A Little More Box Maintenance

For a while now I have been wanting to go up into the mountains and do a little maintenance and check on some boxes. I have boxes planted on the Chamisa Trail and the Borrego/Bear Wallow Trails that hardly ever get found. Well, that is only partially true - two of the boxes - The Art of Ebru & A Boy and His Tiger get found quite a bit, in fact they were both found today. When I got to them and checked on them I found that someone had stamped in this morning. I still made sure all the baggies were closed well and that the box was well hidden. These two were in good shape.

But before that happened Thomas and I hiked the Chamisa Trail to the intersection of the Winsor Trail near the Tesuque Creek. Near this intersection is a meadow with a large granite rock in the middle. The first box we checked on was Western Blue Flag which is hidden at the edge of the creek in a mutlti-trunked tree almost directly behind this rock. Sadly this box has only had five visitors. Now I know this is a long hike but it is an incredible hike. And you get to sit creek side and stamp in while serenaded by the moving waters. It is worth the trip.

To check on the boxes on the Borrego/Bear Wallow Trails we just hiked up the Winsor Trail until we reached the intersection with the Borrego Trail. Thomas sat in the meadow and relaxed while I crossed the creek and went to check on Bad, Bad Black Sheep. The box was in perfect condition, the baggies were sealed and the box was hidden well. This box has had nine visitors since it was planted back in 2006. After getting this box all snuggled in for the winter we headed back down the Winsor Trail to the intersection of the Bear Wallow Trail. Well, not quite all the way, about 100 steps before you reach the intersection I have Ribbit! hidden. This box only has five finds as well. I did a little more maintenance on this one making sure everything was sealed and the box was hidden well. Now that these boxes were taken care of and ready for their winter sleep (the boxes on these trails will be covered with snow all winter and thus inaccessible). So we made our way back to the Chamisa Trail and then back to the parking area - this is when we checked on The Art of Ebru & A Boy and His Tiger.

I am glad I got out there today. It was beautiful - a perfect Fall day in the Land of Enchantment. The weather was just right, a little chilly in the morning and warming up as the day progressed but it never got hot. Also at this level in the mountains we had quite a bit of Fall color - it was wonderful. And the best part was just spending the day with Thomas enjoying nature. But seriously folks - please consider going and looking for these boxes next Spring. The hikes are worth it and so are the boxes. These are some of my first boxes and carves so they are not my best stamps but the whole experience is really worth the effort. You can get all these boxes on one hike and in less than a day - just consult a hiking trail map of Hyde Park Road and you can figure out how to do it and if you contact me I can help as well. Happy Letterboxing Everyone!