Flyfisher's Letterboxes
Through The Looking Glass

Through the Looking Glass
Fairborn, OH Greene County
Difficulty: 2 (a short walk on narrow paths)
Placed 26 November 2001 by FlyFisher

'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice. 

This little adventure takes you on almost trails… trails that were. 
These trails remind one of falling through the rabbit hole on the other side of the looking glass. The path often presses downward with a close roof of tendrils over your head. Occasionally you will need to bend slightly to continue on the trail. In addition, you will also tread on the granddaddy trail of Ohio – The Buckeye Trail itself. But we are getting ahead of ourselves, are we not?

To begin, find the intersection of Black Lane and Armstrong in the eastern part of Fairborn – east of Interstate 675. If you tucked a GPS in your bag, it will be considerably easier if you head for N 39 50.125 W 83 59.085. These are the coordinates of a turn off  from Armstrong on the Northern side of this small 36 acre park. No real parking, it is a grassy shoulder occasionally used. 

I don't know what Fairborn plans for this little park. Whatever it is, they have not done it yet. Or they stopped doing it. It is hard to tell the difference. More than anything else it reminds me of the brushy "woods" near my house when I grew up. It was a pasture about 
20 years ago and has not had time to recover a hardwood forest. 

But it is a fun place to do a little compass and pace work!

Begin at the Fairborn Park sign (Cold Springs Reserve) on Armstrong. This is the beginning of the Buckeye Trail traverse of the park. Climb all 33 steps to the top of the hill. 5 paces (1 pace = 2 steps) past the last step turn to 140° and count paces down the all but abandoned trail. At 54 paces on that trail take an intersecting trail with a heading of 80°. 26 paces along that trail look right (120°) and 3 paces away you will see a triplet Honey Locust (thorn tree). In the center of that triplet is the letterbox. 

Fisherman that I always am, I looked another few paces straight ahead on the trail and found a babbling brook. The occasional passing car let me know I was very near where I parked. It may be easier to retrace your steps than to bushwhack back to the car. I did. 

Before you set out read the waiver of responsibility and disclaimer.

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