poured heavily as we were heading to Sunset Beach but the sky cleared
for our annual spaghetti and meatball feast. We were treated to an
incredible rainbow..and we got our sunset! Zeke
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "John P. Rovetto"
Reply-To: "John P. Rovetto"
Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 11:51:38 -0400
>---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
>My Midlife Crisis Letterboxing Adventure
>
>By Forester
>May 28, 2001
>On Friday evening my immediate family came over to celebrate my
birthday. We went to eat at the historic Sussex Inn in the middle of
the town by the same name. It was a very good meal and I got some nice
gifts, including some money. However, the most enjoyable part was
playing with my nephew Michael.
>Some friends of mine went camping this weekend down in Cape May, New
Jersey. I joined them 2 years ago and we had a great weekend. The best
part was going to sunset beach and spreading out a blanket to watch the
sun go down while sharing a pot of spaghetti and meatballs. I couldn't
make it last year or this one and I really felt bad since they got
rained on both times. I had wanted to do some letterboxing and I set
this weekend as a time to get started. Being that my friends were
getting soggy down in Cape May, I decided to I'd go out in the rain as a
way of being in solidarity with them.
>On Saturday morning I took my birthday money and bought myself a coated
nylon rain suit and a new lensatic compass. The compass I already have
was from my forestry days and is marked in bearings instead of azimuths.
I decided to make the new one my official letterboxing compass and to
store it in a special letterboxing pouch that I would assemble later.
My stamp and journal were in a ziplock plastic bag.
>Next I headed south on Route 23 to Mountain Side Reservation to find
Wingfoot's letterbox there. The walk didn't take too long and I was
able to stamp in rather quickly. When I returned to the road I
remembered that there was an artist supply store on 23. I didn't care
much for the spiral loose-leaf I was using for a journal and wanted to
see if I could get a good hardcover bound sketchbook. I hadn't been
able to locate one that was small enough to carry. The first store
didn't have what I wanted and I ended up going further south down Route
23 to Staples were I found the perfect pouch for the job and a lined
journal.
>Then I took a u-turn and stopped in an arts and crafts store on the
northbound side. I was able to find sketchbook that I liked better
there. I just happened to browse in the next isle and to my surprise I
found a rubberstamp carving kit complete with a slab of rubber, tracing
paper, a wooden handle and 2 special carving blades. It's made by
Speedball; the same people who make pen and ink products. I'm already
thinking about my next placement.
>After that I picked up a sandwich from Blimpies and headed for another
Wingfoot box in a park called The Tourne. There was a covered picnic
area there where I sat eating my sandwich as I arranged my pouch and
read the clues. The walk up the mountain was relatively easy and I saw 4
deer and a wild turkey on the way. The clues called to start following
the compass directions from a bench at a viewpoint where you could see
the Twin Towers at 110 degrees. I knew right off that I was never going
to see that far in the weather conditions that day. However, as the
trail spiraled up the mountain, I realized that the viewpoints were each
facing in specific directions depending on where the trees were cut.
When I found a lookout that faced 110 degrees, I followed the clues and
found my reward quite readily. In less then 45 minutes I had returned
from stamping in and headed for my next quarry.
>Having picked up the two Wingfoot boxes so easily, I was lulled into a
false sense of security. I decided to head up to the Weis Ecology
Center in Ringwood. How hard could that be? I pulled in at about 5pm
and went to the visitor center to get a trail map. All the literature
was in the outside foyer and although the main building was closed an
attendant came out to ask if there was anything he could help me with.
I didn't mention anything about letterboxing, but just said I was
looking for the blue trail. He told me to walk up Snake Den Road along
side the center and it was at the end. As I walked up the road I met a
local woman walking a dog and asked her to verify that the trail was in
that direction. After she explained how the trails come off the road
she asked if I was coming out the same way. There was something about
the tone in her voice that didn't sit right with me. I guess she was
wondering why anyone would be heading into the woods after 5pm on a
rainy day.
>I guess I should have been wondering the same thing. Maybe I was just
fooling myself. I was on a roll and didn't want to stop. I refused to
consider the possibility that this might be an extended hike. The clues
said nothing about time or distance; only landmarks. Since I wasn't
familiar with this area I had no idea of how expansive the trail system
was. I knew it would be strenuous, but I didn't think it would be long,
time wise. I guess I should have looked more closely at the map scale
and the trail intersections that were mentioned in the clues.
>The further I hiked the more it started to occur to me that this wasn't
going to be a quick "in and out" job. However, I still thought the
destination was much closer than it actually was. At about 5:45pm I
decided to forge on not realizing that I wasn't even half way. By the
time I realized it I was past the point of no return. I finally reached
the box at 7pm and stamped in. The ecology center map showed other
trails, but there were no contours shown to give me an idea of the
terrain. The clues had taken me by the scenic route over mountain
peaks. I'm sure the view was excellent on sunny days. If I could be
sure that one of the more direct trails was relatively flat I might have
chanced it and struck out for the Ecology Center. Unfortunately, I
didn't have enough information to draw that conclusion.
>I had already made one mistake that went against my better judgment by
starting in so late. I wasn't going to make another one. The trail map
showed that there was a parking area on a road about 1/2 a mile past the
letterbox location. The road was on the other side of the state forest,
but I figured it was a lot safer to be on a road in the dark than in the
middle of the woods. After going back to the stream for a quick drink
out of my hand I headed for the parking area. Not long after that I
found the needed trail intersection and headed down the last forested
leg of my journey.
>The trail was getting closer to the road and I could hear an occasional
car go by. After walking for a while parallel to the road, but a
distance off, I looked ahead and saw a bear galloping along the trail in
my direction. He wasn't a very big one but I'm sure his nails were
still sharper than mine. He hadn't seen me yet and when I gave a loud
yell it startled him and he made a sudden right turn to disappear into
the woods. At this point I decided not to wait for the trail to hit the
road and headed straight for it.
>Now I was out of the woods but not exactly out of trouble. As I
descended the last mountain I went through some thick mountain laurels,
which saturated my legs and boots. I hadn't worn the rain suit pants
this time. I figured I was going to get wet anyway, but I didn't expect
to be out that long. The road route back to the Ecology Center was
probably about 10 miles. Cars were passing at a moderate rate and I
tried unsuccessfully to thumb a ride as I walked along the road. As
soon as I had gotten out of the woods I called the Ecology Center on my
Cell Phone and left a message on their answering machine. I probably
wouldn't be missed for another day or 2, but if the man I talked with
saw my car he might have notified a search team. I didn't want them
needlessly searching in the woods while I was on the road.
>I was between a rock and a hard place. I wasn't in any immediate
health danger, which would justify calling 911, but I wasn't looking
forward to walking 10 miles in the dark and rain. Further up the road I
began to pass houses. Most were dark since it was early in the evening
and they were probably elsewhere for the holiday. I got to an
intersection with a closed gas station. As I saw it in the distance I
hoped that there'd be a soda machine as I was really thirsty. No such
luck.
>I started to see some houses with lights on and activity, but I still
hoped to hitch a ride and didn't want to intrude. There was one house
with a lot of cars and an obvious party going on. There were people
sitting in the garage at the end of a long driveway drinking. A little
girl saw me and came running down the driveway to greet me. The mother
screamed at her to come back. I figured it wasn't a good time to ask
for help and just smiled in their direction and kept walking up the
road. I can't imagine what I must have looked like trudging along
soaking wet through the rain.
>As I continued along the road I passed through a lake community. There
was a cabin with some lights on and the faint sound of rock music. The
personalized address sign said "Smokin' Joe's." I decided to pass on
that one too. It was totally dark now and the road was narrow and
dangerous, without much of a shoulder in some places. A little further
up the road I came to a contractor's parking lot. As I stood by the
mailbox, I got an idea. I'd call information and try to get a local
taxi service. I could give them the address on the mailbox. They could
pick me up and bring me to a MAC machine in town and then to my car.
That idea went out the door when I saw that my cell phone could no
longer get reception.
>I was beginning to wonder if I could get a ride easier if I collapsed
on the side of the road instead of sticking out my thumb as cars went
by. I'm not a very good actor and was determined not to let it get to
the point where it was real. As I continued up the road my legs started
to cramp due to their soaked condition. I knew that I couldn't stop for
any long period of time as they would cramp so bad that I wouldn't be
able to move.
>I finally decided to seek help at a house. There was no answer at the
first one I tried. I walk a little further up the road and came to a
small white house. As I knocked on the door, the dogs started barking.
A younger looking guy with a ponytail opened the door and gave me a
stare. I tried to explain my situation to him and where I needed to go.
>He seemed astounded at how far I had come. "How'd you get here? Snake
Den Road is a long way off!"
>"No kidding."
>When I asked if he could just look up a taxi in the phonebook, he
looked me in the eye and said, "You ain't a crazy man, are you?"
>"No, other than starting a 4 hour hike at 5pm in the rain, I'm usually
pretty sane."
>"Well then, I'll take you there. I was just about to go to town to pick
up a pizza, anyway."
>He went in to tell his wife (or girlfriend) where he was going and went
out the back. I stepped away from the door and saw him revving up a
rather large 4-wheel drive bronco-type truck with a loud muffler. He
drove around the other side of the house and pulled right up so I was
standing in the headlights. He probably wanted a better look at me. I
walked to the passenger side and as I got in he stared rather
uncomfortably at my new black letterboxing pouch. It was then that I
realized that it looked just the right size to hold a handgun. That's
probably why no one stopped for me on the road.
>As we drove along we started talking and I think he realized that I was
safe. He said his name was Elmer and he had just moved back to New
Jersey after being gone since he was 19. We had been to some of the
same states. I told him about letterboxing and how I ended up walking
down his road. He said there was an old woods road behind his house
that went straight to the Ecology Center. I said that I didn't think it
would be safe in the dark without a flashlight.
>"Yeah", he responded. "Besides, Bobo's been around."
>"Who's Bobo?"
>"A bear"
>"Oh, bears. I know about them."
>When we finally got to the car and said I'd buy him a beer if I ever
saw him in a bar. He seemed like that type. However, it didn't occur
to me that I don't spend much time in bars myself now days; unless
they're attached to restaurants. He told me not to worry about it and
was on his way. I think I'll drop off something on his door next time I
go down Otterhole Road.
>
>Forester
>
>
>