Happy Birthday Louie LbNA #53879
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Add Location| Owner: | pjynx  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jun 5, 2010 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Hudsonville |
| County: | Ottawa |
| State: | Michigan |
| Boxes: | 3 |
| Found by: | PurpleAce (3) |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Aug 29, 2012 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Jun 5, 2010 |
My daughter Louie wanted to celebrate her 11th birthday by taking her friends letterboxing. I carved and planted 3 birthday themed stamps and planted them for the party. We gave her friends a quick lesson in letterboxing, equiped them with name stamps, a logbook and compass and off we went. All them them seemed to really enjoy it, so hopefully they will encourage their families to try it and we will have created some new boxers for our area ;o)
Hudsonville Nature Center is a little-known gem of Hudsonville. It offers wonderfully groomed woodchip trails, picnic areas, scenic overlooks and hardwood forest which provides nice shading to do your hiking. Visit it's website at: website
To get there, from 32nd Ave, go east on New Holland until it ends. About a block before the street ends, on the right, is the picnic area. Park in the cul-de-sac.
Box 1 – Party decorations
Go to the S-SW edge of the picnic area and down the steep steps. Across the bridge and follow the trail. The trail makes many curves and you will be walking near the creek for most of the way. Cross any bridges or wooden platforms you come to, counting them as you go. After bridge 7, Continue on the trail…go under the tall arch…cross bridge #8 and continue again on the trail. As it curves to the right, you will see an opening in the trees further ahead and a meadow beyond the trees. From where the trail curves to the right, watch the left side of the trail. You will see a tree with almost no bark left. The tree is smooth with only a little bit of scraggly bark way up high. Walk a few feet more on the trail and you should be near 2 skinny trees also on the left. Standing between those 2 trees, take a compass reading of approx 155° and 22 steps in you'll see a skinny multi-trunk tree that tree has fallen over. Next to the 2 skinny trees is a social trail through the foliage. Use that opening to make your way to the tree you sighted. Watch where you walk, as there are many broken sticks and possibly poison ivy (but not much). You’ll find Party Decorations hiding under some extra sticks at the base of the tree.
Box 2 – Presents
After leaving Box 1, go back the way you came. Cross 3 bridges. Between bridges 3 & 4, take the trail to the right. Trail will curve and have a few up & down hills. Then it clings to the edge of a steep hill that overlooks the creek. At the fork, be sure to make the "right" choice. When you get to the T in the trail, take the chipped path, not the grass one. A few feet along on the trail, see large decaying log on right and just past that is a fallen tree on the left, lying perpendicular to the trail. Presents are tucked in at the base of the massive tree where the fallen one lies.
Box 3 – Cake
After Box 2, continue on the trail in the direction you were going. At the next choice, go left. Past the bench, right at fork, past many fallen trees and another bench. Down (careful of roots on steps)....across....up. Past another bench and onto the trail. At fork, on right are 3 medium size trees in a row, each spaced about 5 feet apart. Behind them and somewhat between the last 2 trees, is a tree with an odd shaped base. Go to that tree and walk around to the opposite side. From there, take a compass reading of 190° to find a medium size tree. Go to the opposite side of that one. Take a compass reading of 210° where you will see a fallen limb at the base of a tree. Cake is hiding in the spread-out fingers of this fallen one. To return to your car, return to the trail and go right. Follow it until you get to the meadow. At the meadow, go to the wooden overlook and take the trail that is directly across from the steps. Follow that trail as straight as possible (skip all side trails). It will eventually merge with a gravel road that leads down to the parking area.
Please take boxes away from their locations to stamp in (benches and wooden overlooks are great spots) and be discreet while retrieving and re-hiding. When finished, make sure the boxes are closed at all 4 corners and is tucked in out of sight. If you notice the book getting full, please email me so I can replace it.
Hudsonville Nature Center is a little-known gem of Hudsonville. It offers wonderfully groomed woodchip trails, picnic areas, scenic overlooks and hardwood forest which provides nice shading to do your hiking. Visit it's website at: website
To get there, from 32nd Ave, go east on New Holland until it ends. About a block before the street ends, on the right, is the picnic area. Park in the cul-de-sac.
Box 1 – Party decorations
Go to the S-SW edge of the picnic area and down the steep steps. Across the bridge and follow the trail. The trail makes many curves and you will be walking near the creek for most of the way. Cross any bridges or wooden platforms you come to, counting them as you go. After bridge 7, Continue on the trail…go under the tall arch…cross bridge #8 and continue again on the trail. As it curves to the right, you will see an opening in the trees further ahead and a meadow beyond the trees. From where the trail curves to the right, watch the left side of the trail. You will see a tree with almost no bark left. The tree is smooth with only a little bit of scraggly bark way up high. Walk a few feet more on the trail and you should be near 2 skinny trees also on the left. Standing between those 2 trees, take a compass reading of approx 155° and 22 steps in you'll see a skinny multi-trunk tree that tree has fallen over. Next to the 2 skinny trees is a social trail through the foliage. Use that opening to make your way to the tree you sighted. Watch where you walk, as there are many broken sticks and possibly poison ivy (but not much). You’ll find Party Decorations hiding under some extra sticks at the base of the tree.
Box 2 – Presents
After leaving Box 1, go back the way you came. Cross 3 bridges. Between bridges 3 & 4, take the trail to the right. Trail will curve and have a few up & down hills. Then it clings to the edge of a steep hill that overlooks the creek. At the fork, be sure to make the "right" choice. When you get to the T in the trail, take the chipped path, not the grass one. A few feet along on the trail, see large decaying log on right and just past that is a fallen tree on the left, lying perpendicular to the trail. Presents are tucked in at the base of the massive tree where the fallen one lies.
Box 3 – Cake
After Box 2, continue on the trail in the direction you were going. At the next choice, go left. Past the bench, right at fork, past many fallen trees and another bench. Down (careful of roots on steps)....across....up. Past another bench and onto the trail. At fork, on right are 3 medium size trees in a row, each spaced about 5 feet apart. Behind them and somewhat between the last 2 trees, is a tree with an odd shaped base. Go to that tree and walk around to the opposite side. From there, take a compass reading of 190° to find a medium size tree. Go to the opposite side of that one. Take a compass reading of 210° where you will see a fallen limb at the base of a tree. Cake is hiding in the spread-out fingers of this fallen one. To return to your car, return to the trail and go right. Follow it until you get to the meadow. At the meadow, go to the wooden overlook and take the trail that is directly across from the steps. Follow that trail as straight as possible (skip all side trails). It will eventually merge with a gravel road that leads down to the parking area.
Please take boxes away from their locations to stamp in (benches and wooden overlooks are great spots) and be discreet while retrieving and re-hiding. When finished, make sure the boxes are closed at all 4 corners and is tucked in out of sight. If you notice the book getting full, please email me so I can replace it.