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Natural Nobility #5 - Moose LbNA #46638 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 16, 2009
Location:
City:Morgan Hill
County:Santa Clara
State:California
Boxes:1
Planted by:Grumpy Grinch
Found by: Woman to Blame
Last found:Apr 19, 2009
Status:FFr
Last edited:Apr 16, 2009
The Natural Nobility #5 - Moose letterbox can be found in the largest State Park in Northern California. It is about 15 miles south of San Jose and in the hills east of Morgan Hill. Take the East Dunne Avenue exit from Hwy. 101 heading east. Your 13 mile drive will take about half an hour since much of the trip is on a narrow, winding road. If you have an RV, you will not be able to turn around until you reach the park. Follow the sign for the state park, past Anderson Reservoir and on up into the hills. You will end at the Visitor's Center. Park here, pay your $5 parking fee ($4 if anyone in your party is 62 or over.) Pick up a trail map.

There is a rest room behind the visitor center. Water is available. Bring plenty with you along with your sun screen, bug repellent, walking stick, snacks, and camera. We realize there are no Moose in this part of California, but the magnificent Ponderosa pine forest deserves a Noble letterbox! This can be done as a stand-alone letterbox. The letterboxer who plans carefully will soon realize that the hike can have more than one reward.

Start at the Manzanita Point Road. Walk up the road a few hundred feet to the Monument Trail on your left. Follow this steep trail uphill as it zigs and zags around the hill. Pass through the old gate then under the natural arch. Go up, up, and up. After .4 mile you will reach a trail junction. Rejoice, you are at the top! Turn left and follow the Ponderosa Trail towards the Vista Point. Several hundred feet along the trail you will see a huge fallen tree trunk on your left. On your right stand next to the standing dead tree next to the trail. From that tree walk 50 steps/25 paces at 330 degrees until you reach a clump of small leaf manzanita on your right and four pines standing in a row on your left. Walk straight ahead past the manzanitas. You will see two charred fallen logs lying parallel to one another on your right. Go to the downhill log and you will find your Nobility under bark strips on the near end.

You can now return to the trail junction, turn right and go downhill back the way you came. Or you can continue to the Vista Point and back, a lovely loop trail that will take you past Eric's bench, through the forest, and back again, adding about 20 minutes to your walk.