Letterboxing on Sunday

This past weekend brought a few surprises. Mainly, crazy hunters and very large salamanders. Let me explain...

Due to the time change, Leafcutters and I got an exceptionally early start on Sunday morning like 3:30 am! I had planned a mini-letterboxing trip, just a few easy boxes and a few not-so easy plants in the Schuylkill County area. I love Schuylkill County, not because the name is cool, but it really has some beautiful areas and interesting history. With that in mind, we headed out the door at 4:15 on our way to letterbox.

The drive was nice and relaxing. I particularly love the drive to a letterboxing location, Dad and I talk, reminisce and laugh. It always amazes me, I see him everyday and yet we always have something else to discuss. Today's topic was a new archaeological dig in Puerto Rico that has historians all in a buzz and also the funny video by Nattybumppo's hidden camera at the Trick-or-Treat box. I am still laughing.

We arrived at the first location, Janila's Green Triangle just before dawn. It was a crisp autumn day and the birds were quietly waking up. The box is a relatively easy find, which let our legs warm up. The carving is very cute and we thoroughly enjoyed the surroundings. It had been a while since we in that area of the Appalachian Trail, and I realized that I missed our past hiking excursions. In our pre-letterboxing days (PL for short) we would hike sections of the AT quite regularly. I knew the area around Bake Oven Knob like the back of my hand. We would camp up on the rocks, with only a sleeping bag and the stars. Now, we are usually only on the AT if there is a box there. I guess I should plant a whole series of boxes on the AT in eastern PA and combine the two.

Our next stop, was Lightnin Bug's Ali-The Greatest box. The clues have been available for over a year, but I just never got around to finding the box. I guess the idea of a 'steep' climb had me searching for other boxes instead. But today was the day to suck it up and hike the hill!! We found the area relatively easily, and started off on the trek. The hill is steep, I was tired just looking at it. But you know, perseverance is a good thing. I broke up the hike with little goals- let me just get to that tree or let me get to that rock. Before I knew it, I was at the top!! The trail levels off a bit and opens up into a large field.

Dad was a bit behind me (his coffee kicked in and he was off trail) and as I came around the corner I saw a hunter with gun drawn directly at me. Well, growing up around hunters and hunting I knew two things: 1) It was Sunday and you can't hunt on Sunday 2) He was hunting for turkeys and turkeys aren't in season yet! This guy was an idiot~ so I hung back and waited for Dad to catch up. We passed the guy and headed toward the letterbox. Dad hung out on the main path, while I went into the woods to stamp up. Thankfully he did, because the guy came up and complained to Dad that we were scaring away all the turkeys! Well, it got a little bit ugly~ the guy headed off into another section of the field to continue his illegal hunting and we headed off for the car quickly to call the PA Game Commission. Now, I am usually a live and let live type of person and I don't want to be called a snitch- but this crazy hunter was endangering people. So we wrote down his license plate number and called the PAGC. I don't know if they investigated it further or not, but at least I felt a little bit better. So my warning to all PA letterboxers~ wear something blaze orange everyday even on Sunday during hunting season. Also take the phone numbers of the PA Game Commission with you, just in case you run into the Idiot Hunter of Schuylkill County. It's 1-888-PGC-8001, save the number in your phone just in case. The number is only good for big game poachers (deer, elk and bear) or endangered or threatened species (eagles, hawks etc) but they gave me the correct number to call.

After the harrowing incident, I needed to just walk. So we decided to hide our letterboxes. Now, I can't give away the location of the boxes~ but let me say, the hike was really beautiful. We had never been on this particular trail and found it lovely. Which leads me to the next part, very large salamanders. We were placing one of the letterboxes and I had sent dad off to find a few rocks for a SPOR. I don't like to take the rocks in the immediate area, it tends to look a bit out of place. So we canvas the area for rocks and bring them to the hiding spot. Dad turned over a rock and found this guy...

It's a Slimy Salamander! I don't remember ever seeing one before in all my years of being a nature girl. I was shocked at how big it was~ now, if you know me you know that I love love love toads. But this salamander was so cute!! Dad wouldn't let me touch him though because his skin is very sensitive to humans. I wish I could have taken a better video before we put him back.

We continued our planting excursion. The path was relatively easy and we couldn't judge how far we had gone. I kept wanting to go farther and farther and see what was beyond the bend. But the letterboxes were burning a hole in my backpack, and we finally found a decent place to hide them all. We made our way back to the car, a little tired but invigorated.

By now it was nearly noon and as per our letterboxing agreement, I get a chauffeurs lunch. Dad pays for lunch when we letterbox because I drive. It's a fair agreement and a personal joke. I keep waiting for someone to put a letterbox near Le Bec Fin, so I can get a real meal :) We ended up eating on the run McD's. I am not a fast food fan, it never sits agrees with me and I soon found out that it never will.

When took our lunch to the next letterboxing location, Horse of a Different Color by Ladysgbug. Now the clues seemed simple enough. Find the SPOL~ we never did! We just couldn't locate the correct area and by now my stomach was icky. I went to sit in the car and Dad continued to look. We never found it and reluctantly gave up after a while.

Our next boxes were also by Ladysgbug at Kaercher Creek Park in Hamburg. We found The Biggest Heart and "Nokie" the Invisible Kitten quite easily. The park was really a gem. I never knew that it was there. Really pretty, especially in the fall. The "Nokie" box was a little difficult to maneuver to, the area was covered in brambles and poison ivy. We eventually made our way to the box and found that it involved a certain unique technique for stamping in. I am not sure if the technique will hold up in my log book without getting smudged, but it looked really neat.

By this time, we were ready to head home. Another fun and exciting day letterboxing in PA!!

Thanks for reading,

Lotus