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Will You See Moka? LbNA #11905 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:mdr
Plant date:Oct 31, 2004
Location:
City:Ridge
County:Suffolk
State:New York
Boxes:1
Found by: team twingles
Last found:Aug 3, 2008
Status:OFFFFFF
Last edited:Oct 31, 2004
Directions:(Please note- bring your own pen, and a compass. This stamp is self inking, but must be replaced in an upright position when you go to rehide.)

Pleasant walk, mostly level terrain, a little less than a mile.

Long Island Expressway(495) to William Floyd Parkway Exit 68.Travel north to Rte.25. Take Rte.25 east to Panamoka Trail (about 2 miles on the left). Take Panamoka Trail to the end, make a left onto Lakeside Trail. Follow the road approximatly .3 mile. A parking area for access to Brookhaven State Park is on the left.


Background information you need to know before starting out:
There is no Panamoka Woods Monster! Let that be made perfectly clear at the outset. The creature people have reported encountering is not a monster at all, and for those of you who have avoided Brookhaven State Park fearing an encounter with a being of malevolent intent, rest assured, a hike through that area is perfectly safe, (unless of course you offend in some way the tomte who makes his home there.)

Tomtar (plural form) are a pre-Christian race of Scandinavian spirit beings. They are patient, loving and kind souls who prize helpfulness, happiness and harmony above all else. Shy and solitary by nature, they are extremely empathetic and respectful of all living things. They are spirits of place; diligent and industrious caretakers, very bound to the place they call home. Their great concern for the environment has, over the millennia, caused innumerable conflicts with humans, causing the tomtar to withdraw to forest, wood and countryside. There they work tirelessly maintaining the fragile balance of nature, and caring for sick and wounded animals.

Like other tomtar, Moka,(the nickname given to the tomte residing in Brookhaven State Park) enjoys welcoming human visitors to his woodland home, but please be aware that he is appalled by loud, intrusive and disrespectful behaviors, and is especially incensed by the sight of uncaring humans littering. (Hence the stories you may have heard of hikers there getting kicked in the rear end by unseen foot, or smacked in the head by unseen hand.)

In exchange for his stewardship of Brookhaven, Moka asks very little in return for his labor: merely that you bring with you a small plastic shopping bag, and help him maintain the park by picking up any stray pieces of litter you encounter along your hike. It has been reported by reliable sources that Moka will often allow calm, sensitive and appropriately respectful humans to catch a glimpse of him, and sometimes his footprints can be seen along the water’s edge.

Clues:
After parking begin your walk on the trail, at the first fork, bear right.
At the second fork, bear right again.
At the third fork, bear left. Soon you will come to an intersection. Go left.
Travel on for a bit, noting a smaller path on the left, marked by a V shaped Oak tree. (You will need to take this trail back). Shortly after passing the V shaped Oak Tree, the trail forks.
Go right at the fork, and immediately the trail forks again. Go to the left. If there has not been a drought, you will see water. Head down to the water’s edge. You will see some interesting animal tracks in the sand, and perhaps one not quite animal, not quite human. At water’s edge, go right and stop when you come to two power poles. Look up the trail to your right. You will see a dead pine tree at 60* tightly encircled by smaller oaks. Search in the center of the cluster to find an image of Moka.
After stamping in, continue up the trail to the intersection, and turn left. Go about 60 paces and you will be back to the trail marked by the V shaped Oak Tree. Make a right and follow the trail. It is wide, and curving. You will come to a huge downed pine tree that has fallen across the trail. Go around it, and you will see an intersection shortly thereafter. Take a left at the intersection. After a bit you will see the pond ahead, take the path to the right which will bring you back to the parking lot. Let me know if you were able to catch a glimpse of Moka.