Scout Surprise LbNA #12500
Map
Nearby Boxes
Add Note
Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Dec 4, 2004 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Sleepy Hollow |
| County: | Westchester |
| State: | New York |
| Boxes: | 2 |
| Planted by: | LBD  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | The Allan Clan (2) |
| Last found: | May 12, 2013 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Dec 4, 2004 |
Scout Surprise
**As of 06/17/07, the cub cache letterbox has been replaced in a slightly less accessible spot to help prevent loss. Because of significant re-landscaping around the hiding place of the Brownie Booty box, we needed to replace it and find a different spot. The clues now reflect the new locations.**
(The hike is an easy one, with wide trails typically paved with bricks or gravel. There is a bit of an uphill trek at the end, but generally is not taxing. The clues were designed to be especially entertaining for kids. To give credit where credit is due: I got the directions to the park from the Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve Inc.’s website, which can be found at http://wwww.FriendsRock.org. The history of Rockwood Park was gathered from http://nynjctbotany.org/lgtofc/rockwood.html and the Native American legend was adapted from http://www.usscouts.org/usscouts/ceremony/aol.html.)
DIRECTIONS TO:
Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Inc.
630 Bedford Rd.
Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Phone: (914)-333-0102
From 287 Heading West
• 287 (Cross Westchester Exp. Heading toward Tappan Zee Bridge)
• Follow 287 west to 87 (Stay right for 87 North. Tappan Zee Bridge/New Jersey.)
• At end of exit ramp, turn left onto Rt. 119 heading west. Continue to end.
• Turn right onto Rt. 9 heading north.
• Stay on Rt. 9 north for approximately 3 and a half miles.
• Just past hospital is Rt. 117. Go under overpass and turn right on Rt. 117 heading west, Rockwood Road. Follow Rt. 117 west.
• Park is nearly at the end of Rt. 117. Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.) There is a parking lot on the left.(Parking is free.) Cross the street from the parking lot in the pedestrian crosswalk and turn left, following the path on the inside of the guardrail. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome, but beware of folks on horseback.
From 84
• 84 to 684 heading south.
• Get off 684 at exit for Katonah, Rt. 35.
• At end of ramp, turn right onto Rt. 35 heading west.
• Turn left onto Rt. 100 heading south.
• Take Rt. 100 to Rt. 9A heading south. (It will take approx. 35 min. to reach 9A from 100.)
• Once on 9A south, get off at first exit for Rt. 117, Pleasantville/Sleepy Hollow. (Note: exit is from left lane.)
• At end of ramp, turn right onto Rt. 117 heading west.
• Follow Rt. 117 to end. Stay in left lane for Rockwood Road.
• Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.)
• There is a parking lot on the left.(Parking is free.) Cross the street from the parking lot in the pedestrian crosswalk and turn left, following the path on the inside of the guardrail. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome, but beware of folks on horseback.
From 87 Heading North
• 87 North to exit 9 Tarrytown.
• At end of exit ramp, turn left onto Rt. 119 heading west. Continue to end.
• Turn right onto Rt. 9 heading north.
• Stay on Rt. 9 North for approximately 3 and a half miles. (Your landmark will be Phelps Memorial Hospital on left.)
• Just after hospital is Rt. 117. Go under overpass and turn right onto Rt. 117 west, Rockwood Road. Follow Rt. 117 west to end.
• Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.)
• Park is nearly at the end of Rt. 117. Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.) There is a parking lot on the left.(Parking is free.) Cross the street from the parking lot in the pedestrian crosswalk and turn left, following the path on the inside of the guardrail. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome, but beware of folks on horseback.
From 87 Heading South
• Cross Tappan Zee Bridge. Get off at first exit after bridge (exit 9 Tarrytown).
• At end of exit, turn right onto to Rt. 9 heading north.
• Stay on Rt. 9 North for approximately 3 and a half miles. (Your landmark will be Phelps Memorial Hospital on left.)
• Just after hospital is Rt. 117. Go under overpass and turn right on Rt. 117 west, Rockwood Road. Follow Rt. 117 west to end.
• Park is nearly at the end of Rt. 117. Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. The one right next to the New York Life driveway.
• Park is nearly at the end of Rt. 117. Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.) There is a parking lot on the left.(Parking is free.) Cross the street from the parking lot in the pedestrian crosswalk and turn left, following the path on the inside of the guardrail. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome, but beware of folks on horseback.
CLUES
Once, there were two friends who wanted to go for a hike in Westchester County. Their names were Zelda and Ethan. They thought they would walk through Rockwood Park – they heard it had beautiful views of the river.
BROWNIE BOOTY
Ethan and Zelda rode their bikes to the parking lot. They crossed the street, locking their bikes on the guardrail, and following the trail along the guardrail until the guardrail ended. The path continued in a curve to the right. It turned to gravel and proceeded up a short hill where it met up with another trail. "Let's head north," said Ethan. "Zelda, check out that cool pine tree with the two trunks. It's branches look like a tall ceiling!"
Zelda ran past the large rocks on her left and stopped and stared. "And, check out the view of the Hudson River!"
As they continued along the path, Ethan grabbed a stick and tapped the wooden posts. "One . . . Two . . . Three . . . Hey, what a fantastic sledding hill!"
"It's also a good place to have a snack, Ethan." Zelda laid their blanket on the grass between the third wooden post and a huge oak tree.
"Great, I'm starved. That bike trip made me work up an appetite.”
As they were finishing their snack, a tiny person dressed all in brown appeared from behind a tree! I mean, this person was REALLY tiny – no bigger than a pencil! She started to hop around humming a little song. They sort of recognized the tune, but they didn’t spend much time thinking about it . . . they were shocked, and a little afraid. They started to stand up so they could run away, when the little creature spoke . . .
She whispered, “Sshhh! Don’t run! I’m here to help you!”
Zelda asked, “Who are you? I mean, what are you? An elf or something?”
“Some people call me an elf, some call me a sprite. I’ve even been called a brownie once or twice. It doesn’t really matter . . . I’m a letterboxing fairy, and I’m here to help you.”
Ethan was suspicious. “Help us how?”
“I’ll help you find something called a letterbox – a little treasure that I hid myself! Well, I did have some help from some friends of mine. Anyway, I know where it is, and I can show you, too.”
“You live here?”
“Yes. I’ve been here for many, many years. I was here more than 200 years ago, when the land was owned by the Philipse family. I was here after the Revolutionary War, when the Beekmans owned it, and it was called 'Beekman’s Forest.' I was here when Edwin Bartlett, who was one of the founders of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, built Rockwood Castle here, and I was also here to see the castle torn down by William Rockefeller, the president of Standard Oil of New York. Mr. Rockefeller put in all these great carriage trails you’re walking on. Can’t you just imagine the horse-drawn carriages carrying elegantly dressed people to his fabulous parties? He built Rockwood Hall, which had more than 200 rooms inside! Now, all that’s left is a wall and these great trails. Oh, and the beautiful trees that he planted – the famous landscape architect Frederick Lloyd Olmsted was responsible for a lot of these beautiful trees.”
Zelda was ready to get started again. “So, where is this treasure?”
“Not so fast! I’ll help you, but you’ll need to do some of the work, too. That’s all the fun, and for a brownie whose been living in these woods all these years by myself, I could use a little amusement as you work it all out. Let’s get started!” And, she started humming again. Zelda knew she recognized that song – what was it?? Well, it would come to her eventually . . .
Ethan, Zelda, and the fairy were at a crossroads between two carriage trails.
The fairy said, “Now, we have to head north. If you don’t know where north is, you can look to the river. That’s west. That makes it easier to figure out where north is. Watch for the fire hydrant, you’ll pass that to the east.”
Soon, they were standing at the remnants of an old stone wall.
“Stop!” shouted the fairy. Ethan and Zelda stared at her. “Turn around and check out the view of the Tappan Zee Bridge. On a clear day, you can see New York City. It’s south of here.”
“Now, look west. See if you can find a tree wearing white-and-green camouflage. You can see a little bit of rot on the bottom of his pants! He’s standing over two shorter fellows in evergreen. Walk right between them till you reach the western wall.”
They got to the western wall quickly. “If you look south now, you’ll see a “fellow” wearing red and white who warns the sailors away from the shores of the Hudson. But, let’s head north instead. Follow me!”
The fairy skipped along the wall, heading north, forward and back, along an arch, and across a set of stairs. The wall turned east, and the fairy continued along the wall until it stopped at the carriage trail. There was a huge oak tree guarding the spot where the carriage trail met up with the wall.
“Alright, let’s follow the trail to the north. See if you can find the northern end of the foundation wall. It meets up with a carriage trail wall that sweeps off to the east. As we follow the wall, we'll pass a set of stairs. Soon, we'll find a new trail that heads off to the left. Turn there. This is one of my favorite spots. I used to love to hide here behind the wall and watch Mr. Rockefeller’s guests drive up in their beautiful carriages.”
Ethan and Zelda stood at the beginning of the new trail. "What now?" Ethan asked.
“Find where the stone wall meets a metal railing. After the railing ends, the wall gets lower and lower until it finally stops completely. Walk around the wall and walk along the backside of the wall until you come to the first tree up against the wall. It is a very large oak tree. If you face the oak tree, you can see that the trunk grows right up along the wall. To the left of the tree trunk, there is a large gray stone in the wall, halfway up. To the left of that large gray rock, there is a smaller, pinkish stone that is pointed. If you look closely, you will see that that pinkish stone is inserted into a hole in the rock wall along with a piece of red brick. The pinkish stone is easily removed, and you will find your treasure behind it! You can check out the names of my friends who helped me hide it, too. The stamp gives you a clue about who they are." She was humming again.
“We see it!” Ethan and Zelda were getting excited. They knew they were close. Ethan sat against the big oak tree, while Zelda removed the pinkish rock and brick and removed the box from its hiding place.
They sat down to read the notebook and leave their own message. They agreed that, next time, they would bring journals so they could stamp their own journals, too. As they were carefully putting the letterbox back where they found it (hiding it really well because it's easily taken or lost if others find it by mistake), it finally occurred to Zelda – she knew the song the fairy was humming.
“Hey! I know that song! It goes . . . ‘Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold.’” She looked around for her new fairy friend, but couldn’t find her anywhere. “Ethan, where did she go?”
“I don’t know. She was here a minute ago. Wait a minute, do you hear that rustling in the woods? I bet she’s gone into the woods.” They looked into the brush and weeds to the north of them. The leaves were rustling – something definitely was there.
Ethan wheedled, “Come on out, fairy – we want to thank you.”
They thought they saw a pair of brown eyes blinking at them from behind one of the shrubs. These were much too big to belong to the fairy. Zelda whispered, “Hello?” And, out from the bushes came a little bear – a cub! Ethan and Zelda knew that bears could be dangerous, and certainly weren’t usually wandering around in places like Rockwood Park, but the biggest surprise was when the bear started to talk!
“Hi, Ethan! Hi, Zelda! I heard you like letterboxing! Want to find one more before you go home? A bunch of guys I know found a great hiding place, and I don’t think you’ll want to miss it.”
“Sure!” They shouted together. This was really turning into an adventure!
CUB CACHE
“Alright, then,” said the cub. “Have a seat by the tree. I'll hide here next to the wall if you don’t mind. I don’t want the other hikers to see me. Before we set off, I’d like to start you on a story.” Zelda and Ethan sat right down. This was going to be good!
The bear told an old legend. He spoke softly, but Ethan and Zelda heard every word:
“In ages past, there was a young member of a Native American tribe called Akela. Akela wished to be an honored member of the tribe as the older men were, but no one would consider him so. ‘Little Akela, he is too young to join the hunt,’ they would say. ‘Too slow to run with the Bobcat clan. Not clever enough to hunt with the Wolf clan. Such a young one is not strong enough to join the Bear clan.’ No matter how hard Akela worked, all ways were barred to him.
“But the Aged Chieftain of the tribe saw Akela differently than the rest. ‘The spirit of this young one burns brighter than the largest fire. Akela has served his brethren well for one of his age. The time will come when the tribe will need only that which Akela can give.’”
The cub paused at this point in the story. Ethan and Zelda were poised, listening carefully. “What happened?”
“Come with me on a walk, and I’ll tell you more.” The cub scrambled over the wall and looked carefully around to make sure no one could see him. He turned left on the carriage trail and continued heading north. Ethan and Zelda quickly followed.
When he came to a fork in the path, he headed down the low road. “This will take us toward the river,” he said. “That’s important for the next part of the legend.” He walked carefully and quietly down the path until it ended at another path. Ethan and Zelda could see the river, and the cliffs to the west. They couldn’t stand the suspense.
“What happened at the river?”
The cub stood at the crossroads and said, “Well, one night in the late fall after the harvest, a party of warriors was canoeing back to their village after a hunt. On this night, the fog rolled thick across the river. When they landed at the river bank, right near this very spot, the fog was so heavy that the path back to the village was hidden from view. There were two ways to go – north or south. Because of the fog, they couldn’t be sure where on the coast they had landed, so they weren’t sure which way would lead to the village. If they turned the wrong way, they would be stuck out all night, which would surely be dangerous. Akela had been practicing his hunting skills in the hills above the river and had seen the danger for the warriors. He wrapped an arrow, set it aflame, and shot it into the sky, heading down the path toward safety. The warriors saw the flaming arrow through the fog and followed it toward the village, heading south.”
The cub headed down the southerly path. “Of course, in those days, the railroad didn’t hug the river’s edge like it does today, but I’ll bet you can imagine how dark these hills would have been on a foggy night.”
They walked awhile, and as the path approached a sharp turn to the left, Ethan and Zelda could see a collection of buildings in front of them. They imagined that that might have been the site of the ancient village. “Was Akela honored? Did he get what he was hoping for?” Ethan wondered out loud.
“Come with me, and I’ll show you where the story ends.” The cub followed the path around the corner and kept walking as it snaked uphill. The path leveled off briefly. As they came around a turn, Ethan and Zelda saw the stony face of James House. They walked straight toward it on the path. At the next bend, the path was bordered briefly on both sides by rock walls, then only on the right side. Where the wall on the left ended, they saw ahead, on the left, an oak tree whose roots hugged the rocks. Around the next bend, the wall on the right ended at a large, mossy boulder. A few steps forward and across the path was an even larger boulder with a pointed top. The cub paused here, standing in front of the boulder.
“This is where the Chieftain awaited the warriors. When they saw him, they fell on the ground around him and shouted, ‘We were lost, and the Highfather sent an Arrow of Light through the sky to guide us.’ The Chieftain smiled and said, ‘The sign that led you to safety came not from the heavens but from one who you thought was too young to do anything.'”
As he said these words, the cub pointed around the path-side of the pointed boulder. He said, “Ethan, Zelda: Follow around this boulder. It forms a ledge on the back side. Akela stood on this ledge. The Chieftain said, ‘Akela has proved himself worthy of our honor. He has aided his brothers in their time of greatest need. Hereafter, we will honor our young tribe members who have followed Akela’s example through the ceremony of the Arrow of Light.’ The Chieftain walked around the back of the rock, under another ledge. He lifted away a flat rock, and found a golden arrow that he bestowed upon Akela. Ethan and Zelda, after your great journey, you deserve an arrow, too!”
Ethan and Zelda found the Cub Cache letterbox and its special surprise inside. When they finished their messages, they turned to thank the cub but, of course, he had disappeared, just like the fairy. Ethan and Zelda wandered, tired, back along the path – proceeding forward until the first branch to the right brought them back to the parking lot. They thought about their adventure, their new friends, and their accomplishment. What a day!
**As of 06/17/07, the cub cache letterbox has been replaced in a slightly less accessible spot to help prevent loss. Because of significant re-landscaping around the hiding place of the Brownie Booty box, we needed to replace it and find a different spot. The clues now reflect the new locations.**
(The hike is an easy one, with wide trails typically paved with bricks or gravel. There is a bit of an uphill trek at the end, but generally is not taxing. The clues were designed to be especially entertaining for kids. To give credit where credit is due: I got the directions to the park from the Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve Inc.’s website, which can be found at http://wwww.FriendsRock.org. The history of Rockwood Park was gathered from http://nynjctbotany.org/lgtofc/rockwood.html and the Native American legend was adapted from http://www.usscouts.org/usscouts/ceremony/aol.html.)
DIRECTIONS TO:
Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Inc.
630 Bedford Rd.
Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Phone: (914)-333-0102
From 287 Heading West
• 287 (Cross Westchester Exp. Heading toward Tappan Zee Bridge)
• Follow 287 west to 87 (Stay right for 87 North. Tappan Zee Bridge/New Jersey.)
• At end of exit ramp, turn left onto Rt. 119 heading west. Continue to end.
• Turn right onto Rt. 9 heading north.
• Stay on Rt. 9 north for approximately 3 and a half miles.
• Just past hospital is Rt. 117. Go under overpass and turn right on Rt. 117 heading west, Rockwood Road. Follow Rt. 117 west.
• Park is nearly at the end of Rt. 117. Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.) There is a parking lot on the left.(Parking is free.) Cross the street from the parking lot in the pedestrian crosswalk and turn left, following the path on the inside of the guardrail. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome, but beware of folks on horseback.
From 84
• 84 to 684 heading south.
• Get off 684 at exit for Katonah, Rt. 35.
• At end of ramp, turn right onto Rt. 35 heading west.
• Turn left onto Rt. 100 heading south.
• Take Rt. 100 to Rt. 9A heading south. (It will take approx. 35 min. to reach 9A from 100.)
• Once on 9A south, get off at first exit for Rt. 117, Pleasantville/Sleepy Hollow. (Note: exit is from left lane.)
• At end of ramp, turn right onto Rt. 117 heading west.
• Follow Rt. 117 to end. Stay in left lane for Rockwood Road.
• Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.)
• There is a parking lot on the left.(Parking is free.) Cross the street from the parking lot in the pedestrian crosswalk and turn left, following the path on the inside of the guardrail. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome, but beware of folks on horseback.
From 87 Heading North
• 87 North to exit 9 Tarrytown.
• At end of exit ramp, turn left onto Rt. 119 heading west. Continue to end.
• Turn right onto Rt. 9 heading north.
• Stay on Rt. 9 North for approximately 3 and a half miles. (Your landmark will be Phelps Memorial Hospital on left.)
• Just after hospital is Rt. 117. Go under overpass and turn right onto Rt. 117 west, Rockwood Road. Follow Rt. 117 west to end.
• Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.)
• Park is nearly at the end of Rt. 117. Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.) There is a parking lot on the left.(Parking is free.) Cross the street from the parking lot in the pedestrian crosswalk and turn left, following the path on the inside of the guardrail. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome, but beware of folks on horseback.
From 87 Heading South
• Cross Tappan Zee Bridge. Get off at first exit after bridge (exit 9 Tarrytown).
• At end of exit, turn right onto to Rt. 9 heading north.
• Stay on Rt. 9 North for approximately 3 and a half miles. (Your landmark will be Phelps Memorial Hospital on left.)
• Just after hospital is Rt. 117. Go under overpass and turn right on Rt. 117 west, Rockwood Road. Follow Rt. 117 west to end.
• Park is nearly at the end of Rt. 117. Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. The one right next to the New York Life driveway.
• Park is nearly at the end of Rt. 117. Pass the "New York Life" sign on the right. (The one right next to the New York Life driveway.) There is a parking lot on the left.(Parking is free.) Cross the street from the parking lot in the pedestrian crosswalk and turn left, following the path on the inside of the guardrail. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome, but beware of folks on horseback.
CLUES
Once, there were two friends who wanted to go for a hike in Westchester County. Their names were Zelda and Ethan. They thought they would walk through Rockwood Park – they heard it had beautiful views of the river.
BROWNIE BOOTY
Ethan and Zelda rode their bikes to the parking lot. They crossed the street, locking their bikes on the guardrail, and following the trail along the guardrail until the guardrail ended. The path continued in a curve to the right. It turned to gravel and proceeded up a short hill where it met up with another trail. "Let's head north," said Ethan. "Zelda, check out that cool pine tree with the two trunks. It's branches look like a tall ceiling!"
Zelda ran past the large rocks on her left and stopped and stared. "And, check out the view of the Hudson River!"
As they continued along the path, Ethan grabbed a stick and tapped the wooden posts. "One . . . Two . . . Three . . . Hey, what a fantastic sledding hill!"
"It's also a good place to have a snack, Ethan." Zelda laid their blanket on the grass between the third wooden post and a huge oak tree.
"Great, I'm starved. That bike trip made me work up an appetite.”
As they were finishing their snack, a tiny person dressed all in brown appeared from behind a tree! I mean, this person was REALLY tiny – no bigger than a pencil! She started to hop around humming a little song. They sort of recognized the tune, but they didn’t spend much time thinking about it . . . they were shocked, and a little afraid. They started to stand up so they could run away, when the little creature spoke . . .
She whispered, “Sshhh! Don’t run! I’m here to help you!”
Zelda asked, “Who are you? I mean, what are you? An elf or something?”
“Some people call me an elf, some call me a sprite. I’ve even been called a brownie once or twice. It doesn’t really matter . . . I’m a letterboxing fairy, and I’m here to help you.”
Ethan was suspicious. “Help us how?”
“I’ll help you find something called a letterbox – a little treasure that I hid myself! Well, I did have some help from some friends of mine. Anyway, I know where it is, and I can show you, too.”
“You live here?”
“Yes. I’ve been here for many, many years. I was here more than 200 years ago, when the land was owned by the Philipse family. I was here after the Revolutionary War, when the Beekmans owned it, and it was called 'Beekman’s Forest.' I was here when Edwin Bartlett, who was one of the founders of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, built Rockwood Castle here, and I was also here to see the castle torn down by William Rockefeller, the president of Standard Oil of New York. Mr. Rockefeller put in all these great carriage trails you’re walking on. Can’t you just imagine the horse-drawn carriages carrying elegantly dressed people to his fabulous parties? He built Rockwood Hall, which had more than 200 rooms inside! Now, all that’s left is a wall and these great trails. Oh, and the beautiful trees that he planted – the famous landscape architect Frederick Lloyd Olmsted was responsible for a lot of these beautiful trees.”
Zelda was ready to get started again. “So, where is this treasure?”
“Not so fast! I’ll help you, but you’ll need to do some of the work, too. That’s all the fun, and for a brownie whose been living in these woods all these years by myself, I could use a little amusement as you work it all out. Let’s get started!” And, she started humming again. Zelda knew she recognized that song – what was it?? Well, it would come to her eventually . . .
Ethan, Zelda, and the fairy were at a crossroads between two carriage trails.
The fairy said, “Now, we have to head north. If you don’t know where north is, you can look to the river. That’s west. That makes it easier to figure out where north is. Watch for the fire hydrant, you’ll pass that to the east.”
Soon, they were standing at the remnants of an old stone wall.
“Stop!” shouted the fairy. Ethan and Zelda stared at her. “Turn around and check out the view of the Tappan Zee Bridge. On a clear day, you can see New York City. It’s south of here.”
“Now, look west. See if you can find a tree wearing white-and-green camouflage. You can see a little bit of rot on the bottom of his pants! He’s standing over two shorter fellows in evergreen. Walk right between them till you reach the western wall.”
They got to the western wall quickly. “If you look south now, you’ll see a “fellow” wearing red and white who warns the sailors away from the shores of the Hudson. But, let’s head north instead. Follow me!”
The fairy skipped along the wall, heading north, forward and back, along an arch, and across a set of stairs. The wall turned east, and the fairy continued along the wall until it stopped at the carriage trail. There was a huge oak tree guarding the spot where the carriage trail met up with the wall.
“Alright, let’s follow the trail to the north. See if you can find the northern end of the foundation wall. It meets up with a carriage trail wall that sweeps off to the east. As we follow the wall, we'll pass a set of stairs. Soon, we'll find a new trail that heads off to the left. Turn there. This is one of my favorite spots. I used to love to hide here behind the wall and watch Mr. Rockefeller’s guests drive up in their beautiful carriages.”
Ethan and Zelda stood at the beginning of the new trail. "What now?" Ethan asked.
“Find where the stone wall meets a metal railing. After the railing ends, the wall gets lower and lower until it finally stops completely. Walk around the wall and walk along the backside of the wall until you come to the first tree up against the wall. It is a very large oak tree. If you face the oak tree, you can see that the trunk grows right up along the wall. To the left of the tree trunk, there is a large gray stone in the wall, halfway up. To the left of that large gray rock, there is a smaller, pinkish stone that is pointed. If you look closely, you will see that that pinkish stone is inserted into a hole in the rock wall along with a piece of red brick. The pinkish stone is easily removed, and you will find your treasure behind it! You can check out the names of my friends who helped me hide it, too. The stamp gives you a clue about who they are." She was humming again.
“We see it!” Ethan and Zelda were getting excited. They knew they were close. Ethan sat against the big oak tree, while Zelda removed the pinkish rock and brick and removed the box from its hiding place.
They sat down to read the notebook and leave their own message. They agreed that, next time, they would bring journals so they could stamp their own journals, too. As they were carefully putting the letterbox back where they found it (hiding it really well because it's easily taken or lost if others find it by mistake), it finally occurred to Zelda – she knew the song the fairy was humming.
“Hey! I know that song! It goes . . . ‘Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold.’” She looked around for her new fairy friend, but couldn’t find her anywhere. “Ethan, where did she go?”
“I don’t know. She was here a minute ago. Wait a minute, do you hear that rustling in the woods? I bet she’s gone into the woods.” They looked into the brush and weeds to the north of them. The leaves were rustling – something definitely was there.
Ethan wheedled, “Come on out, fairy – we want to thank you.”
They thought they saw a pair of brown eyes blinking at them from behind one of the shrubs. These were much too big to belong to the fairy. Zelda whispered, “Hello?” And, out from the bushes came a little bear – a cub! Ethan and Zelda knew that bears could be dangerous, and certainly weren’t usually wandering around in places like Rockwood Park, but the biggest surprise was when the bear started to talk!
“Hi, Ethan! Hi, Zelda! I heard you like letterboxing! Want to find one more before you go home? A bunch of guys I know found a great hiding place, and I don’t think you’ll want to miss it.”
“Sure!” They shouted together. This was really turning into an adventure!
CUB CACHE
“Alright, then,” said the cub. “Have a seat by the tree. I'll hide here next to the wall if you don’t mind. I don’t want the other hikers to see me. Before we set off, I’d like to start you on a story.” Zelda and Ethan sat right down. This was going to be good!
The bear told an old legend. He spoke softly, but Ethan and Zelda heard every word:
“In ages past, there was a young member of a Native American tribe called Akela. Akela wished to be an honored member of the tribe as the older men were, but no one would consider him so. ‘Little Akela, he is too young to join the hunt,’ they would say. ‘Too slow to run with the Bobcat clan. Not clever enough to hunt with the Wolf clan. Such a young one is not strong enough to join the Bear clan.’ No matter how hard Akela worked, all ways were barred to him.
“But the Aged Chieftain of the tribe saw Akela differently than the rest. ‘The spirit of this young one burns brighter than the largest fire. Akela has served his brethren well for one of his age. The time will come when the tribe will need only that which Akela can give.’”
The cub paused at this point in the story. Ethan and Zelda were poised, listening carefully. “What happened?”
“Come with me on a walk, and I’ll tell you more.” The cub scrambled over the wall and looked carefully around to make sure no one could see him. He turned left on the carriage trail and continued heading north. Ethan and Zelda quickly followed.
When he came to a fork in the path, he headed down the low road. “This will take us toward the river,” he said. “That’s important for the next part of the legend.” He walked carefully and quietly down the path until it ended at another path. Ethan and Zelda could see the river, and the cliffs to the west. They couldn’t stand the suspense.
“What happened at the river?”
The cub stood at the crossroads and said, “Well, one night in the late fall after the harvest, a party of warriors was canoeing back to their village after a hunt. On this night, the fog rolled thick across the river. When they landed at the river bank, right near this very spot, the fog was so heavy that the path back to the village was hidden from view. There were two ways to go – north or south. Because of the fog, they couldn’t be sure where on the coast they had landed, so they weren’t sure which way would lead to the village. If they turned the wrong way, they would be stuck out all night, which would surely be dangerous. Akela had been practicing his hunting skills in the hills above the river and had seen the danger for the warriors. He wrapped an arrow, set it aflame, and shot it into the sky, heading down the path toward safety. The warriors saw the flaming arrow through the fog and followed it toward the village, heading south.”
The cub headed down the southerly path. “Of course, in those days, the railroad didn’t hug the river’s edge like it does today, but I’ll bet you can imagine how dark these hills would have been on a foggy night.”
They walked awhile, and as the path approached a sharp turn to the left, Ethan and Zelda could see a collection of buildings in front of them. They imagined that that might have been the site of the ancient village. “Was Akela honored? Did he get what he was hoping for?” Ethan wondered out loud.
“Come with me, and I’ll show you where the story ends.” The cub followed the path around the corner and kept walking as it snaked uphill. The path leveled off briefly. As they came around a turn, Ethan and Zelda saw the stony face of James House. They walked straight toward it on the path. At the next bend, the path was bordered briefly on both sides by rock walls, then only on the right side. Where the wall on the left ended, they saw ahead, on the left, an oak tree whose roots hugged the rocks. Around the next bend, the wall on the right ended at a large, mossy boulder. A few steps forward and across the path was an even larger boulder with a pointed top. The cub paused here, standing in front of the boulder.
“This is where the Chieftain awaited the warriors. When they saw him, they fell on the ground around him and shouted, ‘We were lost, and the Highfather sent an Arrow of Light through the sky to guide us.’ The Chieftain smiled and said, ‘The sign that led you to safety came not from the heavens but from one who you thought was too young to do anything.'”
As he said these words, the cub pointed around the path-side of the pointed boulder. He said, “Ethan, Zelda: Follow around this boulder. It forms a ledge on the back side. Akela stood on this ledge. The Chieftain said, ‘Akela has proved himself worthy of our honor. He has aided his brothers in their time of greatest need. Hereafter, we will honor our young tribe members who have followed Akela’s example through the ceremony of the Arrow of Light.’ The Chieftain walked around the back of the rock, under another ledge. He lifted away a flat rock, and found a golden arrow that he bestowed upon Akela. Ethan and Zelda, after your great journey, you deserve an arrow, too!”
Ethan and Zelda found the Cub Cache letterbox and its special surprise inside. When they finished their messages, they turned to thank the cub but, of course, he had disappeared, just like the fairy. Ethan and Zelda wandered, tired, back along the path – proceeding forward until the first branch to the right brought them back to the parking lot. They thought about their adventure, their new friends, and their accomplishment. What a day!