The Campsites of Selden Island

Difficulty: moderate/easy, some steep hills and bush whacking/short
hikes. Time: Allow about 30 minutes round trip hiking time per
letterbox, most will be less. Boating time will vary depending on
mode of transportation.
Selden Island is an island on the Ct River in Lyme across from the
Deep River docks and therefore accessible by water only, although
some maps and the DEP refer to it as Selden Neck. The north end of
the neck was breached during a severe freshet in 1854 making it and
island.
The following isn't to discourage anyone from trying to find our
letterboxes. We only want searchers to be informed and have fun
finding them. We spend a lot of time on the CT River and enjoy it
immensely. We want our boxes to be found and the finders to have a
safe and enjoyable time. Therefore, here are some things to consider
prior to hitting the water:
The CT River has a lot of boat traffic on the weekends during the
warm summer months, not as much during the week. Don't expect
everyone to slow down. Most boaters will extend a little common
courtesy but there are some who will not. Be wary of wakes also. A
small boat pulled up on shore can get swamped and a larger one can
get stranded when hit by a wake cresting on shore, you may consider
leaving someone behind to tend to the boat. Early mornings in the
summer, excluding weekends, are superb. The river is like glass and
the traffic is minimal.
The coast guard requires all vessels to have a Personal Floatation
Device (PFD) on board for each passenger. The State of Ct requires
all persons in canoes and kayaks to wear their PFD between Oct 1 and
May 30.
For motor boats and sail boats, the entrance to Selden Creek at the
north end of the island gets very shallow at low tide, down to a foot
or less.
If you're rowing or paddling you may want to consult a tide chart
before heading out. It could make the journey quicker and easier.
Two boat launches are fairly close to the island. The carry in launch
at the Hadlyme side of the Chester ferry, Rt. 148, and at the Deep
river docks, although the last time I was at the Deep River docks the
launch was labeled for Deep River residents only. The river is also
accessible at the launch in East Haddam at the mouth of the Salmon
River and in Old Saybrook under the I-95 Bridge.
Campsites can be reserved for one night stays by contacting
Gillette's Castle. They are all well labeled. The boxes are
located
to allow letterboxers to find them without disturbing campers.

The Cedars

The most northern campsite and the only one not directly on the Ct
River is The Cedars. Enter Selden Creek at the northern tip of the
island. The campsite is a short way in on the right. From the
campsite take the trail that follows the creek to the west heading
back toward the river. When you get to the small clearing on the
north end of the island, head south to the base of the hill, a downed
tree to your left will show you the best route. Follow the contour
of the marsh a short way to the left to find a stonewall. Follow the
trail with the stonewall to your left until you come to a spot were
the wall projects about 5 feet into the trail. You'll know
you're at
the right spot if you look to your right up the hill, perpendicular
to the path, to see several pieces of pipe in a row sticking up out
of the ledge, an old farmers way of setting his barbed wire fence in
a place he couldn't dig holes for his posts. On the south side
of
the piece of wall that sticks into the trail look for the Cedars
letterbox at ground level. If for some reason you can't start at
the
Cedars campsite, just south of the ledge at the north end of the
island on the river side is a wonderful beach. You can pull in
there, hike up the hill to the southeast, walk a couple hundred yards
and then turn east and find the stonewall at the base of the hill.

Hog Back

The next campsite heading south is Hog Back and it's also the
most northerly one on the river side of the island. You can pull in
either north or south of the campsite. If you go south make sure you
make a wide turn to avoid the ledge just under the surface about 20
yards in front of the camp site, the letterbox is planted to the
north. From the campsite follow the path a short way along the
water's edge, to a large beech tree with the names of past
campers
carved into the bark. From this tree walk northeast past two large
boulders, across the low hill, through a hemlock graveyard, to the
first ledge outcrop at the base of the hill. If you look closely on
the top of the left side you can make out some quarry marks left from
centuries ago. Look up the steep hill to the southeast to see a
double trunked tree in the shape of a V. Climb the hill and from the
tree look north. The box is hidden at the base of the ledge just to
the right of the big oak tree about 30 steps away.

Spring Ledge

The middle campsite on the river is Spring Ledge just past
the navigational aid. This is our favorite picnic spot during the
spring and fall when the traffic on the river lightens up mainly
because the large cliff to the north does a great job blocking the
wind and the sun shines in across the water and keeps it nice and
warm. If you want to hear a boring but unbelievable story about
something that was lost and found here let us know. Your search
starts at the extreme southern end of the beach, past the loose
stones and the two ledge out crops. At all but high water notice the
two large slabs of granite left by the quarries after the invention
of cement. Climb the ridge to the top and find the remains of a
shack and many old bedsprings. Be careful of old nails in the boards
here and there. Standing at the western side of the bed springs the
letterbox is hidden in the rocks at the top of the western end of the
ridge across the little valley to the immediate north.

Quarry Knob

The most southerly campsite is Quarry Knob. The letterbox is
planted on the ridge between the campsite and Cold Spring, which is
around the point to the north. From the lower picnic area at the
campsite follow the trail around the hill to the north and up to the
rocky cliffs. From the left of the cliffs, climb up to the top of
the ridge. Look for a "horseshoe" sticking out of a large
rock.
Beside the horseshoe shaped anchor point find the survey marker
"Neck
No.2". Continue northeast over the top of the ridge to find two
stonewalls. Just past a VERY large fallen dead tree, the letterbox is
hidden near the top of the place where the two walls meet.
If you want to continue around the island, you are about half
way to the southern tip. Once in the creek you must slow down, as
the entire creek is a "No Wake" zone, and is ideal for canoes
or
kayaks. Beware of the swans in the late spring and summer. There is
one that can be aggressive when the hen is on the nest or little ones
are around. If you are in a small boat or canoe/kayak there are a
couple side streams to explore. In the fall the colors are
spectacular.

As always, remember to leave the boxes as well hidden (or better)
then you found them. Our email address is on all of them if supplies
or repairs are needed. Good luck and enjoy.


Sunshine, Swamp Yankee, and the Toad dog.