Animals Make Me Happy LbNA #75477
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Add Location| Owner: | Mrs. Happy
 |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Apr 21, 2021 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Hollis |
| County: | Hillsborough |
| State: | New Hampshire |
| Boxes: | 3 |
| Found by: | uneksia (3) |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Status: | FFFaaOFFF |
| Last edited: | Mar 23, 2025 |
On 3/23/25 I removed these boxes to make some repairs. I'll delete this when they are back out there. :)
This hike is great! Bring a water bottle, snack, water shoes for the small streams, and bug spray. It is about 1.25 miles round trip. Easy Peasy. Do NOT swim in the big river. It is NOT safe.
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Find the intersection of French Mill Road and Rideout Road in Hollis, NH. There is a parking lot there.
Park in the parking lot and then walk out through two sets of boulders. Walk towards Rideout Road. Cross the street. You will see an old faded sign with green letters. If it says Flints Brook Project Hollis conservation commission you are in the right place!
You are now entering Hollis town conservation land as you walk past the gate. Just make sure you crossed the road to get to the other side!
Flints Brook stream will be on your right as you walk in to the forest, continue along this wide path for a couple minutes until you see a smaller path off to the right. Walk past a few old stumps and follow this skinny path.
You will start to walk down a hill and the stream will still be on your right. You are getting closer when you go down a small staircase made of roots.
You should now be right at the water's edge. Play here for a while if you'd like! When you are ready to move on, continue on the way you were headed. You will need to climb a steep mountain, but don’t worry, there is a rope to help you.
Once you get to the top of the mountain turn back around and you can see how the river turns and curves. Cool huh?!!
Notice that the end of the rope is tied to a tree that seems to have six small trunks. Starting at this six trunked tree, take 13 Mrs. Happy sized steps forward and look to your right for a tree similar to this six trunk tree, BUT one that only has three small trunks.
You should see two of these three trunked trees. The first letter box is hidden behind the three trunked tree in the back. It is hidden under a bunch of sticks. (In other letterbox clues, similar types of trees are called "sister" trees. Six sister, three sister, etc...) This is the FOX BOX.
After you stamp your notebook, please be very careful to pack the box up nicely and hide it back under all of the sticks so that it can't be seen from the trail.
To find the second box, keep going along the path away from the water. Very quickly you will find yourself back on the main trail you started on, veer to the right and continue. As soon as you turn onto this larger trail, start to look on the left of the trail for a spray painted orange face on a large tree. People should not spray paint smiley faces on trees, BUT in the distance you can see red paint marks on other trees. These red marks are the boundary lines for Private Property.
Stay on the large main path and continue walking. When you get to an intersection shaped like a Y you will see a white birch tree that is very skinny. Take the path on the left.
Walk down the path and you will find you are walking past pine tree saplings, mostly white pines, (Remember you can count the needles in a pine needle bundle to identify pine trees! White Pine = 5) BUT there are also some Red Pines here! (Red Pine = 2) Continue along the path.
You will come to an intersection-like place with a lot of cut down trees, this was a road used by tree farmers. It seems sad, but if you look around you can see all of the new trees starting to grow and fill in! If done responsibly, tree farming actually helps take care of forests ...and we use a lot of trees every day! Go straight through the intersection and continue walking along the path as it curves to the right.
After walking for about five minutes ...and thinking of all the ways we use trees: paper, napkins, pencils, houses, toothpicks, etc. you will walk into a forested area. As you start to walk into this forested area look for a red mark on a tree to the left. Walk to the tree with the red mark. Standing at the tree with a red mark look for a second tree with a red mark. The second red mark tree will be on the same side of the trail. In between these two trees there are two very old, skinny trees/logs that have fallen down on top of each other. The second letter box is under these logs in between the two red dot trees and under hemlock trees. Please be very careful to take care of this box.
When you re-hide it make sure that you cannot see it from the trail. This is the BEAR BOX.
Walk back to the path and you will see a bridge made of wood on your left, but keep right and do NOT cross that bridge. As soon as you round the corner to the right be very careful not to miss a turn on the left when you see a large tree that is shaped like a V. I’m not sure if this is an official trail, but make your way to the water. :)
As you are walking towards the river you will see another bridge to your left, but turn right and follow the small path. Do not cross the bridge. There will be a river on your left; this is the Nashua River. Across the river you will see a golf course; this is the Overlook Golf Club.
As you continue walking, with the water on your left, you will eventually see a large pile of neatly stacked logs on the right. Here is the third and final letterbox! The Letterbox is behind this pile. You may need to look under a piece of bark. When you put this letterbox back, nestle it in in between the log in the stack of locks so it doesn't fly away. Please take good care of this box! This is the BIRD BOX.
Keep walking and make sure the river is still on your left. The path will curve around a fallen tree, but keep going. Soon you will see a blue arrow on a tree that a beaver gave up on chewing down. Stop here and make a choice to go left or right. Left is the adventurous way and was a little scary for my dog Blue, who didn't want to walk that close to the water. Right will take you the forest way. Both places will lead to the same spot.
RIGHT: Stay right and walk past both blue rectangles and notice a third up ahead. Keep to the right and follow the blue rectangles along the trail. After you walk under a fallen tree, turn left and go to the bench.
LEFT: Stay left and follow the path near the water. Walk along the river until you see a bench.
At the BENCH you will be where Flints Brook Stream meets the Nashua River. Please do not swim here; it's not safe, look how fast the current is moving. There are also many underwater trees hidden.
To leave, sit on the bench facing the golf course. Stand up. Walk to the right ...all the way to see a large fallen tree in the water. At this tree you will find a small, skinny path that goes very close along the water’s edge, follow this path as it goes uphill. At the top you will see were beavers have chewed logs a long time ago. Continue walking and go down the winding path.
When you come to a split in the trail, you could go left to explore the beaver dam for a little bit, but to continue on you need to turn right. After you turn right, continue walking and you will immediately see a "blobby tree". At the "blobby tree" turn left and continue along the path.
You will walk over a tree that is lying down across the trail, continue on that same trail moving forward. Do not U turn when you see another trail merge in.
After you walk about 5 minutes (.16 mile), you will notice the area of small pine trees and the same tall skinny birch on the right. Continue walking and you are on your way out!
As you are leaving you will come to an intersection where you can turn left to go back to the rope, mountain, and root steps near the water or you can continue forward, keeping right and take a short cut back to the road!
Good job getting outside and thanks for visiting my letterboxes!
Hike length: 1 mile
This hike is great! Bring a water bottle, snack, water shoes for the small streams, and bug spray. It is about 1.25 miles round trip. Easy Peasy. Do NOT swim in the big river. It is NOT safe.
------------------
Find the intersection of French Mill Road and Rideout Road in Hollis, NH. There is a parking lot there.
Park in the parking lot and then walk out through two sets of boulders. Walk towards Rideout Road. Cross the street. You will see an old faded sign with green letters. If it says Flints Brook Project Hollis conservation commission you are in the right place!
You are now entering Hollis town conservation land as you walk past the gate. Just make sure you crossed the road to get to the other side!
Flints Brook stream will be on your right as you walk in to the forest, continue along this wide path for a couple minutes until you see a smaller path off to the right. Walk past a few old stumps and follow this skinny path.
You will start to walk down a hill and the stream will still be on your right. You are getting closer when you go down a small staircase made of roots.
You should now be right at the water's edge. Play here for a while if you'd like! When you are ready to move on, continue on the way you were headed. You will need to climb a steep mountain, but don’t worry, there is a rope to help you.
Once you get to the top of the mountain turn back around and you can see how the river turns and curves. Cool huh?!!
Notice that the end of the rope is tied to a tree that seems to have six small trunks. Starting at this six trunked tree, take 13 Mrs. Happy sized steps forward and look to your right for a tree similar to this six trunk tree, BUT one that only has three small trunks.
You should see two of these three trunked trees. The first letter box is hidden behind the three trunked tree in the back. It is hidden under a bunch of sticks. (In other letterbox clues, similar types of trees are called "sister" trees. Six sister, three sister, etc...) This is the FOX BOX.
After you stamp your notebook, please be very careful to pack the box up nicely and hide it back under all of the sticks so that it can't be seen from the trail.
To find the second box, keep going along the path away from the water. Very quickly you will find yourself back on the main trail you started on, veer to the right and continue. As soon as you turn onto this larger trail, start to look on the left of the trail for a spray painted orange face on a large tree. People should not spray paint smiley faces on trees, BUT in the distance you can see red paint marks on other trees. These red marks are the boundary lines for Private Property.
Stay on the large main path and continue walking. When you get to an intersection shaped like a Y you will see a white birch tree that is very skinny. Take the path on the left.
Walk down the path and you will find you are walking past pine tree saplings, mostly white pines, (Remember you can count the needles in a pine needle bundle to identify pine trees! White Pine = 5) BUT there are also some Red Pines here! (Red Pine = 2) Continue along the path.
You will come to an intersection-like place with a lot of cut down trees, this was a road used by tree farmers. It seems sad, but if you look around you can see all of the new trees starting to grow and fill in! If done responsibly, tree farming actually helps take care of forests ...and we use a lot of trees every day! Go straight through the intersection and continue walking along the path as it curves to the right.
After walking for about five minutes ...and thinking of all the ways we use trees: paper, napkins, pencils, houses, toothpicks, etc. you will walk into a forested area. As you start to walk into this forested area look for a red mark on a tree to the left. Walk to the tree with the red mark. Standing at the tree with a red mark look for a second tree with a red mark. The second red mark tree will be on the same side of the trail. In between these two trees there are two very old, skinny trees/logs that have fallen down on top of each other. The second letter box is under these logs in between the two red dot trees and under hemlock trees. Please be very careful to take care of this box.
When you re-hide it make sure that you cannot see it from the trail. This is the BEAR BOX.
Walk back to the path and you will see a bridge made of wood on your left, but keep right and do NOT cross that bridge. As soon as you round the corner to the right be very careful not to miss a turn on the left when you see a large tree that is shaped like a V. I’m not sure if this is an official trail, but make your way to the water. :)
As you are walking towards the river you will see another bridge to your left, but turn right and follow the small path. Do not cross the bridge. There will be a river on your left; this is the Nashua River. Across the river you will see a golf course; this is the Overlook Golf Club.
As you continue walking, with the water on your left, you will eventually see a large pile of neatly stacked logs on the right. Here is the third and final letterbox! The Letterbox is behind this pile. You may need to look under a piece of bark. When you put this letterbox back, nestle it in in between the log in the stack of locks so it doesn't fly away. Please take good care of this box! This is the BIRD BOX.
Keep walking and make sure the river is still on your left. The path will curve around a fallen tree, but keep going. Soon you will see a blue arrow on a tree that a beaver gave up on chewing down. Stop here and make a choice to go left or right. Left is the adventurous way and was a little scary for my dog Blue, who didn't want to walk that close to the water. Right will take you the forest way. Both places will lead to the same spot.
RIGHT: Stay right and walk past both blue rectangles and notice a third up ahead. Keep to the right and follow the blue rectangles along the trail. After you walk under a fallen tree, turn left and go to the bench.
LEFT: Stay left and follow the path near the water. Walk along the river until you see a bench.
At the BENCH you will be where Flints Brook Stream meets the Nashua River. Please do not swim here; it's not safe, look how fast the current is moving. There are also many underwater trees hidden.
To leave, sit on the bench facing the golf course. Stand up. Walk to the right ...all the way to see a large fallen tree in the water. At this tree you will find a small, skinny path that goes very close along the water’s edge, follow this path as it goes uphill. At the top you will see were beavers have chewed logs a long time ago. Continue walking and go down the winding path.
When you come to a split in the trail, you could go left to explore the beaver dam for a little bit, but to continue on you need to turn right. After you turn right, continue walking and you will immediately see a "blobby tree". At the "blobby tree" turn left and continue along the path.
You will walk over a tree that is lying down across the trail, continue on that same trail moving forward. Do not U turn when you see another trail merge in.
After you walk about 5 minutes (.16 mile), you will notice the area of small pine trees and the same tall skinny birch on the right. Continue walking and you are on your way out!
As you are leaving you will come to an intersection where you can turn left to go back to the rope, mountain, and root steps near the water or you can continue forward, keeping right and take a short cut back to the road!
Good job getting outside and thanks for visiting my letterboxes!
Hike length: 1 mile