Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies

This box was planted for the 2008 Michigan Spring Gathering, Faeries of the Forest, at Bertha Brock County Park near Ionia, MI. A trail map is strongly recommended and can be found online.

Getting There…

Follow M-21 east from Grand Rapids. A few miles after passing through the town of Ionia, the park will be on your right.

Clues…

All the world is a stage and tonight’s performance on the 10-11 stage is the beloved “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies”. Enter stage south and proceed to the red sign marking the reserved seating area. Walk along the raised green corridor for 12 paces @ 300 degrees to the empty seat at the end. Enjoy the show!

Wings of Beauty

This box was planted for the 2007 Michigan Fall Gathering, It’s a Wing Thing, at Pigeon Creek Park in West Olive, MI. A trail map is strongly recommended and can be obtained from the Ottawa County Park Commission. Trail maps are also posted at the park.

Getting There…

U.S. 31 north from Holland or south from Grand Haven. East on Stanton for about 3 miles to the park entrance.

Clues…

• 310°
• 26
• 6
• 360°
• 3

Heading north from ________, watch for Mark/Dave/AL. See a ________-trunk tree with one naked limb standing at ________. Find beauty ________ steps at ________ in the “Y” of a fallen log.

Nahma, King of Fishes

(Hiawatha Series #4)

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water.
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
There the wrinkled old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Song of Hiawatha, Hiawatha’s Childhood

This is an ongoing series of letterboxes themed around Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha. The boxes will be placed at various locations in or near the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Named after Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha, the Hiawatha National Forest is located in the central and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The forest encompasses approximately 880,000 acres, and receives over 1.5 million recreational visits per year. The forest affords visitors access to white sand, scenic beaches and relatively undeveloped shorelines along three of America’s inland seas — Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron. From scenic and historic lighthouses to Great Lakes islands, from spectacular shorelines to the Midwest’s finest winter playland, the Hiawatha National Forest brings to life a myriad of fascinating and exciting natural, historical, and unique recreational opportunities.

Letterboxes in this Series…

• Song of Hiawatha
• Gitche Gumee
• Daughter of the Moon
• Nahma, King of Fishes

Naomikong Point…

The rocky points and bays of the Lake Superior shoreline west of Point Iroquois provide ideal fishing spots for fishermen today as they have for centuries. If you follow Lakeshore Drive west from Bay Mills to M-123, you will catch glimpses of this secluded shore of Lake Superior, but the way to really explore it is to hike. Several hiking trails can be found in the area, but our favorite is by far the hike out to Naomikong Point.

Full of history, this beautiful area gets its name Naomikong from an Ojibwa Indian word meaning “where the breakers strike the shore.” It was an important fishing ground and location of a mission outpost during the 1800’s and, at one time, an Indian Village was located on the shore here.

Naomikong Point itself appears rather nondescript, just a point of rocky land that juts out into Lake Superior, backed by a line of trees. But sitting here on this tip of land, nearly surrounded by the lake, the wind whispering in the trees, waves playfully lapping at the rocky shoreline, puffy white clouds floating carelessly in a azure sky, it is not hard to feel the words of Longfellow’s poem, Song of Hiawatha. It is not hard to forget the bustle of the world around you and truly believe that time has stopped.

Getting There…

You will need to consult a trail guide for hiking directions to Naomikong Point.

Clues…

After a short jaunt through the woods from the parking lot, the trail opens up to Lake Superior at Naomikong Creek. The rest of the trek follows the shoreline around a couple of smaller points and bays. When we were there, we walked a sandbar that ran out in the lake across one bay and had to jump rocks across another. We also were treated to the sight of a Bald Eagle nesting in the tall trees on Menekaunee point.

At the tip of Naomikong Point, a small peninsula stretches to the NW. Just east of this narrow finger of land, several large boulders provide an ideal place to sit and enjoy this treasure of a location. Among the boulders, find the split black one and site 170 degrees to a large black rock, frosted in light green moss. From here, 110 degrees to a white birch that leans to the SW. At the base, find your treasure.

Sand Dune Sunsets

Getting There…

Go to the Ruckel’s Bridge day use area of Silver Lake State Park. There is a small amount of parking available here.

Clues…

From the picnic area, follow the northerly trail. This is a lovely hike that skirts the base of the sand dunes in several places. If you are feeling ambitious, take a detour to climb one of these hills for a fantastic view of the Silver Lake Sand Dunes and Lake Michigan. Back on the trail, cross over the way of the sunset tours, picking up your trail again on the other side. When the trail ahead of you lies at 55 degrees and a very large standing oak with many dying arms is on your right, make your way at 130 degrees for about 50 paces to the stump which hides the letterbox.

Ruckel’s Bridge

Getting There…

Go to the Ruckel’s Bridge day use area of Silver Lake State Park. There is a small amount of parking available here.

Clues…

From the picnic area, follow the easterly trail along the channel. At the point where the trail squeezes between a dead birch and a double oak, follow the trail at 270 degrees for about 25 paces to a fallen birch on your left. At 285 degrees see a standing double- (or maybe its a triple-) trunked relative about 25 paces off the main trail. From here, 25 paces at 350 degrees leads you to the letterbox.