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First aidGenerations LbNA #9210

Owner:DrewFamily Supporter Verified
Plant date:Sep 9, 1999
Location:
City:Colchester
County:New London
State:Connecticut
Boxes:2
Found by: civilguy (2)
Last found:Nov 27, 2021
Status:FFFFaFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Sep 9, 1999
The world didn't come to an end on 9/9/99: we know because we were there. The sites for these two letterboxes were chosen for the longevity they display in contrast to current short-lived millennium madnesses.

Difficulty: easy 4 miles, in 2-3 hours at Day Pond State Park. There are a couple of steep parts and a rather long uphill climb near the end. Well marked trails in the Connecticut Blue Trail system, where blazes are a light sea blue, exactly the color of the shutters on Long Island shore summer homes.

Directions: from Connecticut Rt. 2 in Colchester, take exit 16 and go right on Rt. 149. Travel 2.7 miles uphill past strangely weathered old farm homes to turn right at a church at a Day Pond State Park sign. Turn again with the signs, but pass the main entrance to the pond and park at the end of the road near a picnic area.

Hike north downhill through the picnic area to the dam at Day Pond. Turn left into the woods on the blue blazed trail and head downhill with the stream, watching for a left fork at double blazes. Zig zag left and right across a rocky road and follow the blazes through the woods and under power lines. Travel 1.5 miles up over a small hill, across the top, and then down the north side to head generally west on a sometimes wet carriage road. Coming to the site of an old farm with stone foundations and walls, you'll find a T-intersection. Turn left, south, wondering what 1970s drunkenness left that piece of litter.

Turn right at the double blazes (straight up the hill will bring you home). When the trail jogs left, go right (northwest) and down hill on the Day Brook Falls Spur Trail through a truly marvelous stand of hemlock to find a campsite with a stone fireplace by the waterfall. Enjoy! Then, from this camp, take 100 steps on a bearing of 020 degrees to find a true champion oak. At the tree you can carefully cross over the stone wall on the right, or you can go around it to the left. Letterbox 9/9/99 lives in the north face of this wall in the shadow of the ancient oak, down low in a rocky cavity. We predict the tree will outlive the box.

From the oak, retiur up the spur trail to the main blue trail and head south to cross over a bridge and under power lines and begin a gradual climb of a mile through the Ewok Forest. Go straight at a small summit when a trail branches right and straight again a few steps later through a cross trail. Travel through the woods to a truly gigantic glacial erratic on your right. Give it a little push, and if it doesn't budge, lean into it with your back and push harder. Looking up into the sky, imagine this monster a mile overhead, higher than the small planes, surfing the crest of the glacial ice sheet. A most boxious location.

With your back to the south, flat face of this boulder, sight 3 ground hugging outcrops along 200 degrees. The 5 Eds Letterbox is behind the third rock, named in memory of the Drew men carrying the name Edwin Porter, especially my father EPD IV and my son EPD V.

Search carefully, however: I have evidence to show that there must be some knee high poison ivy along that 200 degree bearing....and traveling just a half mile further on your blue trail, cross a stone wall onto a dirt road and turn right to your car. May memories of our own personal forests and families bring us a timeless joy.