"LOVE THE HILLS"

Hidden August 13, 2002 by "Dave P" in Tallahassee, Florida (Leon County).

I have been geocaching since March 2001 and hid the first geocache in this
area (go to www.geocaching.com for more information). I decided to give
Letterboxing a try and found my first one in Atlanta, Georgia this past
weekend with my wife, Ellen (I learned how to use a compass while on the
hunt). I have been planning to hide this one for a while and found a good
spot for it. With the tree cover, it would be hard to find a geocache, so a
letterbox works real well here.

I named this Letterbox for the local terrain and my 'mantra' while riding
mountain and road bikes in the area. If you don't love the hills, they will
defeat you. This search will take you on a short up-hill hike (less than
one-mile round-trip). The letterbox is a sandwich sized, plastic container.
It contains a handmade stamp (my first one), an inkpad, a logbook, and a pen.
Please e-mail me at david1959@juno.com to let me know of your find.

The letterbox is hidden in San Luis Park on San Luis Road at San Pedro Ave.
My siblings and I played in these woods with our friends while growing up in
nearby San Luis Ridge in the early to mid 1970s, long before the park was
here. There is no charge to enter the park. The trails are well defined but
sandy and crossed by lots of tree roots. Stick to the trails until the final
direction. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring insect repellant.
Beware of poison ivy and local wildlife. There is a water fountain and
bathroom in the park but you may want to bring a water bottle for the hike.
Don't forget your compass and your stamp.

Start off at the tic-tac-toe game at the playground. Take a bearing of 10
degrees and walk 85 paces. I am a 5'9" tall male taking normal sized steps.
A pace is counted on a footfall of either foot, i.e. two paces are counted
each time the right foot hits the ground. You will have to cross several
obstacles here. You will see a light pole. From the light pole, take a
bearing of 30 degrees. Follow the path uphill.

You will come to a pine tree in the middle of a fork in the path. From this
tree, head 0 degrees north, following the trail until you come to a bench.
You may take a short break here. From the bench, take a bearing of 320
degrees and follow the path until you get to a "T" in the trail.

At the "T", take a bearing of 280 degrees and follow the trail to a second
bench. Don't take a break now, you are almost at your goal. From the
middle of the three-way intersect in front of the bench, take a bearing of
340 degrees and walk 50 paces, sticking to the trail. Turn to a bearing of
100 degrees and take 8 paces off the trail. Be careful of the flora and
fauna here.

The letterbox is at the base of the tree, covered with large, dark stones and
leaves. After leaving your stamp's imprint and any message you may want to
write, and stamping your book with my "Love The Hills" stamp, please seal
everything back up and replace the letterbox just as you found it. Cover it
up well so that it won't be found by accident.

Hope you had fun. Please e-mail me at david1959@juno.com to let me know of
your find.