Hello everybody. Yesterday I took advantage of the unexpectedly sunny
weather and checked on my two boxes at Wendell State Forest in Wendell,
Massachusetts. The score? Letterboxes - 2, Winter - 0. Both boxes are
in good shape. One was completely dry, the other had a little water in
it, because the lid was cracked. (Actually, it was cracked before
winter--that happened the day I hid the box.) However, the log books,
postcards, and stamps are completely dry, since they are inside Ziplock
bags.

I was excited to see that there are three stamps in the Letterbox El
Corazon box (the easiest to find). And one alert couple have found the
second box, Letterbox Vincent. It's so wonderful to see their stamps
and read the notes they wrote. There are some nice images and colors.
Come find the boxes and check them out!

I am going to hide one more box in Wendell State Forest, since I have to
go back and replace the cracked lid anyway. But I think I'm not going
to publish that clue on the Web. The only way to get it will be by
finding one of the other two boxes. So it'll be a bonus box. My next
box after that will be dedicated to the poet Emily Dickinson, hidden
somewhere in Amherst, of course. And then, who knows? To
infinity...and beyond! (Hmm, maybe there's a Buzz Lightyear box in my
future as well...)

So, Tom, that's the status of my Mass. boxes. Have you heard from other
New Englanders about their boxes?

I decided to re-write the Letterbox Vincent clue to give just a little
more information. Dan, could you paste this in the the Web page and
delete the old clue? Thanks so much. Here it is:

Revised Clue for Letterbox Vincent, Wendell State Forest, Wendell, Mass.

Park in the main parking lot across from Ruggles Pond. At the far end
of the lot you'll see white blazes on trees, which mark the Metacomet
Monadnock trail. Follow the white blazes, hiking downhill. Eventually
you'll come to a fallen birch that you'll need to climb over or crawl
under. Shortly thereafter the trail runs quite close to a steep ravine,
with a stream and waterfall on your left. Soon you'll come to a spot
where the stream on your left and a waterfall on your right converge.
You'll need to cross the stream; then the trail veers to the right, a
short but steep uphill climb. Continue on the trail, following the
white blazes, as it winds through the woods. You'll pass a large rock
(14" or so high) jutting out from the trail, which looks like a porpoise
head or perhaps a giant frog's head. For some time the trail runs
parallel to a stream on your left. Keep going. When the trail veers to
the right, away from the stream, be alert. You're almost there. You'll
pass a large birch tree on your right, then you'll come to a large
fallen tree on the left, which points to a small clearing. Turn left,
leave the trail, and step into the center of the clearing. Look for a
small shelter made of a birch log and birch bark. If you come to
Jerusalem Road, where there's a wooden sign saying "M & M Trail," you've
gone too far. But turn back, you're actually very close to the box.
-Bonnie


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