Chester County Hiking

Most people who have ever boxed with me know that I am an early morning person and amazingly, I don't usually get any resistance from my friends when I name a time for starting my boxing day. That is why we were able to watch the sunrise over the Susquehanna at Highpoint a week ago and why we were able to observe the full moon setting and a sunrise at Cheslen Preserve this time out.

 Neither Dogs with Wings and I had never been at this Chester County park before so we were not sure what to expect.  One thing we didn't expect was a tree like the one below.  It was totally covered in poison ivy, much like kudzu covers the trees in the south.  So the start of our walk gave us a really icky feeling.

 First stop on our hike was at the Stargazers Stone. This was one of the original stones placed by Mason and Dixon to define the boundaries between Pennsylvania and Maryland.  This rather neat looking stone wall surrounded the actual stone.

 The actual 300 year old marker has been worn down to a little nibbly piece of rock.

 Box found and on to the second of the three boxes in this park.  We passed by this Potters Field which is also the burial place for Indian Hannah, the last native Indian to die in Chester County.

 This little cairn was hidden in the brush along the side of the trail.  If I didn't know that Black Swan was currently hiking the Appalachian Trail, I would have thought that he had taken this hike recently.

 One of the other boxes that we planned on finding almost didn't get found.  Although it isn't really obvious in this picture, the grasses in this field were waist high and it had been raining for about three days before.  We had to wade through about 30 feet of them to reach the tree line at field's edge.  We debated doing this and almost gave up but then, being true letterboxers, we plunged into the mucky mess.  As I placed each left foot down I could only think of the snakes that were slithering around me.  As I placed each right foot down I could only think of the ticks that I would be taking out with me.  Once we got to the tree line, the way into the box was so full of brambles and prickers that again, we thought of giving up.  But knowing that we would never want to walk through that muck again, we once more proved our determination and plunged into this new mess.  We were rewarded with the box, I think that both of us had really worried that we would have gone through all of this and the box would be missing.  Back out to the trail and we congratulated ourselves at being so bold and daring and only then we both mentioned out loud that snakes and ticks had been prominent in both of our minds.

 After leaving Cheslen we did a couple more boxes at a really boring "soccer mom" park and then, since we weren't yet ready to call it a day, we headed for Nottingham Park and a couple of boxes there.  We were not successful at finding the first of the boxes.  It was listed as a 1-2 mile hike and we ended up walking about 4 miles and not finding the landmarks in the clue.  Fortunately for us, our way out took us past this little unexpected monument in the middle of the woods which was also the home of another box, which this time was there.

 We sat on a little bridge which spanned this creek and stamped in, longing to take our boots off and soak our feet which had just carried us over nine miles.  But we were so close to being finished for the day that we decided to keep our boots on and head back to the cars.  Unfortunately, Dogs with Wings backpack rebelled and decided to take a quick dip in the creek.  My friend was a bit uncomfortable heading back to the car with sore feet and a wet backpack but we both were happy with the boxes that we had found and already dreaming about our next trip out.

Mud and Mysteries

We have had lots of rain lately.  A local newspaper stated that the Philadelphia area has had about two feet of rain in the past two months.  So when there is the prospect of a beautiful Saturday, we had to take advantage of it.   I was able to con Bill into going along as my chauffeur by promising him breakfast and a visit to a Viet Nam Veterans Appreciation celebration.  He took me up on the breakfast immediately and then we headed for southern Chester county.  We ended up right on the Delaware River and there were many apparent signs of high water from the rains.  I quickly located the box while Bill stood looking up at the underside of the Commodore Barry bridge.  He seemed totally fascinated with it and when I asked him what he was thinking, he told me that he was marveling that only 40 bolts were holding up the section of the bridge that he was inspecting.  The cars and trucks were zooming over us and that thought did make me take a step back away from the bridge.

Jumping ahead a little in time, I did mention that I had found the box and stamped in.  When I got home, I logged my find on AQ and commented that I was really surprised that I had been first finder on this box which is basically a driveby.  It had been in place for a couple of months.  The planter of the box seemed relieved that I had found it because he had had several reports that it was missing.  I then received another email from Idlemoon who was excited that I HAD found it and was going to make a return visit to stamp in.  This got me to thinking.  So I emailed the planter, Lightnin' Bug, and described the box that I had found to him and commented that when I found this box, I had thought that it was not his normal style of box, but that it was in the exact spot that he described in the clues.  It turned out that this was NOT his box and that some mystery person had placed another box in the exact same location.  There was no identification on the box I found, simply a stamp of sorts, a scroll of paper and a pencil.  There was a notation on the scroll but it was illegible.  This was one of the weirdest things that I have ever found in my 8 years of boxing.

From the mysterious box, we headed to Fort Mifflin, for a box there and also for the Viet Nam veterans days.  Bill served in the Navy aboard the USS Perry in Viet Nam and is very proud of his time served.  His service has led us to gatherings of Perry veterans all over the country and we have rekindled some of his old friendships from the ship. In fact, it is because of an old Navy friend that we now own a home in Florida also.  Bill bought the house from his friend's father and he now snowbirds there while I stay here and shovel snow and work.

 But back to Fort Mifflin which is also know as Fort Mudd.  The fort is also along the Delaware River and is very flat.  It is surrounded by high dirt walls which served as protection during the Revolutionary War.   The high walls around the flat fort turn the area into a pool when it rains a normal rain and with two feet of rain recently, it was a mess. Around the high walls is a moat which is now filled with lily pads.  

 

Well, to say that this walk was muddy is understating.  There are no walks to lead from one area to the other so we decided to just agree that our shoes were going to be muddy and trudge on.  We started by standing on the balcony where we bought our admission tickets and surveying the fort.  You can see the Delaware River peaking through in the far lower left corner.

 

I didn't take a lot of pictures this day because I was focusing more on not sinking in mud but I was impressed with the bunkers that also served as protection for the soldiers during this early American war.

 

Somehow, I don't really believe that the interior of the bunker was lined with brick and peeling paint during George Washington's time but this is the inside of the bunker and one of the few non muddy places.

I have to mention that the Viet Nam veteran's celebration was a bit of a letdown.  There were several tables of items which were common in everyday civilian life at the time and others filled with military items of the era but that was really about all there was.  I always get choked up when someone says to Bill "thank you for your service" but one thing that always makes me giggle is that so many of them also say "welcome home".  We heard a lot of both of those comments this day. Bill has been home from Viet Nam for 42 years.  I know that a lot of people did not come home from that awful war but I still find it an odd thing to say and we do hear it often.  About the only thing that really seemed picture worthy of the Viet Nam celebration is this Vietnamese man talking to an American GI.  This picture did hit home with me because no one really understood this war...er, conflict... and seeing two different cultures here was an effective educational tool for me.

I had collected my box while we were tramping through the mud here and as we were leaving, Bill gave the ultimate compliment about boxing, something that he normally ridicules.  He said "You sure do take me to some interesting places on these boxes!"  Congratulations, Idlemoon, for getting us to a new spot and making Bill happy.

How We Spent a Rainy Saturday

One of the profile questions on Atlas Quest that I always thought was kind of silly is "How might a letterboxer spend a rainy day?"  I always thought it was silly because there is only one answer that I can think of - a letterboxer goes letterboxing!  Several years ago, when Tyler State Park was first becoming the local Connecticut of Pennsylvania letterboxing, I spent two days boxing there in total downpours.  It was a perfect opportunity to box in a busy, popular park and armed with the proper equipment, a large umbrella to cover me and the box while stamping in and a rain poncho to protect my bag while walking, I was able to mark a large number of boxes off of my to do list.

So this rainy Saturday, much to his delight, I told African Wild that we were going to go play in the rain.  We made a stop first at one of my boxes to give my little guy the opportunity to stamp in.  He was totally mesmerized with the location because it is a very unexpected sight behind a very busy area.

 

But he found the box with a little coaching from me and took advantage of a lull in the rain to stamp in without an umbrella.

 We next headed to one of my favorite local parks, Hibernia, as the rain resumed and umbrellas were the current fashion statement.

 African Wild was good at walking on the slightly muddy trails and finding the boxes but he was not really interested in getting his hands dirty to pull the muddy boxes out of their hidey holes.  So he emerged from this series with the typical inky hands but I had the muddy ones.

Hibernia Park is the home of the annual Fiddlers Festival and African Wild wanted to try out the stage for himself.

 

While using my walking stick as a fiddle, he presented me with an interesting show.  I had never heard the ABC's on a fiddle before!

Frigid Saturday in Delaware

Saturday morning, Mary (Pink Panther) and I met nice and early in Morgantown to begin a day of boxing in the frigid mid-Atlantic area. Our plan had been to start at the Challenge of the Sprite box in Elverson but the planter pulled that box for unknown reasons. So being the versatile and adaptable duo that we are, we moved a bit further south to search for the Bikini Bottom Hitchhiker Hostel . After heading in the wrong direction because of some erroneous info given to me by my son in law, the state trooper who patrols the area, we made an adjustment and headed correctly for this box in a section of a park that neither Mary nor I ever had walked before. We were a little surprised to pull out this wonderfully decorated box, very appropriate for the theme and type of box that it is. However, when we opened the box, we were shocked to see that there was not one single hitchhiker in it to exchange. The last person who logged in, OtisFriends, had left two there just a few weeks ago but for some reason, they had mysteriously disappeared. While we were disappointed (I had come armed with four hitchhikers to exchange) we did enjoy the box itself and the stamp. Thanks, Hikerdad!

From the tropical Bikini Bottom, we headed further south and were first finders at one of Cyclonic's newer boxes, The Whip . I am not sure how much smaller Nathan is going to begin to make his boxes but he has certainly become the master of small stamps. It was too early for us to partake of the Whip's menu but it looked like a good place to return at a later date. Next stop was a visit to Hockessin and Tweed's Tavern. This historic building is surrounded by new development. A small fortune was spent to restore the tavern and it is my hope that it doesn't get lost in all of the modern growth around it.

We continued to head south, our destination - White Clay Creek State Park in Delaware. We had sectioned the park off to systematically try to find all of the boxes located there and began with the northern section. Strategic parking allowed us to quickly find The Hummer and Spell Check . Then we did some posing with the Arc monument which is posted at the corner where Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania meet. Mary decided to visit Delaware (and you say no one ever comes to Delaware, Sheba!) while I remained in Pennsylvania. And we both visited Maryland to take the pictures!
Both of us were intrigued with the piles of pennies on top of the monument, assuming that they were placed there as an "I was here" statement. Any one else have any ideas? As we were just leaving the area, a group of young boys came barreling down the hill to the monument. When Pink Panther and Black Swan made a return visit to the monument the next day, the pennies were gone. Hmmm, wonder where they went? From here we headed for a mystery box which was also in the area. Let me tell you, it is a bit different hiking with an extra ten pounds of clothing on. I was toasty warm the whole day because of them so they served their purpose but it was difficult to move. And when we reached a stream that we had to cross and Mary did her usual hop, skip and a jump to get over it - I just stood there and looked with dismay at it. Even sans winter attire, I can't hop, skip and jump. So I just stood on a higher bank and closed my eyes and jumped and fortunately, landed on the other side. I have to admit that the thought of going back across the stream on the return trip occupied my mind more than a few times as we searched and found the mystery box. But all went better than I expected on the trek back to the car and we soon moved to the south side of the park where we began a loop in search of The Outdoor Fun series, a three box series on a hilly but beautiful trail. The Wolfbox was next on our list . The fact that this box is still in existence defies reasoning. It contains a store bought stamp in a really obvious location very close to a trail which appears to get a lot of traffic in good weather. With that being said, it has been there since 2003 and contains two full logbooks. Tis a mystery how some well hidden boxes disappear and some seemingly doomed boxes remain! We were also able to find another delightful box by Sheba, Alexander the Gander. After looking through this logbook and marveling that there were finders from Oregon and North Carolina and Maine and Ohio, it finally hit us that this had been a postal letterbox prior to its life as a planted box. Duh!

Along the way, Mary stopped to marvel at my technique for retrieving a frozen box from under a rock. As I worked away at it, Mary was laughing hysterically at me and snapped my picture. Hey, it worked! We got the box!

At this time, we decided to call it a day even though we had about 20 more boxes on our list (I always overplan!). Although I made it home safe and sound, I almost didn't make it up the steps to my room. The cold air and the exercise with the extra weight I had been carrying almost did me in. I lay down to just rest my poor aching body and the next thing I knew, it was after midnight and time to plan my next day's adventures.