Letterboxing with
The Leader of the Pack

The Mount Hope Letterbox Series

Rte 89 Mansfield Center

Planted By : Leader of the Pack and Pink Trotters 9/29/02

Rated: medium 1 hour plus mostly level some wet sections possible, river section inaccessible at high water stages.

The Boxes: Little Moth, Monarch, and By the Light of the Moon & The Goblin

Street directions : From rte 195 in Mansfield Center take rte 89 at the light. Pass the library and the school and cross over the dike. About a mile or so further is Mt. Hope Park on the right. Pull in and park your car. Remember to carry out your litter and leave no trace of your visit. This is the newest of Mansfield's parks opened September of 2002. An addition to their impressive open space and farmland preservation programs in town. We thank them for their efforts and the pleasure they provide us with.

It was a crisp fall evening and hoof beats could be heard coming down the Warrenville Rd. The horse and rider pulled off into the meadow and picked up the small trail near the road that would lead them home. As he crossed the bridge the scent of wood smoke filled his nostrils and reminded him of the warmth of family, home and hearth he was so close to. He crossed the second bridge and stopped and looked out over the farm meadow. He turned at 40 degrees and followed the fence line around the bend and toward the house. He pulled up, next to the Sugar Maple and dismounted. With his right shoulder to the maple he took the nine paces to the big old maple at 340 degrees. (down in the leaves now) looping his reins once through the iron ring (the iron ring is missing) he was thinking of dinner and the warm fire when the door opened. "Hello... I thought I heard the horse out here, dinner is ready" with the dooryard flooded with the light of the candle lantern a Little Moth flitted in the light and passed right by the horses face. "What was that? - oh just a little moth in the night." The restless horse impatiently shuffled his feet wanting to eat and be turned out for the night. When the moth passed his face he backed up and with the reins so loosely wrapped they slipped through and he was free. " No.........Goblin you come back!" But the black little horse knew the meadow grass was damp and sweet and trotted into the dark of night." So much for a warm dinner may I take the lantern to search for Goblin? Thanks". As the light in the dooryard dimmed the Little Moth flitted to the bottom of the big maple tree and rested at the base in darkness. (Be sure to stamp privately and replace the lid tight re-hide for the next person to find)

The young man went back to the opening to the meadow one of his brothers white marks was here as well. He stepped into the meadow on the mowed path trying to keep the autumn dew from soaking his feet. At the T in the path he went right down through the meadow calling to Goblin. He cut a straight path down towards the pond as he heard the distant hoof beats and the swish of the tall grasses. Goblin eluded him longer. His swaying lantern cast a swath of light and he saw mothers bench at the edge of the pond. Close inspection of the sod here showed fresh hoof prints from Goblin. He was close by. He sat on the bench and called in a soft plaintive voice and Goblin snickered a response that was almost a laugh and trotted off further. At this point our young man walked off toward the sound of Goblin but he only went a few steps and his bootlace was loose. At 60 degrees go to the pine grove on the left and spot a 5 sister pine tree. The lantern was set here while the boot was laced and tied once more. While on one knee to tie his lace, David the young man saw a Monarch butterfly unfold his wing and air them in the light of his lantern. (Down and under in a rock blocked cave is our Monarch - stamp and seal tightly before hiding again.)

Then in a burst of energy Goblin raced past bucking and cavorting in the cool night air. Back at the bench, David proceeded in his candle light path at 260 degrees he went on about 16-18 paces to a path on the left. He crossed the muddy patch and saw Goblin's footprints again. Luckily there were planks to keep his feet out of the mire. He passed the bench under the White Pine that cast and haunting shadow in the glow of a candle. The trail here was made by his brother but as of yet he had not marked it. The narrow brushy way showed signs of Goblin's passing. He crossed another plank bridge and came to the meadow opening by the new gate. He set his sites at 140 degrees where he could hear Goblin and headed off across the pasture. The wall of evergreens father had planted made a dark barrier in the growing moonlight. Just before reaching it Goblin reared in the moonlight, this was such a fun game to play for a horse and his boy! He turned and ducked into a path just to the left of the evergreen windbreak. David heard stone hitting the water as Goblin played on the dam of the pond. His candle was half burned as he crossed the dam in the night. Luckily the sky was clearing and more moonlight flooded the scene. He passed by two turns to the right thinking Goblin must be headed to the river instead. He passed the thick stand of Christmas trees grown skyward and to big for use on his left it was darkest here. He passed the large pine on his right and another on the left. Just before the orange marker of his neighbors property Goblin turned right onto the path to the river. David could hear the long gulping slurps as Goblin quenched his thirst at the rivers edge. Then the game was on again. David followed the river bank at 240 degrees though only a fisherman's rough grown trail was there to follow. He came to the place where a large tree fell across the river and could go no further he turned right up onto a more easily traveled path. This section would never be traveled in high water. David followed Goblin along the path downstream to pass a bench. At the next intersection Goblin turned off right away from the water When he came to the mowed path again he went off trail at 50 degrees up a small rise to a four trunk tree. Here David stopped to catch his breath and the Goblin could be heard eating grasses nearby. In the light of the Lantern a Lunar moth unfurled his wing to put on his nightly show. The king of night fliers slipped through the crotch of the tree and came to rest there. Goblin returned to the trail and headed back over the dam . He went along just a bit then veered off onto a white marked trail again (left). Goblin's game was tiring both himself and David as he trudged the trail of hoof prints. On the trail in the woods it was quite dark. The moon couldn't penetrate the dark foliage. Up and down the small rises in the land, David followed Goblin. The open field was not far on his right and there were trees and rocks on the left. In the darkness, David could make out a pair of twin trees on the left with a boulder the size of a covered wagon next to it. He stumbled through the growth and rested with his right shoulder against the tree. Goblin nickered a soft greeting to David and pawed the ground as if impatient. David's hope began to rise that Goblin had finally given up the game. Peering through the darkness, David caught the flicker of Goblin's eye in the night. He talked soothing to him and slowly walked in the direction of his sounds. there was also a hemlock tree in the middle of the trail (  210 degrees) 16 paces up the rise to a rock pile and David found Goblin with his reins tangled in a rock pile and stuck unable to move. Caught at last David stopped to rest here a moment (you can gather your stamp while you rest) and then led Goblin off to the barn. Hay for him and dinner for David.

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Webpage prepared by Psychokiwi Ink
Last updated Wednesday October 12, 2005 02:11 PM