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Summer Squall LbNA #65498

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 23, 2013
Location: Black Pond
City:Meriden
County:New Haven
State:Connecticut
Boxes:1
Planted by:CT Nite Owl
Found by: Nairon
Last found:Apr 24, 2021
Status:FFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Apr 23, 2013
I was an avid hiker long before I discovered letterboxing, and I hiked the blue trail at Black Pond many times... So I wanted to plant a box here to commemorate an event that happened to me here last summer.

I was near one of the overlooks towards the far end of the trail, when I received a call from my roommate, asking if I was still out hiking in "this crazy rain" Um, what rain? It was still nice and sunny where I was, but I could see gathering clouds in the distance. She said, "It's been raining buckets for 10 minutes, and the wind is crazy, like a hurricane!!" I thought that to be unusual, since my house was just a few miles from there, and the weather was perfect where I was. I peered through the trees, and sure enough, I could see a large, ominous black cloud over the part of town where my house was, with occasional lightning strikes.. and it seemed to be headed my way! I did an about face and quickly started heading back towards the parking lot... but I made it only halfway and was at the highest point on the trail when the storm reached me! First it clouded over, and immediately the wind started kicking into high gear.. then a few sprinkles of water on my cheek, followed by a driving rain only a moment later! The smell of ozone was heavy in the air as the storm worked its way across the pond.. loud cracks of thunder immediately following the bright lightning flashes told me they were very close... and here I was, all alone at one of the highest points in town! My first thought was to seek shelter from the rain... These summer squalls usually pass by quickly, and I didn't want to be rushing down a wet muddy trail on the edge of some very steep cliffs. There was a thick clump of evergreens on the edge of the trail, so I tried to hide there.. but the force of the wind blowing over the pond was so strong, it was blowing them almost completely over! I decided that it was better to get off trial and decend a little, to get away from the wind and lightning... I was going to get soaked regardless. I walked about 20 paces into the woods and took shelter under some small trees, that I hoped would be too short to attract lightning... I tried to keep my phone dry as I filmed the storm to show my roommate later. The trees at the edges of the cliffs were blowing almost horizontal now, and I heard the loud crack of large branches breaking and falling not far from me.. between that and the lightning and heavy rain, it got a little tense for awhile! Fortunately, these summer storms pass as quickly as they come.. within about 15 minutes, the rain and wind and lightning were gone, rumbling off in the distance. I continued down the trail, noticing as I looked across the pond that my truck was the only one left in the parking lot. By the time I reached it, the sun was out again! Aside from wet, dripping trees and a few branches down, no sign that anything like that had happend! When I got involved with letterboxing a few months later, I knew I had to carve a stamp to commemorate that sudden wild storm... and plant it behind the same tree I took shelter under!

To get to Black Pond:

From Meriden and points west, take Route 691 East. Take the Preston Ave. exit and turn right at the end of the exit. At the first light take a left onto East Main Street. Continue on East Main until you see a sign on the right for Black Pond. Turn onto the road leading to Black Pond and stay left to reach the parking area.

From Middletown and points east, take Route 66 toward Meriden. Take Exit 13 (exit is on the left), the East Main Street, Meriden Exit. After the overpass take a sharp left (almost like a U-turn). You will see a sign for Black Pond on the right. Turn in and stay left to continue down the road to the parking lot.

Note: There are some steep cliffs on this trail, so be cautious with children or pets.. don't let them run ahead of you.

Just before you get to the parking area, you will see a gate in front of a dirt road on your left. After you park, return to this gate and walk down the road behind it. you will be gaining slight elevation on a rocky trail alongside the pond. When you reach a three way intersection in the trail, take a right onto the blue trail. Parts of the trail can be a little strenuous as you gain elevation, but its not too bad. When you reach the overlooks, you will be rewarded with some great views of Black Pond and the surrounding countryside. Be careful, as the overlooks are at the edge of some steep cliffs! Be wary of pets and children. When you reach the third overlook, it is one of the highest points on the mountain.. This is about where I was when the storm hit. looking around, you can see how this would be a scary place to be in a high wind thunderstorm! You know you are at the right overlook if just beyond it you can see a thin tree with a blue blaze on it, and just to the right of it there is an odd little twisted tree growing out of the edge of the cliff, that kind of looks like a large Bonsai tree. Continue past these trees and you come to the cluster of evergreens on your right, just before the trail starts to gain elevation again. This is where I initially tried to take shelter from the rain. Now, turn left and walk maybe 20 paces or so off the trail. You should see two medium sized trees with a log laying on the ground between them. The first tree is the one I hid beneath til the storm blew over... and under the small pile of rocks at its base, you should find the box! If you are looking for other boxes up here, this one can be found after "Black Pond/Black Snake" but well before "Four Directional Bear" Happy Hunting... and check the weather report first! :)