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Butterflies & Raccoons LbNA #32379 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Family Fun
Plant date:Jun 24, 2007
Location:
City:Kitchener - Waterloo
County:Ontario, CAN
State:Ontario, Canada
Boxes:2
Found by: Honey Stash/'Stache
Last found:May 23, 2009
Status:FFFFFFaFFFFFFaFa
Last edited:Jun 24, 2007
BUTTERFLIES & RACCOONS

***APRIL 2010 - IT APPEARS THAT THE CITY WILL NOT BE REPAIRING THESE BOARDWALKS, AND THE TRAILS REMAINED CLOSED. THESE BOXES HAVE BEEN RETIRED.

*** JUNE 6 2009 - SORRY THESE LETTERBOXES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR A SHORT TIME WHILE THEY ARE REPAIRED AND REHIDDEN. STAY TUNED - WE HOPE TO HAVE THEM BACK IN PLACE IN A SHORT WHILE ***



This pair of Letterboxes takes you on a scenic walk that criss-crosses through a wonderful piece of nature on the west side of Kitchener-Waterloo… Monarch Woods (located near Fischer-Hallman and Victoria). Make sure to keep your eyes open for many small animals that make their homes in these woods… hawks, foxes, muskrats and of course raccoons.


Letterbox #1 –
Enter the Monarch Woods trailhead located at the intersection of Stoke Drive & Wexford Crescent (between 106 & 112 Stoke). Be careful, these streets intersect twice and there is a trailhead at each. You can park your car along the side of the street. Follow the path and at the fork, take the path towards the park bench.
“Please stay on the gravel trails” – go the opposite direction of the walker and bike. Cross the bridge and follow the boardwalk. Continue straight when you encounter a left. When the boardwalk ends, you might feel ‘stumped’… but continue on! Take another ‘walk’ so you won’t feel ‘board’.
At the Crossing Bridge, go left and up the hill. Half way up, take the path that feels ‘right’. When you face a choice at the top of an incline, follow the ‘T’-Tree trail. Continue down, down, down (watch your step on the right) until you encounter a smaller path that climbs to your left…take it.
Follow this trail…around the log…always stay to the left…over a long fallen obstacle… until you reach another trail at a large exposed root that crosses your path. Here, take the trail to your left for 25 steps (or 30 steps for a six-year old). On your right is a series of fallen logs stretching out away from you.
Follow these logs to the end of the fourth one. On the left side is a tree stump. Under a cover of tree bark you will find what you seek.
Be sure to re-hide this Letterbox well when you are finished.


Letterbox #2 –
Now that you’ve found the first Letterbox, you can continue to the second leg of your hunt.
From the first Letterbox, return to the path and continue along the direction you were headed, over the small hill. Veer to the right and follow a familiar path. Turn Left when you return to the large intersection. Down & back to the Crossing Bridge, take the boardwalk that’s still ‘left’.
Along the path before you, there will be a large tree beside the trail (you’ll know this one because the base resembles a porcupine), take a moment to stop here and search the branches above. Raccoons find this to be a great place for a nap during the day, and can be seen stretching out over the branches.
Continue along this main trail, following the stream’s edge until the boardwalk ends. From here, continue by taking 35 kids steps (or 30 steps for a thirty-something year old) and follow the path that will take you over a bridge. Go up the paved walkway, then break to the right and follow the gravel trail back into the bush.
Continue along for 3-4 minutes until you encounter a fallen log ‘gate’. From here, don’t be ‘right’. At your next choice, continue straight. You might see some spots nicely ‘decked’ out only a few ‘yards’ away to you left. At the splits ahead, turn left.
To “Stoop and Scoop” is the ‘right’ thing to do.
On this narrow path, go down the hill and continue past the sharp bend. Is that a familiar bridge over there? At a group of fallen logs you’ll see a log extending upwards 90 degrees to the right of the path. Climb up the length of this log and peer over its end. Underneath, you will find what you seek.


Back to your Car
Retrace your steps to the “Stoop and Scoop”. Turn right and follow the path for 4-5 minutes. At the familiar park bench, turn left and follow the path out to the trailhead and your car.