanted to cool off on this hot summer day. Cousin John's father, Uncle Amos, worked at the forge so we had the freedom to go anywhere we wanted there. Sensing that we were up to something, Cousin Rebecca headed to us and insisted on going with us. We had to let her, she was bigger than us and could beat any of us at wrestling so we always let her have her way. And when my little sister, Katie, saw us headed out, she ran to catch up to us too. Oh well, the two girls could keep each other company.

It was a long walk to the river and the road was very hot on our bare feet but we soon arrived. The old covered bridge had just gotten a fresh coat of paint and was looking pretty spiffy. One of Cousin John's grandfathers on his mother's side, Elias Mellen had worked on this bridge in 1859 and a member of his family had worked at the forge ever since. Cousin John would probably end up here too since his dad AND his uncles worked here. Once we got on the other side of the covered bridge, we noticed that there had also been work done to the Amish parking lot and it was looking fresh and new. But the place that we were after was on the east of the road through the bridge - the river! We boys rolled our pants legs up and prepared to go running and splashing in the water but the silly girls didn't want to get wet and played on the two rocks under the trees beside the river a little south of us. We could hear them giggling and whispering. Girls are so stupid sometimes, the water was so refreshing, what could be so wonderful about hiding in the brush.

As the girls continued to do girl things, we caught polywogs and minnows and built dams. Pretty soon we noticed that it was getting close to sunset and we had to walk back to Shirktown. So we went after the girls and found them fast asleep on the rocks between the speckled tree and the rough barked tree. A little further away there was another tree with peeling bark. We woke them and they groggily joined us in the walk back to the Thresher festival, arriving there just in the nick of time. Our parents were loading things into the wagon and gathering the rest of our brothers and sisters for the ride home. As Katie and I got in the wagon, Katie's eyes got big and filled with tears. "Oh, Daniel, I left my doll back at the river!" Pa heard her cries and made a promise to her. "Tomorrow I will excuse Daniel from his chores on the farm and he can take the buggy back to the forge to find your doll." Katie happily laid her head on my shoulder and fell asleep knowing that her big brother would save her precious doll. So if you happen to be in the area and see Katie's doll, please leave it there till I can get back!

Training Camp

We made our annual trek to our favorite football team's training camp. This year, the team just happened to be the reigning Super Bowl champions. We saw Ben Roethlisberger, we saw Troy Polamalu, we saw Duce Staley, we saw Hines Ward, and I was getting restless. So I started walking around the beautiful campus.

First I headed to our car to drop off all of the goodies I had purchased at the team store. Shirts and hats and towels and lanyards. Once I was unburdened, I started up the steps at the basilica but headed to the left of the buildings and walked past "venite, filii, audite". After passing a little red fire hydrant, I then walked through a set of arches and spotted a second set of arches.

But before I got to those arches, I noticed that to the left of them, there was a really neat little alcove. As I walked into the alcove, I could see a wooden gazebo straight ahead of me. And when I was standing IN the alcove and facing the training fields, I could see a meditative garden below me. And I also saw a white statue a bit further downhill. But I couldn't quite make out what the statue was so I headed back out the way I came into the alcove.

Just as I passed through the doorway, I dropped my backpack and since it had been open because I had just pulled my notebook out, everything scattered every which way. I picked up all of my belongings and walked downhill to view the statue closer. I then made my way back to the field and refreshed from a little exercise, enjoyed watching the rest of the practice.

However, once we got home, I discovered that I had NOT picked up all of my belongings. I had left a little film cannister laying somewhere around that doorway into the alcove. I thought that I had checked all around the area but it slowly dawned on me that there was one place that I hadn't checked - in the ivy at the base of the little lamppost which was about two feet away from the door. Would someone please check there for me and let me know if it is there? If so, I will retrieve it when we visit the area again next year at the same time.

Too Hot to Hike in Berks County - The Hidden Door - Retired 2018

Location: Berks County
Hike Length: Driveby
Date Planted: August 5, 2006

Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl named Melinda. Melinda had a beautiful mother and a handsome father and they all lived happily together in the county of Berks. One day, the beautiful Melinda was walking along the road to Morgantown on the south side of the shire of Reading. She was on her way to see the swans on Swan Lake after visiting her friend, Angelica Angel. A handsome young man on a large white horse stopped her along the way and asked her if she wanted a ride to Swan Lake. Not remembering anything her mother and father had taught her about talking to strangers, she climbed aboard. They soon approached the building where Melinda’s grandfather had stayed while he was recovering from his fall out of the apple tree and the young man pointed out this nearby tower to the beautiful, young girl.
“Would you like to see the shire of Reading from the top of this tower?” he slyly asked Melinda. She excitedly agreed and the handsome young man led her to a hidden door on the north side of the tower. He pulled a key from a pocket, unlocked the hidden door and they climbed the stairs to the top of the tower. While Melinda was busy looking for the home that she happily shared with her beautiful mother and handsome father, the young man quickly slipped back down the stairs, locking the door behind him. The next thing Melinda saw was the handsome young man galloping away on his white horse. “Oh, no!” Melinda thought after realizing her foolish mistake, “how will I ever get out of here? My beautiful mother and handsome father will be so worried!”

Melinda looked down from the windows at the top of the tower and saw the hidden door. When she moved to the windows on the south side of the tower and looked down, she saw another little building. Between the little building and the tower was a pile of items that gave Melinda a great deal of hope. If someone were to come close to the tower, she could direct them to this pile and they could build some stairs to the top and rescue her. But she saw something under the pile that gave her more hope. If only someone would come and find this, she could escape and return to the home that she shared happily with her beautiful mother and handsome father.

Last found: July 13, 2008

7/23/09 - I just checked on this box and it is alive and well. Just be careful, there is a bit of poison ivy beginning to make an appearance near the box but it is not necessary to touch any of it to retrieve the box.

Flood Plan - MISSING

9/7/09, Flood Plan has been reported missing which just goes to show you that I picked a terrible spot. It floated away - a lot of good it would have done if I had really needed it. Watch for Flood Plan II to be placed soon - hopefully in a spot safer from flooding!
Location: Reading, PA
Length of Hike: .5 mile round trip
Date Planted: July 30, 2006

We live a half mile from the Schuylkill River. It is a fairly nondescript river. I grew up playing on the mighty Susquehanna River and when I moved to Berks County many years ago, I remember looking at the Schuylkill rather scornfully and snorting to the locals "you think THAT is a river?" For many years it was nothing more than a large stream in my mind.

Then one day in June, 2006, it started raining. And it rained and it rained and it rained. And the paltry little Schuylkill grew and grew and grew. Soon it became a raging monster, flowing over its banks, destroying one of my employer's office buildings which was on its banks, closing roads. Fortunately, that half mile between our home and the river was sufficient enough for us to remain safe and sound, only minorly inconvenienced by the detours that we had to take to bypass the closed roads. But it made an impression and I decided that I had to take some action to prepare for a future similar episode.

I completed my plan and knew that I had to place it away from our house in an easily accessible spot. After all, I may not have the use of a car if something were to happen again. So I remembered a little trail that I had accidentally discovered when I wandered off from a family gathering one spring evening. This path begins in the Madison at Exeter apartment complex off of Lorane Road. Access this trail by walking between apartments 555 and 557 on Dover Court. The trail begins as a wood chip path and meanders a bit along a stream which is really quite pretty when the summer growth dies back. Wander along this path for a little while until the path widens and branches off to the right. If the water level is high enough you will see some pretty little waterfalls here. Continue on the main path until you see this spot (literally!).

Look towards the creek opposite this spot and you will see the perfect hiding spot for my flood plan.

Reported missing: July 13, 2008

Laura's Grown Up Luv - Tiny Treasure

Location: Reading, PA
Hike Length: about 1 mile round trip
Date Planted: July 30, 2006

This is the final box in the Laura's Childhood Luvs series - a series which was a lot of fun for me to plan and plant. This box also replaces the exchange box "Pateke from New Zealand" because the carver of that box has requested that I send it home to her. Tiny Treasure is in the exact location that Pateke was in but you should be able to count it as a new find because it is an entirely different box.

To find this box, go to the Sawmill Parking lot of the forest in Berks County originally owned by a producer of hosiery and get out of your car and admire the dam and little waterfall. Then turn your back on this pretty sight and take the trail which is now to your left. After you pass two sets of park benches, watch for a swatch of green and turn left on the trail after it. Walk up, up, up till you have to make a choice. If you choose the right way you will be on a timber and tree root stepped path. Take this to the loop and go counterclockwise. You will see a wooden platform, ignore it, the box is not there. Go a bit further to a little hill on the right. Go down that to the two trunked tree that is directly in front of you and search for your reward.

While you are in the park be sure to search for the series by Pink Panther and Black Swan as well as by ShredMTB.

Edited 7/6/09. I checked on this box and it is still in good shape. I did slightly move it though. It is now in front of the tree instead of behind it due to a small amount of poison beginning in its old hiding spot.

6/6/10 - box still in good shape.

Piece-a Pizza

Location: Ashland, PA
Length of Hike: Driveby
Date Planted: July 30, 2005Looking for Black Diamonds near Mother? Hungry? Thirsty? Have a piece-a pizza at Devitos. While you are there, have a Guer’s Iced Tea from the cooler.

Say hello to my brother, Tom!
My brother sold this restaurant in 2009 and it is now in foreclosure from the new owners so I presume this box is history.

Last reported find: July 10, 2008

Old Fiddlers Picnic

Location: Hibernia Park, Chester County, PA
Date Planted: June 16, 2005
Length of Hike: .25 mile

This box was placed to honor the 77th Annual Old Fiddlers Picnic held in Hibernia Park, a lovely little park near Coatesville, PA. To obtain more information on the gathering, go to: http://www.chesco.org/ccparks/fiddlers05.html. The 2006 celebration will be held on August 12 from 10 till 6.

To find the box, go to the main entrance and follow the road to the parking area at the Warren Mercer Memorial. Park your car and walk back out to the road, turn right and carefully walk back down the main road about .2 mile to a trail on the left. Take this trail about 30 steps and look to the left for two touching rocks in the woods, about ten feet off the road. Look behind the rocks for your prize.

This letterbox has been planted with the permission of Hibernia Park, please remember to abide by all of the rules of the park.

Pateke from New Zealand

Location: Reading, PA
Hike Length: about 1 mile round trip
Date Planted: April 3, 2005

7/20/2006 This box has been pulled to return to Psychokiwi.

The Pateke box is part of the IALC (International Artgirl Letterboxing Cabal) exchange. The box listed here was created by Team Psychokiwi from New Zealand and is now planted in Nolde Forest by Team Little Dog. Note: At the request of Psychokiwi, this box will be pulled and returned to her at the end of July, 2006. Another box will be placed in the same area but this is your last chance to get a neat stamp from New Zealand.

I checked on this box 7/5/2006. It is in excellent condition but the logbook was full. I had planned on keeping the full log book in the box for others to enjoy (it is unique) but I couldn't fit it in with the new log book.

This picture is the reason that I checked on this box today. We have just had a tremendous amount of rain and a lot of local flooding and I was afraid that this box would have floated away. The creek here has been dry more often than it has had water in it on my trips to this park. Fortunately, the water was flowing nicely and the box was dry as a bone.

To find this box, go to the Sawmill Parking lot of the forest in Berks County originally owned by a producer of hosiery and get out of your car and admire the dam and little waterfall. Then turn your back on this pretty sight and take the trail which is now to your left. After you pass two sets of park benches, watch for a swatch of green and turn left on the trail after it. Walk up, up, up till you have to make a choice. If you choose the right way you will be on a timber and tree root stepped path. Take this to the loop and go counterclockwise. You will see a wooden platform, ignore it, the box is not there. Go a bit further to a little hill on the right. Go down that to the two trunked tree that is directly in front of you and search for your reward.

While you are in the park be sure to search for the ShredMTB's Series.

Please let me know when you find this box so that both Team Psychokiwi and Team Little Dog can share in your excitement!

Laura's Childhood Luvs - Scooby Doo

This is one of a series of boxes based on my daughter’s childhood luvs. Laura is the mother of my beloved grandson, Nicholas, and when she was pregnant with him, we did some shopping in the toy departments to see what toys were the latest rage for today’s infants. We were totally surprised to find that many of the toys that Laura played with as a child are still available and popular today. These boxes began as a series of postal letterboxes and as they returned home, I planted them permanently. While reminiscing, we remembered several other favorites and created new boxes to memorialize them. Because Laura has a physical challenge (she is blind) and also enjoys letterboxing, I am placing these boxes in areas that are mainly handicapped accessible.

This box was placed in a park on Lloyd Avenue in Downingtown, Chester County. Every time I go past this park, I see people getting their dogs in and out of the car and I found out from some local people that it is known as the Dog Park so I thought that Scooby Doo would be happy here. This is an open grassy field which tends to have a lot of wet swampy areas because it is right next to the Brandywine Creek. The parking lot is at a little creek, if the water is low, you can almost hop across it. There is a solid ground way to get onto the field up the road a little bit. Be careful of walking through the creek though, I tried it and it sucked the sandal right off of my foot. Anyway, follow the Brandywine around the edge of the field. There are many little alcoves in the trees to get a better view of the pretty stream banks here. At the very end of the field, it begins to curve around to the north. Continue to follow the perimeter of the field. You will pass a path coming in from the cornfield on your right. Soon, you will pass an extremely straight trunked tree in the form of a V. A little further along is a many (and I mean many) trunked tree on a little rise. It is kind of eerie looking. Beside it is a metal pole. The box is nestled in the many trunks. It may be better to go back to the cornfield to stamp in because this park is extremely busy with a lot of dogs who run freely.
__________________________________________________________________

Comment recevied from the Clueless Crew on 9/5/06
Hello! Just wanted to know we found your letterbox on 9/4/06 called Scooby Doo! We also enjoyed watching all the real dogs jumping into the stream and running around playing with each other. Your box was well hidden and has some really nice stamps in it! Just to let you know... the stream there is called "Beaver Creek" not the Brandywine. It runs into the Brandywine. We know this because our son goes to school at Beaver Creek Elementary which borders this stream. We have lived in Downingtown for 30 years and are 99.99% sure of that name. We look forward to discovering some more of your letterboxes when we get over 25 finds - so far we're nubbies with only 3 but we look forward to many autumn hikes and plan to try Berks County when we get braver since there are so many hidden there. Thanks again for making such a kid-friendly letterbox. The Clueless Crew

Too Hot to Hike in Berks County - Swan Lake - Missing

Location: Reading, PA
Hike Length: None, this is a driveby
Elevation Gain: 0 feet
Date Planted: October 23, 2005



Kachel Blvd First right to see the swans.
Head to the south building.
Practice parallel parking on east side of southern building.
Walk up the hill towards the road.
Three trunked tree growing against a three trunked tree.
Swans in the tree.

Last found: July 13, 2008

After the -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . Box

Placement date: Apr 3 2005
State: Pennsylvania
County: Berks
Nearest city: .-. . .- -.. .. -. --. --..--

Clues:
8/2007 - This box is totally overgrown by multiflora roses. It is not able to be reached at this time. I will go back after some of the summer growth has died back to see if it is still available.

After solving the -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . box, go back out to the main road and head east. Drive 1.6 miles till you see some Shades of Green. Make a left hand turn here and follow this road around the curve. Park at the yellow sign which describes the place you are visiting and begins with the letter “A”. Walk up the hill behind the sign and across the bridge with the metal railing. Walk along the path to the fallen tree on the right. Here is what you have been searching for.

Happy Pawlidays

09/06/2006 Happy Pawlidays has been confirmed missing - a victim of the flood of June of 2006.

Warning: 07/04/2006 the trail to Happy Pawlidays has now been closed, hopefully temporarily. Keep checking back for updates.

After finding the Laura’s Childhood Luvs – Candyland box, take a drive down the little road which meanders through the playing fields at the Trout Run Sports Complex. Park in the grassy field which houses an old burnt out black car. Head towards the river, following the path around to the right. Stay on the Exeter River Trail until you reach the underpass. Continue along the path by the river for another .1 of a mile until you reach the first bench on the right side of the trail. Behind the bench is a rotted stump about six feet tall. Look in the stump for Barney’s first planted box. Some of you may recognize the stamp as the seasonal stamp that Team Little Dog has used the past two Christmas holidays. It is now a find! While you are in the area, be sure to look for the Exeter Scenic Trail Rocks letterbox.

This is a picture of the trail taken on June 28, 2006 during the flood of 2006. The river which is usually below 13 feet was at 22.9 feet on that day.

License to Plant - DE

This Pennsylvanian visited the lovely state of Delaware, the First State of the United States, and left a little Pennsylvanian memento there. To find it, park in the little parking lot at the corner of Woodlawn Road and Thompson Bridge Road aka Rt. 92. Take the little trail in a westerly direction till you come to a T where you will turn left. Take 92 steps, in honor of being on Rt. 92, to a little path on the right side of the trail, beside this V tree. You will see several massive downed trees. Behind the first one is a little rotted stump. Look under the SPOR there.

He Was a Big Man

Length: 1/2 mile

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Introduction to the Empty Basket Series

You know how you just seem to accumulate a bunch of stamps from various occasions and they just sit around and do nothing but take up space. I have a basket that I dump them all into, the ex-postals, the ones that I carved because I just liked the clipart, the ones I planned on using for something but never did and frankly, I just need to get rid of them and use the space for new useless stamps.

And you know how some people who letterbox think that the stamp and logbook should represent the area where they are hidden? They won't hunt for a silly little stamp unless it is historic or they brag that a tourist could find all of the highpoints of their town just by following their letterboxes?  I am usually that person but I have reached the breaking point with the large amount of stamps that I have accumulated through the years.

I need to empty my basket so I am going to plant a series of stamps totally irrelevant to the area that they are in and those who are a bit particular are forewarned!

The Empty Basket Series

You know how you just seem to accumulate a bunch of stamps from various occasions and they just sit around and do nothing but take up space. I have a basket that I dump them all into, the ex-postals, the ones that I carved because I just liked the clipart, the ones I planned on using for something but never did and frankly, I just need to get rid of them and use the space for new useless stamps.

And you know how some people who letterbox think that the stamp and logbook should represent the area where they are hidden? They won't hunt for a silly little stamp unless it is historic or they brag that a tourist could find all of the highpoints of their town just by following their letterboxes?

Well, this series is to say - I don't care! I need to empty my basket so I am going to plant a series of stamps totally irrelevant to the area that they are in and those who are a bit particular just don't need to look for them.

And with this introduction, I am posting my first three Empty Basket Series letterboxes. Watch for more to be posted as soon as I find just the right spot for my useless stamps!
#1 Why Not (hide it since I have never used it?)Length: 1/2 mile

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#2 Yeah Right (this stamp really belongs in these woods!)

Length: 1/2 mile

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#3 Whatever! (possessed her to put this stamp in these woods?)

Length : 1/2 mile

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#4 - Whoopee Doo (there is already another box in these woods)

Hike length 1/2 mile

This stamp was originally carved in honor of those who went down in Flight 93 on 9/11. It was intended to be placed near the site of the actual wreckage. The Immobile One has no problem stopping at this site whenever we are in the area but he has no patience with my search for a good place to hide this box so, after two years of carrying it around with me, I have decided to give it a home.
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Blue Marsh Letterboxes

Little Stinker
Difficulty: Easy
Date Planted: November 6, 2005
Length of Walk: 1/2 mile

Planted with permission of the US Army Corps of Engineers

Enter the State Hill Boat Ramp area at Blue Marsh. There is a $3 fee to use this section of the park from May 1 through September 30 but you pay the fee once to enter any of the fee areas of the park. I have attempted to make it worth the money also by planting several boxes in this area.

Go to the kiosk at the beginning of the Squirrel Run Nature Trail. Instead of turning left onto the trail, turn right and take the trail up the hill, following a branch of the Blue Marsh Lake.

Stay on this trail until you cross over a tree in the path. A few feet after the tree, you will see a four trunked tree on the left. Two of the branches are stripped of bark. Look in the center of this tree for the Little Stinker.

To return to your car, continue along the path in the same direction that you were going, along a path with many surface roots. You will shortly reach the State Hill Boat Ramp parking area.

For more info on the Blue Marsh Lake Park, go to The Army Corps of Engineers, Blue Marsh. And, no, this is not a picture of the Little Stinker but it is another sight that I saw when I was hiding this box.

Sciurus on the Squirrel Run Nature TrailDifficulty: Easy
Date Planted: November 6, 2005
Length of Walk: 1/2 mile
Planted with permission of the US Army Corps of Engineers
Enter the State Hill Boat Ramp area at Blue Marsh. There is a $3 fee to use this section of the park from May 1 through September 30 but you pay the fee once to enter any of the fee areas of the park. I have attempted to make it worth the money also by planting several boxes in this area.

Follow the path from the parking lot to the kiosk which introduces the Squirrel Run Nature Trail. You can get a brochure describing the different sites along the trail here. Follow the trail till you can see marker #5. About 12 steps before the marker, you will see a faint trail to the left. Take this trail about 25 steps back to a small clearing. When you reach the clearing, you will see a three trunked tree up a little hill on the left. Sciurus is in this tree.

Laura's Childhood Luvs - Poky Little Puppy
Difficulty: Easy
Date Planted: October 23, 2005
Length of Walk: Driveby
Planted with permission of the US Army Corps of Engineers at Blue Marsh Lake.

This is one of a series of boxes based on my daughter’s childhood luvs. Laura is the mother of my beloved grandson, Nicholas, and when she was pregnant with him, we did some shopping in the toy departments to see what toys were the latest rage for today’s infants. We were totally surprised to find that many of the toys that Laura played with as a child are still available and popular today. These boxes began as a series of postal letterboxes and as they returned home, I planted them permanently. While reminiscing, we remembered several other favorites and created new boxes to memorialize them. Because Laura has a physical challenge (she is blind) and also enjoys letterboxing, I am placing these boxes in areas that are mainly handicapped accessible.

Enter the Dry Brooks Day Use area at Blue Marsh. There is a $3 fee to use this section of the park from May 1 through September 30 but you pay the fee once to enter any of the fee areas of the park. I have attempted to make it worth the money also by planting several boxes in this area.

Go to the first parking circle after the fee booth and park near what could be one of the largest trees in the park. You will see a #3 orienteering marker behind the tree. Behind the marker, you will see a hollow stump. Poky Little Puppy is hiding in there. Please stamp in from your car if there are others around.

Quercus Robur on the Great Oak Trail
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Date Planted: October 23, 2005
Length of Hike: 1 mile

Planted with permission of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Enter the Dry Brooks Day Use area at Blue Marsh. There is a $3 fee to use this section of the park from May 1 through September 30 but you pay the fee once to enter any of the fee areas of the park. I have attempted to make it worth the money also by planting several boxes in this area.

Go to parking lot C and park at the far end of the lot. Cross the field along the lake to reach the Great Oak Nature Trail. You can obtain a brochure describing what is on the trail from the kiosk at the beginning of the trail or from the park office. You should be aware that parts of this trail are very hilly. Follow the trail till you reach the point where you have to choose between the long or short route. Choose the long route. After marker #7, you will cross a boardwalk. After you do this, go 50 more steps and look to your left.

You will notice several downed rotted stumps on the hillside, the first set is about ten feet up and the next is about fifteen feet after the first. Go to the second set and look inside the horizontal rotted log for the Quercus Robur.

If you get to marker #8 without finding this box, you have gone to far. There are no bikes allowed on this trail.


Vulpes Vulpes on the Foxtrot TrailDifficulty: Easy
Date Planted: October 23, 2005
Length of Hike: 1 mile
Planted with permission of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Enter the Dry Brooks Day Use area at Blue Marsh. There is a $3 fee to use this section of the park from May 1 through September 30 but you pay the fee once to enter any of the fee areas of the park. I have attempted to make it worth the money also by planting several boxes in this area.

To find Vulpes Vulpes, go to the first parking circle on the right, shortly after the fee booth. Take the path which is behind the huge tree. When you reach the Y, turn left and follow the red diamond markers on the Foxtrot Trail. Head downhill towards the lake. As the path begins to turn right, you will see a small trail leading to the lake behind one of the red diamond trail markers. Then you will see a huge tree to the left with wire fencing along one side of it. The box is located about 4 feet up the tree in the V.

The Paoli Massacre

2 Box Series
Difficulty: Very easy
Date Planted:  November 13, 2005
Length of Walk: 1/2 mile

7/10/09 - The American is still in place.
The Englishman is missing.

To get to Monument Park in Malvern:
From Rte 29 and Rte 202, go south on Rte 29 toward Malvern. Turn Left on to
Lancaster Avenue (Rte 30). At the next light, turn Right on Old Lincoln
Hwy. Turn Right on Bridge Street (go over the Train Tracks). Turn Right
on King Street. At the light, turn Left on Warren Avenue. Proceed one
block, and turn Right on Monument Avenue. Continue on Monument, the
park will be on your Left. 

This is a truly stroller capable search. Lil Milkmonster accompanied me on his first
letterbox plant and promptly fell asleep in his stroller.


September 21, 1777 
Paoli Massacre – An American in Paoli
Brigadier General Anthony Wayne and his 1500 troops were preparing for battle
with the British who were supposedly headed for Philadelphia. The
troops rested, prepared their weapons, ate, and unwisely, made a lot of
light and smoke with their campfires. As the British stealthily
approached, sentries on horseback discovered them and rode quickly back
to the encampment shouting warning cries but it was too late – those
guarding the eastern perimeter were fatally attacked. As the remainder
of the camp began to wake up, they also began firing their rifles but
the gunfire simply lighted up their location. A terrible battle
followed, many Americans were fatally attacked and others were deformed
by the bayonets of the enemy. But one American found a safe hiding
spot. 
On the east side of Monument Park, you will see two
cannons guarding the battlefield. Step towards the battle field, behind
the cannons and notice the small grove of trees to the south, before
you enter the woods. Most of these trees are fairly young but you will
see a few mature trees. One of these is shaped in a V with a welcome
hiding spot at its base. Here you will find the American soldier,
guarding his ground.

Paoli Massacre – An Englishman in Paoli
Major General Grey prepares his troops to attack the unsuspecting Americans
in Paoli. He orders them to remove the ammunition from their guns and
to prepare their bayonets for battle. This action earned him the name
of “No Flint Grey”. The British had been given the password to the
American camp by some Tories and were easily able to approach General
Wayne’s encampment. After destroying the troops guarding the eastern
perimeter they rushed towards the main encampment at 1 AM in the
morning. One young Redcoat remained in the woods, preparing to attack
any American who tried to escape.
To find the Englishman, enter the woods to the south of the American and 
head east on the trail. You will notice several little trails leading back out onto the
battlefield. Most of these have story boards at the end of the trail.
The second one does not have a story board, instead, it has an
Englishman. Head towards the battlefield and notice on the right a
stump about three feet high, fifteen steps off of the trail. In this
stump, the Englishman faithfully guards his ground.

To read more about this gruesome battle between General Wayne and General
Lord Grey,  go to The Paoli Massacre.

Daniel Boone Homestead

2 Letterbox Series
Difficulty: Not for small children or bikes, the trail is rough and muddy. It IS a horse trail.
Length of walk: 1 mile

Daniel Boone Homestead is the birthplace of Daniel Boone, the sixth child of Squire and Sarah Boone. Daniel lived here and roamed the woods of Berks County until his family moved to North Carolina in 1750 when he was almost 16. The park, which honors this famous American, houses an historic area containing the homestead and other period buildings. Surrounding this historic site are acres of recreational areas, including picnic areas, nature and bridle paths, a stream and a lake. Also present here is something near and dear to my heart – a Sensory Trail for the blind and low visioned visitor.

These boxes have been hidden with the permission of the Homestead Administrator and I ask that you respect the historic nature of this park and follow its rules. Keep in mind that the trail that you will take is a horse trail and as such is rough and muddy.

The day that I visited to hide my boxes, I saw a hawk, a cardinal and best of all, a fox, so keep your eyes open for the wildlife here. Leashed dogs are welcome. Please be prepared to clean up after your dog.

This stamp consists of two parts to make the complete stamp.

Our walk will take place on a bridle trail to the south of the Daniel Boone Lake.

Turn into the road marked Bridle Path Trail Head and stop at the little kiosk at the second parking lot for an equestrian trail map. Continue down the road and park in the third and final parking area; begin walking the trail that begins there. Follow this trail to the 5A marker and then head towards the 14A marker. About three fourths of the way to the 14A marker, you will see a tree on the right side which looks like this:

Behind this tree is the perfect spot to take a break and stamp in. Sit down and look to your left behind your seat for Box 1.

When you finish stamping in here, continue walking towards marker 14A and then head towards marker 15 and make a right towards marker 6. The trail from 15 to 6 forms a U and when you are about in the middle of the U, look to your left where you will see a stand of pine trees on the left. About 20 feet off trail in this stand, is another perfect spot to stamp in. Again, sit and look to your left under a SPOB for Box 2.

Be sure to allow yourself some time to take the tour and visit the Visitor Center here. You can read more about the Homestead at The Daniel Boone Homestead .

Last found: July 13, 2008

Mimser's Letterboxes

I am going to begin to post all of my letterboxes on my own blog, most of them will be linked to Atlas Quest but the clues will be here.