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Happy Holidays-2012 LbNA #65574

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Dec 8, 2012
Location: West Rock Ridge State Park
City:New Haven
County:New Haven
State:Connecticut
Boxes:6
Planted by:MrsWanderer
Found by: Bungalow Boxer (5)
Last found:Sep 13, 2015
Status:FFFFF
Last edited:Dec 8, 2012
West Rock Ridge State Park located in Hamden and New Haven has history, great hiking, and beautiful views.

Click here: http://westrockpark.wordpress.com/history/ or click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Rock_Ridge_State_Park for some history of the West Rock Ridge State Park.

****First To Find Treat!****

This hike takes about 3 hours and is not recommended for kids. There are a lot of steep climbs and cliffs. Leaves are covering the trail so it can be very slippery. Thus, I also don't recommend this hike in the snow. In total this hike will be about 4 ½ miles with the first 3 boxes planted approximately every ½ mile and boxes 4-6 are approximately planted every 1/4 mile. I hope you enjoy the hike!

Please print the trail map to help you during your hike. Please be very CAREFUL and Happy Holidays!

Trail Map:
http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/stateparks/maps/westrock.pdf

CLUES:

Park at the Lake Wintergreen parking lot located 29 Main St. in Hamden. At the kiosk go straight on the gravel road passing the intersection of the red trails and the Wintergreen Lake on your left. Continue straight or northwest on the gravel trail surpassing the white trails and going on to the gold trail. As you hike on the gold trail you will pass a "forest" of Mountain Laurels on the left and a swamp that is more visible in the autumn and winter on the left, as well.

You will come to a closed gate that leads to a huge cement water tank straight ahead; follow the gold trail as it goes left and around the water tank. Hike up a rocky hill. On top of it, you will come across to a gravel paved road known as Baldwin Drive. Cross and continue onto the gold. Shortly after you will hit the blue trail intersection going left to right. Go left on the blue trail. (Please be careful about your footing as leaves can be very slippery and you are close to the edge.) Stop at the third blazed tree (Note: second blaze is faded) and look to the left and walk past the cedar tree towards the "slingshot" tree. To the left of this tree and 4 1/2 ft. up the crack in the rock, hidden by a small rock is where you will find "Winters' One of a Kind". Stamp in and Please re-hide as you found or better.

Continuing past some scenic views, you will come upon a fork intersection with yellow(which is going right and downhill). Keep on blue passing through pine trees and eventually seeing a wired guardrail to the left. A while after the trail will take a sudden down-slope and then a gradual incline going slightly right to a double-blazed tree that will be on your left. Stop and notice a "forest" of cedars to your right. Walk 16 paces on the trail and stop (this will be exactly a 1/2 mile from the first box). To your left will be another sling shot tree and to your right will be three trees lined up and parallel to the trail. 2 steps behind the middle, dead, tree will be three rocks piled with the middle rock having a cracked corner. Behind and underneath the middle rock hidden by a small, movable, rock will be "Holidays Flower". Stamp and Please re-hide as you found or better.

The next stamp is a bonus stamp. It is a Christmas stamp so it's your choice if you want it or not. The directions to this box is found under "Merry Christmas-2012" or (Box#211600).

If you are skipping the Christmas stamp follow these directions:
Continue on blue after Box #2. A while after, blue will take a sharp left turn to Baldwin Dr. Cross the road and continue on blue. Shortly after blue will meet up with the orange trail. Bear right with blue and pass a boulder on your right. You will pass a blue-blazed pipe on your right then three antenna towers. Right before hitting a gravel paved road you will pass a second blue-blazed pipe in the trail. Cross the road to continue on blue and stop at the first blue-blazed tree on your right. Walk 14 paces on the trail and stop. There will be a five sister to the left. In the jumble of sticks and leaves, you will find, "Tree Jewelry". Stamp and Please re-hide as found or better.

Continue on and hop over a dead tree and hike up the hill to cross over a guardrail to a dirt road. Follow blue, left, onto the dirt road as it veers right; back into the woods, right before a rusty radio tower. Pass through some cedars. Now you can probably hear and possibly see the cars driving on Rt. 15. Eventually you will pass some more antennas to your far left. Soon after, blue will head downhill. While carefully hiking down, you will pass an octangular building to your left. Notice the trail will slightly turn a downward right. Before you continue to do so, there will be two skinny blazed trees that the trail goes between. Stop at them and look left to a two sister tree. At the bottom of this tree, covered with a rock and some leaves is "Holidays' Animal" with a carved bonus stamp. Stamp and Please re-hide as you found or better.

Continue on and go down a few neat rock steps. After the steps, the green trail will be on your left and will join the blue trail for a short while. Do the Limbo and then go up and over logs. Green will veer left, stay straight on blue and hike up. Eventually it will slightly flatten and you will notice a cedar to your left and a boulder to your right. Go up to the boulder and on the bottom right will be a small rock and leaves covering "Holidays Sweet Treat". Stamp and Please re-hide as you found or better.

About an 1/8 of a mile will be where the last box is located. From the fifth box continue on blue until you come to a blazed tree to the right of your path. The blazed tree once has another limb (Note: this tree also has a hole towards the bottom of it). Stop and look left of the trail where there will be a rock with a crevice. Within this crevice under a small leaning log is where you will find the "Happy Holidays" stamp. Stamp, log in, and Please re-hide as you found or better.

Now you are finished! You can go back the way you hiked up or you can go 1/2 mile further to view the Judge's cave. Another way of getting back to the car is going back to when blue meets the green trail right before the neat rock steps. Follow the green trail for a quarter of a mile when you come upon the intersection with the red trail. Take a left on red and follow the red trail for about a little more than a mile and a quarter til you reach the parking lot that you originally started at. During the red trail hike you will pass Wintergreen Lake on your left. Enjoy and have a Very Merry Holiday Season!