Middle Pautuxent River letterbox

by Wood Thrush

Columbia, Maryland

Planted September 18, 2005

One of the most distinctive things about the "planned community" of Columbia, Maryland, is its system of paved walking paths that connect homes to parkland, recreational facilities and shopping centers. The journey to this letterbox takes you on a pleasant one-mile roundtrip excursion in the Columbia village of Kings Contrivance. You may choose to walk or bike. One of the characteristics of the pathway system is that the paths have many entrances, which are often placed unobtrusively between the boundaries of two homes. You'll begin your journey at a typical one of these entrances, in one of Columbia's unassuming townhome areas just south of Rt. 32.

Driving directions. From either the Baltimore or Washington, D.C., area, take I-95 to the exit for Route 32 west. Take the first exit for Broken Land Parkway. Stay to the left. At the end of the exit ramp, make a left turn onto Broken Land Parkway, and follow it to its end at a traffic light. Make a left turn at this light onto Guilford Road. Stay to the right, and at the next light, make a right turn onto Murray Hill Road. Now turn onto the first street on your right, Rain Flower Way, and follow it a short distance to its end. You are looking for townhouse #7572. Find a parking place, not in front of a townhome (those spots are reserved for the homeowners), but rather around the grassy "island" in the center of the area.

To the letterbox. Walk over to house #7572, and look to your right. You should see house #7566. Between these two townhomes is the beginning of the path. You should see a light green Verizon underground cable marker that also has the number 7566 on it.

Follow the path, which at first will parallel some tall electric transmission lines on the right. At the first branch in the path, make a right turn. This new path will take you through a meadow of sorts, which is actually the right of way for the power lines (see photo at right). You'll pass under the lines and head towards a wooded area. Here the path ends in a "T" intersection. Turn left, and you will enter the pleasant woods that will take you to the Middle Patuxent River. From here on, you'll be following a simple rule: whenever you come to a fork in the path, head to the left.

First, you will go gradually down a hill and come to a fork. You'll see a wooden bridge—-the first of three on your journey (see photo). Head left and go over the bridge. Soon you will come to a second bridge and go up a hill. Just before the next intersection, you'll see fishing rules posted high in a tree on the left. This means you're getting closer to the river! Turn left at the intersection. The homes you see to your right are on "Sweet Hours Way."

Follow this path until you come to the third bridge. Each of the bridges you've crossed spans a small creek that feeds into the Middle Patuxent. Immediately after this bridge is another fork. Again, turn left. And in a short distance you'll come across yet another fork. Turn left once more.

At last! You will be walking beside the pretty Middle Patuxent River. Enjoy the scenery (see photo at left).

In a short while you will see a substantial outcrop of gray-black rock on your right. Immediately after this, the path turns away from the river and heads up a hill. Follow the curve that the path makes going up the hill, until you can see where the path forks again (see photo at left). You will have climbed up most of the hill. Stop. Do not go to the fork in the path, rather stop when you can see the fork.

Look to your right. Not very far off the path you should be able to see a good-sized tree that starts out as a single trunk, but splits into two in a perfect "V" shape while still close to the ground (see at left). Now look to your left, again a bit off the path, for a fairly large tulip poplar tree with several distinct features:

— There are small saplings on either side of the tree.

— There is a hollow space under the roots on the right-hand side.

— There is a hollow remnant of a second trunk on the right of the tree.

The Middle Patuxent River letterbox, covered in camouflage tape, is hidden in this upright hollow space (see at left). Minimal bushwhacking is needed to retrieve it—-the vegetation here is low-growing, even in summer.

Why not return the few steps back to the river to stamp in? You can sit by the riverbank, watch the peaceful water flow by, and enjoy the stamp, which looks especially good in multiple, "natural" colors. Then return it to its snug hiding place, being sure to push it down into the hollow so it doesn't stick out the top. Add some extra bark or sticks if necessary. Then simply retrace your steps (making right-hand choices this time at forks on the way back) to get to the start of the trail at the townhouses.