OK, I didn't know if that was official or not. I can do the Torrington one if no one else takes it.

Actually, I was informed that you were going to carve it and someone else was going to plant it??

I can take Mianus River since I want to do that one soon :-).

BB

I thought Mianus was claimed already by Friends of Mianus?

OK, I didn't know if that was official or not. I can do the Torrington one if no one else takes it.

Actually, I was informed that you were going to carve it and someone else was going to plant it??

That's the Barkhamstead one on the Henry Buck trail, with devilindog. I'm a bit hung up at the moment on the stamp design. Huntington State Park was so easy because they have those statues out front that are symbolic of the park. The park in Torrington that hasn't been taken is Burr Pond.

If needed I can take East haddam

(Friends of Mianus) was part of the park listing--I don't think there's a letterboxer by that name?

Putting yellowzebra down for East Haddam! I know you're all anxious to get this series planted--I'd really like to give a variety of folks a chance before people start taking more than one site. Think you all can wait one more weekend? If sites have not been claimed as of March 1, I will try to determine who requested them first!! Not all requests have appeared on this board...

KitKat, who needs to get going designing her own stamp, but promises it will be planted by the end of March, barring unforeseen blizzards...

FYI--that means Greenwich, Torrington, and Thompson are up for grabs through Leap Year Day.

Thanks. I've updated the map with colors: Green = planted. Yellow = in progress. Red = needs a planter.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zFhJb6Rzm3q8.kiAG0YQm6KJE&usp=sharing

I'll put my name in line for Burr Pond until someone else who hasn't planted already claims it.

I am interested in Burr Pond too. Just haven't put my 2 cents in yet.

You aren't already doing one yet, are you? It's yours if you want it!

I can do Thompson.

If no one else claims it by March 1 ;-)

No, I didn't get around to signing up for anything yet. I'll take Burr Pond.

Perfect! Burr Pond goes to Woodland Paws. Going to update the tracker...

Wow! Looks like almost everything's claimed! Mianus River and Airline Trail in Thompson are the only ones not accounted for. Woo Hoo!

And I do have to say that it's really nice that people are getting their boxes out early. It's been such nice boxing weather lately! Hoping to do Huntington and Squantz on Tuesday of this week, and Black Rock on Saturday :-). I have no idea when I'm going to get all the way to Mianus River!

So excited!

BB

Hoping to do Huntington and Squantz on Tuesday of this week,

That's pretty ambitious! Squantz was a challenge for me, although if you stick to the easy green trail as much as possible and don't go looking for a certain other boxes, or forget your phone in the car and have to hike half a mile back to the car to get it, I'm sure it is much easier. The green trail is a fire road. There's a shoreline trail and a red trail that go parallel with it, but those trails are much more tiring. Lots of up and down and carefully picking your way around rocks and fallen trees.

Completed out first challenge today! For us, it's a big deal. At least we're out of the gate. Have #2 on the calendar for next weekend. Yippee!

what time are you planning on going to Huntington? We are also thinking of going on Tuesday

The Black Rock box is now available, too :)

I'm going to Squantz Pond first. Hoping to get out of here early tomorrow, since it will take me about 2 hours to get to Squantz Pond. Hoping to get to Squantz Pond by 9 a.m. and be at Huntington at about 12:30. I'm going to do the SKY box first, and then see how many boxes I can get after that. I really should be home by 3:30, but I know that's going to be a stretch.

BB

I really should be home by 3:30, but I know that's going to be a stretch.

If anyone can do it, it's you! All that working out is really paying off.

We will probably be there early as there are other boxes we want to look for. If you want we will wait until around 1230 to do the sky location?

Okay, Leap Day has come and gone, so I want to check on our two final sites.
Bungalow Boxer, I see that you have already gone to Mianus--do you want to go back and plant? Or did you optimistically plant a box while you were there? Let me know if you still want it!
MMACJ, you are the only one who has requested Airline/Thompson. I hope that you are clear where the photo sites are, because some of us are a little confused! Anyway, the site is yours, if you still want it!
I will await confirmation before changing the tracker!
≥KitKat≤

I was not only home by 3:30, I got THREE SKY challenges done today!

BTW.... Mianus River is NOT long. Only took me 35 minutes to do, which included hiding a box.

BB

I went there today :-). I might have optimistically planted ;-)

BB

OK guys! I hope I got the correct trail sign! There are actually TWO Treetops signs. I took a pic at the one just over the bridge at the Laurel Trail entrance. However, there is a second I believe I saw WAY up by the house, where there may be a second trail entrance (white trail?). If anyone has the GPS coordinates that the DEEP gave out for the locations and can confirm which Treetops sign is the correct one, I'd greatly appreciate it! I don't have a GPS..... or a working one anyway.....

BB

I was not only home by 3:30, I got THREE SKY challenges done today!

High five! I did Black Rock today. I've been there before, so there were only a few boxes in the park left to find. That's a good climb, but not that far, so I was done by lunch time. Instead of parking in the parking lot, which I remember as being potentially a little confusing, I parked on Bidwell Hill Road and took the blue trail (Mattatuck Trail) straight up to the overlook, picking up a few boxes along the way that were convenient from Bidwell. After getting back to my car, I then took the blue trail in the opposite direction for about a mile to Leatherman's Cave, which was WAY cool. Three boxes there. The blue trail was scenic but went up a lot of tricky rock, so on the way down I took a forest woods road straight back to my car, super easy. DEEP has a trail map online for Mattatuck State Forest that shows the trails, cave, and forest woods road. The weather was spectacular, and I think I passed 3 people the entire day.

If anyone has the GPS coordinates that the DEEP gave out for the locations and can confirm which Treetops sign is the correct one,

I used the DEEP GPS coordinates in the Google Map I did. You can zoom in, copy the coordinates, use the satellite imagery. Having said that, I'm sure they really don't care. As long as you take a picture at the beginning somewhere that is recognizable to prove what park you were at, and then one photo at the overlook, that's fine. They are simply trying to motivate people to go to their parks. Last year for Griswald, I didn't get the park before they closed for the season. I asked if they had any plans to open the tower back up for any special events, and they told me not to worry about it, just go take the photo anywhere and they would count it. And they did :)