Beaverflow LbNA #2533

BEAVERFLOW LETTERBOX
RAQUETTE LAKE, NY
Planted by: Kittlekatz
Name of box: Beaverflow
Date planted: Aug. 25, 2002
Town/County/State: Raquette Lake, Hamilton Co., New York
Level of difficulty: Easy
Time: 1/2 hour, about 1 hour if you hike the trail to the water and back again.

Directions:
From the east, take the Northway (I-87), and get off at exit 23 (Warrensburg), and follow Route 28 to Raquette Lake. Take a left at the Great Camp Sagamore sign, follow the dirt road for 4 miles until you come to the tour parking lot on the right. Park in the tour parking lot. From the west, take Route 28 to Raquette Lake, turn right at the Sagamore sign.

Great Camp Sagamore is a National Historic Landmark and an official project of Save America's Treasures. It was built beginning in 1897, and soon became the summer retreat of the Vanderbilt family. This was an almost self-sufficient camp, with an upper and lower complex for workers of the camp and the guests and family of the Vanderbilts. Great Camp Sagamore is owned by a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of this great camp. Two-hour guided tours of the camp are given twice daily during the summer (10:0o and 1:30), Closed during the winter. Admission (2002 prices) are $10 for adults, $3 for children. For more information, go to www.sagamore.org Numerous hiking trails can be found around Sagamore, all which are on State Forest land.

Clues to the box:
From the tour parking lot, find the two "no parking between signs" at the far end of the lot. These will guide you on your way. Between them, large boulders flagged by a blue ribbon will block your way, but ignore them, don't let them stop you.
Numerous wildflowers grace the trail: goldenrod, hay-scented ferns, pearly everlasting, often in mass. On your right, birches grasp for life atop glacial erratics, evidence of the glaciers existence 14,000 years ago. Down a slight grade, see man's hand on the right, as nature tries to recover from his work 20 years ago. One scar, and and another, this time a slight bowl. Across a gurgling stream, on logs placed, be careful of your footing!
Another scar, this time large and squarish. Look across to the far corner, another glacial erratic, with a baby in front of it. Evergreens stand behind, young, with a future ahead of them. Go to that erratic, noticing the young evergreens trying to get a start in this scar. Look to the left and behind the erratic, you will find what you seek.

You can hike further down the trail, if you so desire. The trail meanders through openings, much like where you found the box, recovering areas of young trees, and eventually into a more mature wooded area dotted with more glacial erratics. As you hike through the mature area, the grade will head down hill, and you will come out into a swampy area. Be prepared for wet feet! The trail is blocked at this point, due to the activities of the animal that inspired both the trail and the box name. If you're lucky, you might even see one!


Before you set out, please read the waiver of responsibility and disclaimer.