Boxing in Guelph

So, I'm just back from a lovely day of letterboxing up in Guelph, Ontario - they are very fertile lands.  As per usual, I took my letterboxing pack, my logbook, some extra ziplocks (cuz ya never know), my Marvies & sig stamps in my zippered case, my iPhone (maps, compass, access to clues), and my wallet.  What you don't see is that I also take  my camera and two pairs of shoes - I learned my lesson.

Bon voyage from my feline supervisor.

See? There she is, watching me go.  Guilt sets in.

The drive to Guelph from Burlington is always a nice one. It's a simple drive up the Niagara escarpment via Hwy 6 and usually only takes around 30 minutes.  I went to the University of Guelph back in the day, so I'm pretty familiar with the roads up there, so as a whole letterboxing in Guelph is always a calm and and enjoyable experience.

First up: Deer Crossing. This one I had already attempted back in the early spring.  Luckily, second time around, I found the box - which was a good thing, Lone R had made another delightful box and I loved the carve.

Next up: Acting Like an Idiom by Fiddleheads and Seeking Sylvie Sylvilagus by Lone R. Success with both of these boxes, which each reference a similar landmark in their clues.  Thus far, I hadn't been munched on too badly by the 'squiters, but the day was still early.

One delightful thing I found were some stacks of balanced stones.  Just like letterboxing, I love the idea of something new and magical is out there in the woods. I'm not sure how long these particular stacks were there because it was clear that there was a couple stacks had toppled, but the others looked like they were there for some time.  I remember seeing an incident on the news about some folks seeing balanced rocks in the Humber River last year and being sad that I couldn't see it in person, so it was a delight to see this.

 

Next up,  Who Doesn't Love a Picnic? by the Landmark Leapsters. You know who? Me.  Not a picnic fan. You get eaten by bugs - just like I did when I found this box.  Great carve and theme, but I could have used a few less mosquitoes. 

I then went for another hike to find the Little Tract Letterbox by Lone R and got munched on a little more.  It was at this point that I recalled the words of the nice ladies at Canadian Blood Services who told me I can't give blood any more often than two months because it's bad for me - I think the mosquitoes got more blood from me than they do when I give blood.  Something to watch for... Go give blood!

My first hiccup of the day came when I went to go find Water Lily's Comberton Mazles box.  The Jesuit Centre was hosting a large local food festival and the site was swarming with muggles.  When I got to the location of the box, I was slightly alarmed - the hedge the box was located in looked like it has been blown away by a small tornado - and the box was directly out in the open.  I have no idea how no one noticed it.  It took me five minutes to grab it because there were so many people wandering around.  Then, the book was soaked... Poor box, it's been having a rough time.

Nearby, I found another Lone R box, Peace in the Park.  After a nice jaunt (and some side stepping of more muggles celebrating something or other) I found the box.  I got a little turned around due to not paying attention to the landmarks and because of some overgrown grass, but the delay only resulted in more time for the 'squiters to munch on me.  Circle of life, and all that.

I then headed back into Guelph proper to visit a beautiful garden and find Fiddlehead's Thrift Flower Up the Garden Path.  Nothing thrifty about this box; the stamp was perfection, the box was perfect, the location was spectacular and the clues were cute. 

Back into the downtown, I sought out the first of the Justice League of Guelph series. After waiting out some muggles, the find was find.  When I went for the second box, it was clear that the muggles there would outlast me.  Then the third box wasn't where I expected it - I'll have to try again later.  At that point, having found nine boxes and three hitchhikers, I decided to end the day.

On the way back to my car, going over the bridge, I came across a very friendly black and white spider.  He was very photogenic and allowed me to get close with my macro lens to snap some shots - he put on his cheeriest smile for the camera.

Happy trails!