661. Wanda's Wanda-rings: AT#5
A short stroll in the woods of eastern NY to represent my 5th time backpacking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine!

This little stroll along the AT features a remarkable three-layer stamp carved by 3 Blind Mice of NY, so, even though it depicts me fording Little Wilson Stream up in Maine near the end of that particular backpacking journey of mine, I thought I'd plant it in NY to be closer to its carver. Also, I had wanted to plant it near a special memory place from that trip, which was where Pete took a day off from work during that summer of 1994 to come out and meet me along the trail with jelly donuts and pizza strips - the only time that ever happened for me, since I hadn't yet met Pete when doing any of my previous AT's. However, it seems that the spot where he met me no longer allows parking, so we picked the next best access point, the AT crossing on route 301 a mile or so west from the Taconic at Fahnstock or about 4.5 miles east from route 9.

Once you have parked at the trailhead kiosk on the north side of the 301 just west of Canopus Lake, follow the white blazes of the Appalachian Trail north past the first newly built stone staircase and four cut log seats on the right to the top of the second staircase, where you will be rubbing elbows with a large tree on the left and a large rock on the right. Proceed about 12 paces further to a multi-bush on the left and a large rotten stump on the right. From this point, tread gently off trail about 6 steps north to an 18 x 18" cubic boulder tilted on its side in front of a larger rock formation. Tucked beneath the right front corner of that cube, behind 2 well-placed stones and a bunch of leaves is a box with a truly unique carving. The original ink pads are also still in the box, but probably, after so many years out in the wild, now mostly just for color suggestion purposes - wedgewood blue, suntan and black - so please feel free to use any other inks of similar shades. And please remember to hide this box well back into its deep underlying crevice. Thanks!

(More extensive info on my backpacking background can be found at Wanda's Wanda-rings)

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