corrections to First Letterbox on the lake
corrections to First Letterbox on the lake
We visited our letterbox for the first time this spring after all the snow
was gone. We discovered that some of our pace counts and the visible trails
were different without snow on the ground. The necessary corrections have
been made to our clues in the description that follows. Please post this
corrected version on the website. Thank you.
First Letterbox on the Lake
Near Holland, MI
Greetings! We placed our first letterbox on Christmas Day, December 25, 2000
at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, Holland, Michigan. We'd like to call it
"First Letterbox on the Lake" - as best we can tell, it is the first on Lake
Michigan in Michigan, there are others on the west side of the lake in
Wisconsin.
Placed by Rainbow's End
Clues: Start from Saugatuck Dunes State Park. (Exit I -196 at the Saugatuck
Exit, head southwest one block from the expressway. Turn right onto 65th
Street. Go north one mile, then turn left onto 138th Avenue west. Follow
138th Ave. west 3/4 mile into the park, veering right at the fork.) Proceed
to the parking area. Look for the North trail head and start your hike here.
Follow this trail north. At the first main fork in the trail, approx. 1/4
mile from the start, turn left (west) up the hill. Follow the park trail
signs: they are large wooden posts with white painted caps. During the
first half of this walk, follow the green arrow on the post. At the top of
this first wooded dune climb, there is a fork in the trail, take the right
branch. Continue to enjoy your hike and make your way to the shore of Lake
Michigan, following the green arrow on the white capped post. (When the
trail comes to a "T", turn left to get to the shore.) While at the shore, be
sure to collect a small item to bring back with you, perhaps a smooth rock,
no larger than your fist, or a small piece of driftwood.
When you are ready to leave the lake, begin your hike back, starting on the
same trail. Now you will be following the red arrow on the white capped
wodden posts. At the first intersection, less than 1/4 mile from the lake,
keep straight, or due east. In a few paces, you will have the choice of
taking the outer loop or the inner loop trail. You can pick either, both
will take you to the letterbox. (If you are getting tired, the inner loop
trail is a little shorter, flatter and stays in the woods more. The outer
loop trail is a little longer, hillier and stays on the dunes more) When the
two loop trails merge, head due south, downhill and back into the woods. In
less than 1/4 mile, you will come to a "Y" shaped intersection, a place you
have been before! (You will see the trail marker with the red and green
arrow)
If you are standing at the base of the "Y", look south west. You will see a
"bowl" created by the surrounding hills and dunes. Walk roughly 80 paces
south west off of the trail, into the bowl, and head towards a large hemlock
tree that grows within one yard of a deciduous tree. When standing under
these trees, proceed south west another 50 paces to the point where the two
large fallen soldiers meet. Directly ahead of you, another 10 paces south
west, you will see a large smooth barked tree with the neck of a giraffe,
nibbling at the uppermost leaves of its neighboring trees. At the base of
this tree, you will find a pile of driftwood and other items from the lake.
Under these lake shore samples, you will see the letterbox! When you open
the letterbox and add your stamp and date, please be sure to close the
letterbox securely. Now is the time to place the item you collected from the
shore, adding it to the others, covering the letter box to hide it away for
the next seeker.