Christmas Joy on Mt. Misery - Walk
Location: Voluntown, CT

1. Christmas Tree
2. Christmas Joy
3. Christmas Ornaments

This is a cached clue last downloaded May 6, 2019. http://alum.wpi.edu/~p_miner/Connecticut2.html#Box_648 This stamp was carved by Astrii of CT several years ago to represent some of the many CT blue-blazed trails that I used as an introduction to backpacking in the early days of my recovering from a fractured spine before taking on multiple “thru-hikes” of the “big trails” - AT, PCT, CDT, etc, as can be read about here on the original Wanda's Wanda-rings clue page. Naturally, I had already hiked all of the CT blue trails years before the accident that had nearly killed me in 1974, but taking on long-distance backpacking after that was a real challenge for me, so I was glad to have “training grounds” like this in CT so relatively close to my home in RI. This particular trail also had special meaning to me as being one of the earliest I remember doing back then, so off Pete and I headed on a snowy day decades later to transplant this letterbox…

The somewhat secluded shelter near where this letterbox can be found in “Guahcap” (reversed) State Forest can be reached in several ways, so I suggest doing some research if you want to try to find a shorter way in and out. We made a loop starting from the forest entrance west off route 49 a short distance north of route 138, driving westerly to park by the large field near the rhododendron sanctuary, and continuing up the rather rough dirt road west, then south (left) on the old fire tower road. At the crossroads with the gate ahead, instead of curving left towards the former tower, turn right (west) on the narrower blue-blazed trail. Head down the hill and continue to follow blue blazes, turning right twice more to eventually reach the small signed side trail to the “Guahcap” Shelter on the right. Directly across from that little brown lean-to symbol on a sign tacked to a tree on the east side of the trail, look west for a tree larger than most here thatappears to be hollow at the base. Behind this tree under a flat rock rests the letterbox.

You can take the letterbox back across the trail to the rocks to sign in or continue on down the side trail very briefly to the lean-to to see an example of the types of shelters I used to stay at in my earliest backpacking days along the AT, LT and such, back before I even had a tent to carry. On my first AT “thru-hike”, all I had was an old shower curtain for throwing over a log if I got caught in the pouring rain overnight between shelters, which fortunately did not happen very often. Afterwards, of course, I carried a variety of different tents over the years, since so many of the long trails that I backpacked out west didn’t have any shelters anyway, and even when I backpacked back east again, I found I preferred my tent to sleeping in a shelter with mice! However, these rustic places still hold a certain fascination, so it’s often fun to stop by. After your visit, you can head back the way you came or do as we did - continue north up the trail, turn east when you hit the main dirt road, bear right at the first junction, stay straight at the fire tower road, and soon get back to your car… Happy Trails!

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