MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Buckeye Woods Letterbox Hybrid

Welcome to the Medina Count Parks "Paths to Pollinators" series. The Buckeye Woods portion of your adventure starts in the parking lot located at 6335 Wedgewood Road, Medina.  A 1.2-mile round-trip hike will be required to complete this leg of the journey. The posted coordinates are for the parking lot. Follow the written directions to retrieve important information which will allow you to locate and open the container to collect your Passport code word for a prize, a clue to a Bonus cache and sign the log book.

There is a rubber stamp inside of this container. IT IS NOT SWAG! Please do not take it! Letterboxers, please bring your own ink. There is no ink pad in the container. Please bring a pen with you to sign the log.

Begin your hike in the parking lot at the trail head sign and head to the posted coordinates. 

The posted coordinates will guide you in the correct direction past the playground, along the southern edge of the lake.  At the westernmost edge of the lake, you will see a trail that branches off to the left.  Follow this trail to the west.

Continue along until this path intersects another and you see a bridge ahead of you.  Do NOT cross the bridge, but turn right to head north through the grove of Hawthorn trees.  Notice the small, sharp-tipped branches that grow from other branches and the trunks of these trees.  You will also pass several vernal pools, which may or may not be filled with water at the time of your visit.  

Stop at the "Vernal Pools" informational sign and collect the following information by looking at and reading the sign:

What season do these pools fill with water?  Count the letters.  _______

What variety of cabbage is pictured?  Count the letters.  _______

What kind of tadpole is pictured on the sign?  Count the letters in the two words.  _______

What variety of salamander is pictured?  Count the letters.  _______

Just past the sign, there is another trail that branches off to the right (east).  Take this trail which will eventually curve to the right.  You will pass a large grove of evergreen trees on your right.  Continue along the path, until you have left the evergreen trees behind you.  When a bench on the right side of the trail comes clearly into view ahead of you, you will be near a large tree that is to the left of the trail.  You may also be able to see a bridge through the brush to your left. (If you are having trouble finding the correct tree, walk ahead to the bench, turn around and take 50 steps back.  The tree will now be on your right.)

Look behind the tree to find the container.  Use the numbers that you collected from the "Vernal Pools" sign to unlock the lock and open the box to collect your Passport code word and Bonus Cache clue. To re-lock the container, push the shackle in and scramble the dials.

Continue down the path until it intersects the Lake Loop Trail.  Turn left and cross over the foot bridge.  You may go either right or left to circle around and take the path back to the parking lot.

The container is located within 15 feet of the trail. Use stealth while searching and re-hide the container so it cannot be seen to avoid potential vandalism. Park closes at dark.

Here are the caches in this series:

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Princess Ledges NP

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Medina Marsh

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Letha House East

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Killbuck Lakes

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Hubbard Valley

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Buckeye Woods

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Allardale

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Susan Hambley BONUS

If you have questions or concerns about any of the boxes in this series, please contact Shelley Tender at 330.239.4814 or stender@medinaco.org.

 

Download your Passport here.