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First aidCompass Rose LbNA #21231

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 2, 2006
Location: Mount Major State Forest
City:Alton
County:Belknap
State:New Hampshire
Boxes:1
Planted by:Rats and Turtle
Found by: SHARKZ7
Last found:Oct 11, 2020
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Apr 2, 2006
The Compass Rose Letterbox is located on Mount Major, halfway between the parking area and the summit. You will have to be on the Boulder Trail to find it but you can find it on the way up or on the way down. (a lovely hike suitable for families though a bit too long for pre-schoolers unless you want to carry them part of the way!)

From the parking area: The main trail leaves the right corner of the lot while the Boulder Trail leaves from the left. The Trail immediately splits—you want to take the trail to the right up the hill. The trail going straight is marked “beaver pond”. Enjoy your hike for about ¾ mile. You will be following red/orange blazes. The Trail starts rather steeply and then you will hike a lovely, long section of fairly easy, fairly level trail meandering through the forest. Next you will climb through a large boulder field. The boulders are everywhere, every size from small to gigantic. The Trail is steep here and some places you have to scramble up the rocks. When the trail levels out again, you will be on a granite “sidewalk”. After a few yards you will be able to see a blockish boulder with a red/orange blaze on it. The trail turns sharply right here. The boulder is about 12 feet across and 4 feet high. Rather than turning with the trail, look straight ahead beyond the boulder. At 210 degrees you will see a smaller blockish boulder off the trail. Walk to that boulder (about 17 steps). Next to it is an eggish boulder about 3 feet across. Nestled under the south edge of the egg, under a flat rock is Compass Rose. (Go on up to the top—the view is spectacular)

From the summit: Take the Boulder Trail down the mountain. You will be following red/orange blazes. At first the Trail wanders slowly down the mountain across areas of bare granite and past wonderful views. Then it drops steeply and leads you under a rock overhang created by a boulder balanced on top of another and braced on a broken tree (really cool!). Continue through hemlock woods. About halfway down (3/4 mile), you will see a dead pine tree lined up along a granite “sidewalk”. The walk turns sharply left and continues for quite a ways. About 20 feet after the sharp turn there are two large roots, one on top of the other, across the walk. Before you step over them, turn around. You are now facing the blockish boulder with the red/orange blaze on it and can follow the directions above.