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The Beast in the Cedar Woods LbNA #59694

Owner:Troutstamp
Plant date:Oct 1, 2011
Location:
City:Pesque Isle
County:Presque Isle
State:Michigan
Boxes:1
Found by: Crazy Prince's
Last found:Jun 30, 2012
Status:FFFFFFFFa
Last edited:Oct 13, 2020
The Beast in the Cedar Woods
Presque Isle, Michigan

Difficulty: Easy
Terrain: Wooded, some stumps and down trees.
Total round trip from the parking lot, .37 miles
Placed by Troutstamp on October 1, 2011

NOTE: This box was lost when the trail was redone but has since been replaced as of October 2020.

Presque Isle Peninsula (French for almost an island) sticks out into Lake Huron like a thumb. This peninsula and the harbor became a popular place for steamships that were working the Great Lakes in the 1800s to pick up wood. The peninsula needed a lighthouse to help these ships navigate. In fact two light houses can be found here; Old Presque Isle Light House located on the east side of the peninsula and the larger New Presque Isle Lighthouse, located closer to the tip of the thumb in the center of the peninsula. The new lighthouse is tall 109 feet and was completed in 1870 as a lake coastal light and replaced the old 38 foot old lighthouse built in 1840 which served more as a harbor light. Both are open to visitors.

In addition to the two lighthouses, Presque Isle also had a foghorn. In March 1889, Congress approved construction of a steam foghorn at the tip of the peninsula. These loud horns were helpful in fog or stormy weather when a vessel had little or no visibility and the light was of little use. These signals, though sometimes distorted by the fog itself, could be heard where the light could not be seen. A problem, however, with the steam horns was the preparation time it took to sound the foghorn. Sometimes it took as long as 45 minutes to start a boiler fire and wait for the steam pressure to build. This could pose a hazard to a boat that required immediate assistance from keepers at the station – in those precious minutes; a vessel might be severely delayed upon entering the harbor.

Begin your search for this box at the Fog Horn Pavilion at the end of East Grand Lake Road. You will drive past the both the Old lighthouse and the New Lighthouse to reach the pavilion.

The pavilion looks due north over lake Huron.

After parking, you will pass part of a wreckage of a wooden ship propped against the side of the pavilion. Signs on the side of the pavilion tell the story of wreck of he Kyle Spanger and the Cornelia B. Windiate.

Use the following clues to find the name of a mythical beast that is guarding what you seek. Use the text of ledger in the upper left of the Wingate sign that lists Location, Depth, Built, Lost and Length.

The 13th letter of the first line ____
The third letter in the first line ____
The fourth letter in the second line ____
The fourth letter in the last line ____
Second letter in the fifth line ____
The third letter in the last line ___

Unscramble these letters to find the name of a beast. Remember that name.

To the left of the pavilion is the sign for the Northbay Trail. Your quest is down the trail.

This trail leads along the shore of lake Huron through a climax forest dominated by northern white cedar. These trees rarely exceed 75 feet, in part because they are slow growing. Northern white cedar is shade-tolerant and individual trees have the potential to live more than 500 years. Cedar dominates the lower portion of the canopy along most of the trail with taller white and black pines, birch and poplar occupying the upper canopy. The cedar trees are highly tapered and sometimes divided into two or more secondary trunks. Because of the poor aeration of the wet soil close to the lake, the root systems are shallow and spreading, and large structural roots sometime protrude above the ground. Windthrow, where trees are uprooted or bent in various ways, is common in wet areas and results in trees of unusual forms; highly curved and peculiar trunk shapes are common. Sometimes these trees take on the shapes of creatures, animals and beasts especially when they lay on the forest floor and begin to decay.

Balsam fir, small “Christmas trees” are also common along the side of the trail. These trees have soft needles and are shaped in cone form and grow along the trail or where more sunlight reaches the ground

The trail follows the lake Huron shore. There are a number of roots and fallen trees, so be careful. The trail was recently cleared and there are many piles of logs left along the trails.

As you walk, you will pass several fallen trees and windthrows. Continue along the trail.

Further along another windthrow on the right has created a long curved moss covered tree that is still growing. Continue down the trail. You will see open stands of cedar on your left with many windthrows. Some are curved and twisted.

When you pass the fourth path on your right leading to lake Huron, continue on for the number of steps calculated from the two dates on the pavilion sign. On your right is a large pine and on your left are two fallen cedar logs, one with a stump shaped like the head of the mythical beast identified earlier with its tail curved around and pointing on down the trail. Close to the head of the beast is a second fallen cedar pointing back into the forest. Reach into the hollow stump at the end of the second log and you will find what you seek.


Congratulations! You have found the Beast in the Cedar Forest letterbox placed here by Troutstamp on September of 2011. Please carefully reseal the box and return it to its hiding place.