Sterilite's Ultra-Seal possible letterbox container

This is a food storage container that is the right size for letterboxing and seals like a lock and lock, but has a steam vent. Our local big box only carries this brand now and I cannot find lock and lock or snapware anywhere so I decided to give Sterilite's Ultra-Seal a try. I sealed the steam vent with glue and sealer and I know have two in the field right now.

I just checked on a snapware container that is semi-out in the open on a mountain top and after a tough northeast winter all the contents inside where bone dry and the box seemed in good shape. So right now it receives a 4-Stars rating as I indicate in my side bar. I will let you know how this item fairs. I personally like lock and lock the best.

The Prospect Mountain Environmental Series

The boxes are ready

After about 5 months of thinking of this plant I have finally found the time to plant it.

My goal at the concept was to make it environmentally themed. I made 4 of the five containers from recycled food containers. I also am not going to include a logbook in all of the boxes as I am using the boxes in the series as a way to bring up some environmental point of issue and to help lead the boxer up the trail...like a trail of bread crumbs.

The issue of logbooks in all the boxes of the series was inspired by my doing a 13 box series and realized that when the boxes are just leading you along that a logbook in every box was a little redundant to me. That is why I only put the book in the first box and the fourth box. I place a log book in the fourth box and not the fifth because the fourth box had already been there and I was incorporating it into this series.

The tunnels at the trailhead

Another issue that came up in a forum was that some boxers would feel a little more comfortable going on a woods trail if there where landmarks and the boxes act as landmarks and a sort of trail marker for the boxer.

This area really changed from last year. When you get south of the second reservoir I immediately saw the damage from last winter's storms. A lot of beech trees were blown over. This will create some young habitat that will attract a lot of different animals.
Nature is the Boss

As I used older food containers, that were a little big, I really had to search to find good hiding spots, in fact I was not able to plant one of the in exactly where I wanted to as I really was searching for secure hiding spots that protected the containers from the elements. I am not as confident with the old food containers as I would be with a lock and lock. I really am a fan of the 6x6 lock-n-lock as they are easier to hide and secure from the elements. This experience helped teach me to find better hiding places for my future plants. I think that I will relocated two of my older plants some time this year.

An empty second reservoir

Well anyway I hope that you enjoy this series.

Gull Bay on Lake George

Today I had a trail work day at the Gull Bay Preserve, owned by the Lake George Land Conservancy. This is one that I had never been to before and I had a great day working hard.

I had an opportunity to work with one of the LGLC’s professionals and was given a little training in waterbar maintenance. We also worked a little on a new yellow trail that took us along a ridge with some excellent views of a Blue Heron rookery. There also was some fresh beaver activity. In fact this area just teams with wildlife.

I was working today, but I am looking forward to taking the kids back to this wonderful preserve.

Prospect Series Ready to Plant

Finally, I am ready to place the Prospect Mountain Environmental Series. I have an assortment of recycled containers and an idea of where and how I am going to place them. All I need is that all important and hard to come by ingredient: time. I am planning on releasing this series within the next three weeks. That will add 4 new boxes to an existing box planted on the back of Prospect Mt in Lake George NY. It also will connect to a separate box that I planted near the summit of Prospect Mt. Making a nice 6 box grab for box baggers.

My goal is to bring boxers up an alternative route to the top of Prospect Mountain that I have hiked all my life. It is up an access route that was use to service the long removed fire tower years ago. I also have another objective that I would like to achieve and that is to give people a cross section of what is going on environmentally in the Adirondacks. There will be splendor and beauty and a little ugliness that is both man made and from nature. I want to make the hiker aware of some of the problems that exist in this region, but make it fun while doing it.

I will post when planted.

LGLC Owl Prowl

This last Saturday the LGLC had a program called the Owl Prowl that they originally scheduled at Pilot Knob Ridge, but due to icy trail conditions decided to hold the program at the Cat and Thomas Preserve on the west side of Lake George in Bolton Landing.

Our leader took us in to the preserve at twilight to a few locations that she had called owls before and had us wait off the trail, quietly, while she tried different owl calls. She was attempting to have them call back and hopefully get them to fly in and investigate. She explained that this time of year owls were beginning to pair up and mate for the season and by using certain calls they are more likely to call back.

We stopped at a few spots along the trial from the kiosk to a point about 0.75 miles in. Now while we didn’t have any luck, it gives you a different perspective being in the woods after dark on a clear night. The stars were beautiful and while the moon had not risen yet, the woods were still illuminated by the bright star lit sky. I camp in the late spring and summer and know what it is like to be in the woods after dark, but I don’t go camping in the winter and this experience just reminds me on how different and beautiful the woods look at different times of the day and year.

If you get a opportunity to go on a program run by the LGLC…go you will learn something

Pilot Knob Ridge

I unexpectedly began my 2008 patrols at the Pilot Knob Ridge click the link in my sidebar for details...still not letterboxing yet...but soon!

March and still snow bound

I haven't had much opportunity to enjoy the outdoors of late. There is 4 feet of snow on the ground right know and I have had to work on weekends to give my coworkers some vacation time. I also am not well outfitted for winter hiking...so what I am saying is that I have cabin fever real bad and I want the snow to go away.

Now I have been getting together my latest letterboxing project. I am going to turn the two letterboxes I have on the back of Prospect Mountain in Lake George, NY in to a 5 or six box multi place. I am going the theme it with and environmental educating color. This area really runs the gamut of abuse of the environment to nature at it's best and beautiful. I have the stamps carved and mounted and I am getting the containers prepared. I am going to place them as soon as the snow allows me too...sometime in late April????

See you then.