Not so long
ago in a lovely wooded glen, a series of odd and unnatural
events began to unfold. For centuries, the woodland evolved
with the ever changing influence of man’s need’s and desires.
Trees were toppled, pastures sown with seed, stone walls built
to contain the beasts that fed upon the harvest. Man fed upon
the beasts. Resources became exhausted and man moved on. The
forest slowly reclaimed the ravaged land. Man returned and the
cycle began anew, again and again... until the usually
helpless side of nature took control with the aid of a
powerful and sympathetic sorcerer who, quite possibly, was
simply looking for a good night’s sleep. Truth is, this circle
of evolution could have easily continued, had it not been for
the antics of one particularly loathsome woodcutter. Wreaking
of “Old Grog”, this careless sawbuck slashed his way through
the arboretum by day with wanton disrespect, only to lay bare
the evening’s peace with musical assassination via a cheap and
vile mouth harp. The Sorcerer, victim to the latter after a
long day’s journey upon The Ghost Train which at that time
passed through, mused to himself, “If these trees could only
talk”…. Oh, but they did! And that was just the beginning. The
Sorcerer had been called here for a reason and at once that
reason became clearer as he tried to rest among ruins...
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Welcome to Palmer Hollow, or The Palmer Preserve as it is called
today under the watch and care of Middlesex Land Trust. There are
some things you will need to know however, in order to maintain
your welcome and ensure your survival. Please take note:
- The coordinates above are for the intro stage and will make the
trail head and parking area on Middle Haddam Road obvious. Please
do not block access to the trailer or the barn.
- The trail is marked with orange rectangular blazes and begins
just behind the signboard. This is a NEW trail and not yet well
defined in places. That is your mission as a cacher and the MLT is
counting on you to break it in right!
- The short section between stage one and two involves a road
crossing and is a narrow, winding right of way between private
properties. This portion is presently marked with wood stakes and
orange ribbon.
That’s it for the “maintaining welcome”.... now for the
“survival”......
The entire hike is under 2.5 miles through varied terrain. There
is a road crossing, several stream crossings, some steep grades and
some dark places. No stage will require you to venture more than
100 feet from the trail; bushwhack at your own risk. To complete
this cache, you will need the following:
- A reliable flashlight, HOWEVER, THIS CACHE CANNOT BE DONE AND
MUST NOT BE ATTEMPTED AT NIGHT
- A magnetic compass and a very basic knowledge of how to use
it
- A basic knowledge of tree identification
That’s it for the fine print. Stage one is in the roots of a
fallen tree and contains the next chapter of the legend. Each stage
gives the clue(s) to the next. The astute cacher will find even
more along the way. Keep your eyes open. The trees rule this land
as you will see. They even make GPS reliability curiously sporadic.
Pay attention to the tale, stay on the trail... you'll find your
way to a well stocked 50mm ammo can. Be kind to the trees, you may
survive. The ratings reflect the raw condition of the trail as well
as the nature and location of some stages. Snow will increase both
difficulty and terrain. While the preserve is not open to hunting,
it borders private land that is. Take standard precautions in
season.
While there is no reason this cache can't be done solo, it would
best be enjoyed in groups of two or more.
CONGRATULATIONS (!!!) to the incredible FTF team and special
"high-fives" and a very humble thanks to those who have honored us
by choosing this as a mile-stone cache!...
wing-it...#1,000!!
TheWilkens... #1,000!!
SnowballsKeepers...
#1,000!!
moonfox... #1,800!!
CTKayak... #700!!
Climbermom... #600!!
Congratulations to you and thanks to everyone for the kind
words!