Adirondack Four-Stem LbNA #10214
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Nearby Boxes
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Aug 19, 2004 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Ray Brook |
| County: | Essex |
| State: | New York |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | JEK  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | kramers |
| Last found: | Jun 22, 2022 |
| Status: | FFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Aug 19, 2004 |
Letterbox Difficulty Rating System
Difficulty rating: 2
Terrain rating: 3.25
No poison ivy!
This is a heavily wooded area off a beautiful road on the edge of the High Peaks area of the Adirondacks. I’m a poor judge of distance, but I’d guess this hike is between a quarter, and a half mile, one way. Hiking shoes are a good idea here because the trail is seldom level, and it has many tree roots in it. Bring a compass. You need to make sure you can get back to the trail after you stamp in. The clues give compass direction in Azimuth degrees, with no correction for magnetic declination, e.g. "Az. 135 degrees mag.".
Driving Directions:
Easier to copy & paste this URL into your browser for my Google map of the parking area (select both lines as a single block):
https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=200691004333016404225.0004dccb2e90fdf066e34&msa=0&ll=44.292401,-74.050941&spn=0.150642,0.308647
The trailhead is east of Ray Brook, NY, which is little more than a post office along the highway.
From Lake Placid, NY : At the north end of Main Street, take NY State Route 86 West (Saranac Avenue) toward Saranac Lake. In about 2.3 miles, you’ll pass a road on your left. There are no identification or destination signs for this road but locals will recognize it as Old Military Road. Keep going straight on Rt 86. In another 1.4 miles or so, you will see a gravel pull-off area on your right with an easy-to-miss brown and yellow trail head sign for Haystack Mtn., McKenzie Mtn, and Whiteface Inn Road. Park here.
From Saranac Lake, NY : Start where NY State Route 86 turns south at a 3-way intersection near the shore of Lake Flower. This is the intersection of River Street and Lake Flower Avenue. Take Lake Flower Avenue (NY Rt. 86 East) toward Lake Placid. In about 1.4 miles, you’ll cross a railroad. In approximately another 1.4 miles, you’ll pass a road on your left named McKenzie Pond Road. Keep going another 1.8 miles or so. You’ll see a gravel pull-off area on your left with an easy-to-miss brown and yellow trail head sign for Haystack Mtn., McKenzie Mtn, and Whiteface Inn Road. Park here.
The Clues:
NOTE as of 7/20/2014, finders have reported some trees in the clues have come down or broken. Keep this in mind as you follow the clues, and you should have little difficulty. I will visit the site and revise the clues soon.
Start up the trail and sign in at the register. As the trail works its way uphill, look for a boulder on your right that has it’s top third broken and looks as if it could slide off. About 40 feet after that, there is a tree in the middle of the trail with a blue trail marker.
Further up the hill, the trail bends to the right. Just after the bend is a tree with a blue trail marker. About 40 feet past this tree, on your left, you’ll see a moss-covered boulder, or outcrop, that seems to emerge from the hill and stop at the left side of the trail.
Stand at this boulder and look up the hill, into the woods, to left of the trail (Azimuth 24 degrees magnetic). You should see another boulder, standing free, not too far in. If you see it up there, you’re on the right track and closing in. From this point the trail continues its gentle incline to a point where it levels off for a very short distance.
The trail then rises again gently to another brief level. "Level" means flat or slightly down.
Then it does it one more time. On this third level, walk until you see a four-stemmed tree along the right side of the trail with a blue trail marker on it. (This is just A four-stemmed tree, not THE Adirondack Four-Stem.) Just past this is a large -- 20" Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) – white, or paper, birch dead ahead. The trail makes a subtle squiggle around the right side of it. NOTE (August 2013) THIS BIRCH IS NOW PARTIALLY UPROOTED AND LEANING OVER THE TRAIL.
Stand with your feet on the trail and your back against the big birch. You should be looking directly across the trail. Peer in this direction for a long time until you make out the dark, flaky bark of a 16-inch DBH black cherry tree about 60 feet into the woods.
If you haven’t been using your compass up to this point, be careful. You are about to enter thick woods. It’s a short distance, but you will very possibly lose your orientation after finding the box. I give an azimuth from the box to get you back to the trail. If you don’t have a compass, leave bread crumbs, or a partner or something, so you can find your way back to the trail. You cannot see the trail from the letterbox location. Proceed to the black cherry with caution!
About 20 feet beyond the black cherry, in the same direction away from the big birch, is a grey-barked red maple tree with four stems, three of which are about 10 inches in diameter. The forth stem, a 14-incher, has broken, and now leans out against other trees. It may have fallen to the ground by the time you get here. NOTE (August 2013) TWO OF THE FOUR STEMS ARE NOW BROKEN OFF. THE BOX REMAINS IN WHAT USED TO BE THE CROTCH, JUST SITTING THERE WAITING TO BE FOUND! Politely check the crotch.
When it’s time to head back, DON’T TRY BUSHWHACKING BACK TO THE ROAD! Even if you hear the road traffic and think it’s easy. Only experienced bushwhackers should try it, because the Adirondacks is a HUGE and unforgiving wilderness. If you are uncertain which way to go to get back to the trail, an azimuth of 330 degrees magnetic, will get you there. Look carefully as you go. It can be easy to cross the trail without noticing it if you aren’t careful. Turn left on the trail and you should be heading back the way you came.
This is my first placed letterbox, so any comments you wish to e-mail me will be appreciated. The clues at letterboxing.org have a link to me.
This box was renovated, and the clues checked and edited as of 25 May 2010.
Difficulty rating: 2
Terrain rating: 3.25
No poison ivy!
This is a heavily wooded area off a beautiful road on the edge of the High Peaks area of the Adirondacks. I’m a poor judge of distance, but I’d guess this hike is between a quarter, and a half mile, one way. Hiking shoes are a good idea here because the trail is seldom level, and it has many tree roots in it. Bring a compass. You need to make sure you can get back to the trail after you stamp in. The clues give compass direction in Azimuth degrees, with no correction for magnetic declination, e.g. "Az. 135 degrees mag.".
Driving Directions:
Easier to copy & paste this URL into your browser for my Google map of the parking area (select both lines as a single block):
https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=200691004333016404225.0004dccb2e90fdf066e34&msa=0&ll=44.292401,-74.050941&spn=0.150642,0.308647
The trailhead is east of Ray Brook, NY, which is little more than a post office along the highway.
From Lake Placid, NY : At the north end of Main Street, take NY State Route 86 West (Saranac Avenue) toward Saranac Lake. In about 2.3 miles, you’ll pass a road on your left. There are no identification or destination signs for this road but locals will recognize it as Old Military Road. Keep going straight on Rt 86. In another 1.4 miles or so, you will see a gravel pull-off area on your right with an easy-to-miss brown and yellow trail head sign for Haystack Mtn., McKenzie Mtn, and Whiteface Inn Road. Park here.
From Saranac Lake, NY : Start where NY State Route 86 turns south at a 3-way intersection near the shore of Lake Flower. This is the intersection of River Street and Lake Flower Avenue. Take Lake Flower Avenue (NY Rt. 86 East) toward Lake Placid. In about 1.4 miles, you’ll cross a railroad. In approximately another 1.4 miles, you’ll pass a road on your left named McKenzie Pond Road. Keep going another 1.8 miles or so. You’ll see a gravel pull-off area on your left with an easy-to-miss brown and yellow trail head sign for Haystack Mtn., McKenzie Mtn, and Whiteface Inn Road. Park here.
The Clues:
NOTE as of 7/20/2014, finders have reported some trees in the clues have come down or broken. Keep this in mind as you follow the clues, and you should have little difficulty. I will visit the site and revise the clues soon.
Start up the trail and sign in at the register. As the trail works its way uphill, look for a boulder on your right that has it’s top third broken and looks as if it could slide off. About 40 feet after that, there is a tree in the middle of the trail with a blue trail marker.
Further up the hill, the trail bends to the right. Just after the bend is a tree with a blue trail marker. About 40 feet past this tree, on your left, you’ll see a moss-covered boulder, or outcrop, that seems to emerge from the hill and stop at the left side of the trail.
Stand at this boulder and look up the hill, into the woods, to left of the trail (Azimuth 24 degrees magnetic). You should see another boulder, standing free, not too far in. If you see it up there, you’re on the right track and closing in. From this point the trail continues its gentle incline to a point where it levels off for a very short distance.
The trail then rises again gently to another brief level. "Level" means flat or slightly down.
Then it does it one more time. On this third level, walk until you see a four-stemmed tree along the right side of the trail with a blue trail marker on it. (This is just A four-stemmed tree, not THE Adirondack Four-Stem.) Just past this is a large -- 20" Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) – white, or paper, birch dead ahead. The trail makes a subtle squiggle around the right side of it. NOTE (August 2013) THIS BIRCH IS NOW PARTIALLY UPROOTED AND LEANING OVER THE TRAIL.
Stand with your feet on the trail and your back against the big birch. You should be looking directly across the trail. Peer in this direction for a long time until you make out the dark, flaky bark of a 16-inch DBH black cherry tree about 60 feet into the woods.
If you haven’t been using your compass up to this point, be careful. You are about to enter thick woods. It’s a short distance, but you will very possibly lose your orientation after finding the box. I give an azimuth from the box to get you back to the trail. If you don’t have a compass, leave bread crumbs, or a partner or something, so you can find your way back to the trail. You cannot see the trail from the letterbox location. Proceed to the black cherry with caution!
About 20 feet beyond the black cherry, in the same direction away from the big birch, is a grey-barked red maple tree with four stems, three of which are about 10 inches in diameter. The forth stem, a 14-incher, has broken, and now leans out against other trees. It may have fallen to the ground by the time you get here. NOTE (August 2013) TWO OF THE FOUR STEMS ARE NOW BROKEN OFF. THE BOX REMAINS IN WHAT USED TO BE THE CROTCH, JUST SITTING THERE WAITING TO BE FOUND! Politely check the crotch.
When it’s time to head back, DON’T TRY BUSHWHACKING BACK TO THE ROAD! Even if you hear the road traffic and think it’s easy. Only experienced bushwhackers should try it, because the Adirondacks is a HUGE and unforgiving wilderness. If you are uncertain which way to go to get back to the trail, an azimuth of 330 degrees magnetic, will get you there. Look carefully as you go. It can be easy to cross the trail without noticing it if you aren’t careful. Turn left on the trail and you should be heading back the way you came.
This is my first placed letterbox, so any comments you wish to e-mail me will be appreciated. The clues at letterboxing.org have a link to me.
This box was renovated, and the clues checked and edited as of 25 May 2010.