Heavens Above! 2009 Box Clues

Okay, I lied! I posted these today (Monday the 17th) because I wanted to print them out, but this is NO guarantee that these are done and work well. If you search for these prior to Wednesday night, you hunt at your own risk!

There are three basic areas to find all these boxes. The first set starts right by the picnic shelter, the second starts on a path that begins at the halfway point of the first series (near the gravel road that curves west near the shelter, and the third starts on the other side of the main picnic area near the lake. If you have the stamina, we recommend doing these in the order you see them. If not (or you come back for these at a later time), we’ve listed ways to get back to the shelter or the other box sets in the park. Happy hunting!

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all these boxes are permanent placements, so don’t worry if you can’t get them all in one weekend…you’ve got the rest of your life (or until the muggles find them, whichever comes first!) The box donators’ trailnames are listed in parentheses right next to them, so be sure to thank these kind souls for providing you with this summer’s entertainment.

What’s Your Sign? Series (12 Boxes)

These boxes were carved by Mama Bear of the 3 Bears and planted by the Sprite, Dee123 and her teens. There are logbooks in all the boxes and you should get all 12 stamps, but you only need to stamp in/log in to the box with your zodiac sign. Start by taking the path that leads into the woods right by the picnic shelter.

1.       Capricorn (3Bears)—Walk into the woods and within a few steps, you’ll see a twin trunked tree on your right. Look deeper into the woods on the right for a rotted log with woodpecker holes. The first stamp is right behind this log.

2.       Aquarius (3Bears)—Continue down the path and keep an eye out for an uprooted stump on the left. This is NOT your hiding spot, but is a good landmark. Pass this until you see the foot shaped stump on the left. It’s split pretty heavily and is about 3 feet high. Check down in the split near the roots for this stamp.

3.       Pisces (3Bears)—Follow the path again until it splits. To your left, you’ll see a leaning tree with long crazy roots. Check down in between these roots under some rocks and foliage.

4.       Aries (3Bears)—Follow the left fork in the path down and up a rise. As your get to the top, be on the lookout for a twin trunked tree to the right. Check the roots on the right side of this tree.

5.       Taurus (3Bears)—Continue on the path and the creek will be on your left. On the right, look for a stump with a split. There are rotting logs all around this to help you tell which one you want. Go behind this stump and you’ll see a big curl of log. Look under this curl for the stamp.

6.       Gemini (3Bears)—Continue on this path until you can see the way out of the wood ahead of you and another path joining in from the left. Stop where these paths meet. If you kept going straight out of the woods, you’d notice a gravel road and another path into the woods on the other side. Keep that path in mind for the second series. For now, just go the the big stump on your left and look beyond it to the big tree with two smaller ones sticking out of it. Check the roots of the big one for the stamp.

7.       Cancer (3Bears)—Step onto the path again where the two paths meet. Put the Gemini stamp and gravel road to your back and take the left path (the one that you DIDN’T just come in on). The path winds around a bit and takes a fairly sharp curve to the right. At this point, look down on your right for a set of rotted roots by a pine tree for the stamp.

8.       Leo (3Bears)—Keep walking past where joins in on the right (you’ll see a tree with an oval patch in its bark on the right) Wind through the low lying muck and you’ll eventually see a triangle shaped stump on the left with chunks of log laying all around. Look inside the stump.

9.       Virgo (3Bears)—Wind around the path and look to the right until you see a stump about 15 feet off the path. It’s angled down toward the path and sticking up out of the ground. Check in the rotted out part of this stump.

10.   Libra (3Bears)—Continue on the path until you see what we could only describe as a spiky stump with other rotted logs laying around. Two long parts stick way up beyond the stump itself, which is mostly rotted out. Check in the stump.

11.   Scorpio (3Bears)—Continue on the path, looking for Rick and Lori on the right. 20 steps past them is a fallen log on the left. Go to the back of this log and look between two trees on the left end of the log.

12.   Sagittarius (3Bears)—At the end of this trail, a big tree sits on the right. Check the roots and move some rocks for the last stamp.

Getting back to the shelter or other box series:

To Shelter: If you look to the right, you can see the bathrooms. Just walk to them and you’ll see the shelter on the right.

To Theoi Ouranioi Series: Go back on the path you were just on until you get back to Gemini, where you could see the gravel road running alongside the wood. Go across that road to the path in the woods on the other side, then follow the clues below.

To Celestial Symbols Series: Look across the picnic area. The lake is to your left. If you go all the way across this area and close to the lake, you’ll see another path starts into the woods in the far corner. You won’t be able to see this path until you get closer to it.

Theoi Ouranioi Series (7 boxes)

These boxes are all based on the Greek gods of the types of wind. To get to this series, just start at our picnic shelter and take the path through the woods, staying to the left the entire time. When you get to the end, you’ll see a gravel road that you need to cross and another path in the woods on the other side. Start here! Note: To save time, all the boxes in this series are in orange pill bottle containers with no logbook until the very last box. The last box is a Lock and Lock and has the logbook for the whole series!

1.       Aeolus, King of the Winds (The Sprite & the Highlander)—As you start the path, look for the big grey trees on your left. At the third one, check the roots in the back for the King of the Winds.

2.       Aura, Goddess of Breezes (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Continue on the path, which bends to the right. The area gets a bit more grassy and open here, with less trees. At the second bend, you’ll see a tree on the right (if you’ve reached the ravine’s edge, you’ve gone too far). Check the base.

3.       The Harpyiae, Whirlwinds (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Continue on the path and it will curve to the right around the edge of the ravine. On your left will be a fallen log with a small grey tree behind it that has a little “foot” of a root. Check n the curve of this root for the nymphs of the whirlwinds.

4.       Boreas, God of the North Wind (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Keep walking and the area opens up to grassy paths again. A tree sits in the middle of this path. Look to the left of it on the path and you’ll see a double trunked tree. Check the fork of this tree for the god of the North Wind and bringer of winter.

5.       Euros, God of the East Wind (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Continue on the path to the next tree in the middle that has a lot of smaller foliage around it, namely a semi dangerous looking thorn bush. You won’t have to fiddle with this, though. Stand on the left side of the tree and check the roots/foliage at the base for the god of the East Wind and bringer of autumn.

6.       Notos, God of the South Wind (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Follow the path and you’ll come to a merge where you can go straight under a canopy of leaves, or to the right. Head to the right and stay on the low road, not the high one. This will take you through a big open area where the high road merges back again and ultimately, toward the road. As you get close to the road, look to the right for a faint path into the foliage. Two trees stand here…check the base of the left one for the God of the South Wind and bringer of summer.

7.       Zephyros, God of the West Wind (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Continue on the path to the gravel road and turn right. From there, walk back to where this trail began (you’ll see it at the woods come back on your right. When you get to the trail head, backtrack about 35-40 steps and look into the woods on your left. A little hill is here with a tangle of big and small vines. Climb up the little hill and look in the left of this pile for a chunk of asphalt. Near that chunk is the final box holding the God of the West Wind and bringer of spring.

Getting back to the shelter or other box series:

To the Shelter or What’s Your Sign? Series: Turn around so that the trailhead is on your right again. Follow the gravel road in the as it bends to the left and you’ll see the shelter as you round the bend. From here, you can start the clues for What’s Your Sign? Alternately, rather than walking the road, you can go into the woods on the path to the left. Stay to the right when the path forks and you’ll end up at the shelter. However, you’ll be walking back down that same path for the What’s Your Sign? series. If you’re clever, you might be able to work out the stamps backward!

To Celestial Symbols Series: Follow the gravel road in the same direction you were headed (the entrance to the series you just did will be on your right. The road curves to the left and you’ll see the shelter as you round the bend. Head toward the bathrooms and you’ll see a huge picnic area with regular tables and the lake beyond. Head toward the lake and on the right, VERY close to the edge, you’ll see a path leading into the woods Follow the clues for Celestial Symbols below.

Celestial Symbols Series & Picnic Place (11 boxes)

The celestial symbols are what man has used for years to designate the planets and the other major heavenly bodies. To find these, head toward the bathrooms near the picnic shelter and you’ll see a open grassy picnic area with regular tables and the lake beyond. Head toward the lake and on the right, VERY close to the edge, you’ll see a path leading into the woods. This is where these clues begin. Also, bring the clues for Picnic Place carved by the Elba Onions. I'm not sure if this is still here, but you might as well get it while you’re in the area! Note: To save time, all the boxes in the series are in orange pill bottle containers with no logbook until the very last box. Picnic Place is a microbox:

1.   Sun (The Sprite & the Highlander)—As you start the path, you’ll see a red tipped stick to your right. Take about 5 steps and look to the left. You should see some deadwood on the ground about 10 feet in. Look in the tree roots under it.

2.   Mercury (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Continue on the path and look to the right for a burnt/rotted stump about 10 feet or so off the path. Next to it on the left is a gray tree. Look in its roots for this stamp.

3.   Venus (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Continue on the path again start looking for a grassy patch on the path. Before you get to this, look for a big tree on the left. Check its roots.

4.   Earth (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Keep walking and you’ll see the path meets up with another to the right. Before this, look for vines tangled on the left side of the path. If you look to the right side, you should see a long root coming out at you from a tree. Follow this root and you’ll see a small tree standing close to it with a small rotted hole near it. Look in the roots of the small tree for the stamp.

5.   Moon (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Take the path leading to the right and look on the left for two stumps in the woods about 10 steps in. A HUGE tree is here with a big stone to its left. Look in the roots of this tree.

4.   Mars (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Continue on this path around the bend until it opens up and you see a small patch of gravel on the ground. To your right will be a thin tree that looks as though it was peeled open, but is still alive. Part of a splintered stump sticks out from it near the base. Move some bark between this peeled open tree and it’s stump to find the stamp.

Note: The rest of these stamps are relatively out in the open (near the open picnic are). Be VERY discreet, as people can see you from all around, and rehide very carefully. Because of the high traffic by park visitors in this location, these boxes might be moved to a different location after the event! Check the clues on AQ again after August.

7.   Jupiter (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Go to the end of the path and out into the clearing, following the edge of the foliage to your right. As you round the bend into the picnic area, look for the low cut stump on the ground to your left. Sit down so the  path you came from is at your back and the stump is in front of you. On your left in the root, you’ll see a hole that has some bark in it. Remove the bark to find the stamp, but watch out for muggles!

8.   Saturn (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Stand up now and look in the picnic area for a wooden face (it’s not hard to miss!) When you find it, sit to the right of it and you’ll see that another tree is behind it, leaving a gap in between that’s PERFECT for a letterbox. It’s also perfect for muggles to find, so we made this harder. Look at the root on the face that’s closest to the tree behind the face. Move some bark from the end of this root and reach up and under. Again, discretion is VERY important here!

9.   Uranus (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Put the wooden face from the last stamp to your back and look for a picnic table VERY close to the foliage on your right. It has a big tree in the foliage sticking up over it and a grill on the left. Walk over to the table and stand on the right side of it facing the tree. Take another step to the right and bend down. You’ll see that you can get right up next to the roots in a little hole in the foliage. Check the roots of the tree under some deadwood.

10. Neptune (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Now follow the foliage line again toward the lake, which will bring you close to where you started. From the trailhead, backtrack about 20 steps along the foliage line and look for a stump that stands about 3 feet high in the foliage (maybe 10 feet in). Get up close to this stump and you’ll see there’s another mini stump next to it . Look in between the mini stump and the bigger one for this stamp.

11. Pluto (The Sprite & the Highlander)—Come out of the foliage and put the stamp to your back while facing the direction of the lake. On the other side of the path near the trail head, you should see a fallen tree. Go to the closest end of that tree and look toward the lake again. Two twin trunked trees stand at the edge of the cliff by the water. Go to the one on the right and look in its roots under some bark.

Getting back to the shelter or other box series:

To the shelter or What’s Your Sign? series: Cross back over the picnic area toward the bathroom. The shelter is to your right and the clues for What’s Your Sign? begin there.

To the Theoi Ouranioi series: You can back track as mentioned above, then take the  path into the woods, as if doing What’s Your Sign? Follow the path through the woods to the left until you reach the other side, where the gravel road is. A path starts on the other side of this for Theoi Ouranioi. Alternately, you can follow the main road around the outside of the woods, where it becomes a gravel access road. The path for Theoi Ouranioi will be on your left at that point.

Other Boxes (NOT the secret kind!)

à      Picnic Place, courtesy of the

à      The Lighthouse series of night boxes, courtesy of Maiden

à      Heavens Above! & Starry Starry Nights Event Stamps, courtesy of the Sprite & the Highlander

à      Sagittarius, courtesy of Great Big Seabres

à      And the “WNY Blue Ribbon Event Stamp” – earned for doing specific things, courtesy of The Sprite & the Highlander

 

Return to the WNY Gathering Page

Free Web Hosting

Free Web Hosting
1 1