Going to the Promised Land...

Now, I don’t post here very often. Hell, it’s been over two years since my last post! The things in real life are often more important than updating this blog. So I am only going to update the blog if something truly wonderful in our world of letterboxing happens. That was what happened yesterday :)

Dad and I decided to head up to Promised Land State Park for a well need fix. Since it is my sanctuary, Promised Land has the unique ability to rejuvenate my soul. I was in desperate need of revitalization this week. We agreed that an early start would be best, so when the alarm went off at 3:30 am I was rethinking the whole plan. But by 4 am we were out the door and headed to heaven. After a drive around the lake and a quick stop at the park office, we headed toward our destination- Egypt Meadows Lake.

It has been a while since I’ve been to Egypt Meadows, but the early morning was the perfect time to visit. Dad and I hiked, talked and enjoyed the numerous blueberries along the trail. Breakfast!! We saw an osprey flying over the lake, so effortlessly it glided on the air. After a bit, we ended up at the bridge and took our first letterboxing break. We were hunting for Nefertiti by Pink Panther and Black Swan. Great box, highly recommended! As we sat on the bridge, we noticed that a beaver had made an addition to the construction! It amazes me that beavers 'know' how to use what man has made to their advantage.

Next, it was on to Bruce Lake. I haven’t hiked to Bruce Lake since I was a kid and I have never hiked around Bruce Lake! We were searching for another box in the area, but since it’s kind of a mystery I am not going to give the name. We were at the location, just finished the letterbox stuff and stood up when all hell broke loose! As we were standing there a doe came running, I mean RUNNING directly at us! She stopped about 15 feet away and was quickly followed by her two fawns. I have never had a deer run AT me before- it was a little unsettling to say the least! She stood so close to us for a few minutes and then ran off. She obviously didn’t smell us because she had no sense that we were even there until she was 15 feet away. It was an amazing experience! I don’t know what spooked her to run at us, but now I was a bit on edge!

We continued on the trail eventually crossing over to the other side of Bruce Lake. Then suddenly Dad starts running. I have rarely seen him RUN! So, he starts running down the trail chasing something. It turned out to be a porcupine! He managed to get close to it, before it climbed the nearest tree. We haven’t seen many porcupines, so this was a neat experience for both of us! Now our hearts were really pumping~ What would we see next? A bear? A raccoon? What?

Sadly, nothing else crossed our paths. We walked back to the car without seeing another animal except for a pair of hikers. We went on to find a few other boxes in the area, eventually walking about 8 miles for the day. All in all, it was a great day! Thank you so much to the letterbox planters for taking us to these great locations!