Due to COVID-19, our quests are temporarily unavailable. We plan to have them back up and running by the summer of 2021.
Seal Cove Shore Quest
Welcome to our quest! It was created in 2013-14 by the 5th and 6th grade class at South Bristol School. Please park at the trailhead on S Rd. Please respect the places that you visit on this quest. Have fun!
Creators: Jarrett Gulden, Braxton Farrin, Emma Scott, Aiden Seiders, Nuala Glendinning, Galen Daly-O’Donnell and Jason Bigonia
Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 15 minutes
Send comments and suggestions to [email protected]
Seal Cove Shore Quest
Welcome to our quest! It was created in 2013-14 by the 5th and 6th grade class at South Bristol School. Please park at the trailhead on S Rd. Please respect the places that you visit on this quest. Have fun!
Creators: Jarrett Gulden, Braxton Farrin, Emma Scott, Aiden Seiders, Nuala Glendinning, Galen Daly-O’Donnell and Jason Bigonia
Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 15 minutes
Send comments and suggestions to [email protected]
Here you stand at the start of the Seal Cove quest
Please do not leave a sign and act your best The trail itself is 1.3 miles Red squirrels leave pinecones in piles Reread the clues often to help you find the treasure chest On this quest there’ll be birches, beeches, maple, and ash In autumn, these deciduous leaves leave in a flash 15 people built the meandering path 4 hours each, you do the math Don’t miss a landmark or you’ll never find the secret stash For most of this quest, you’ll be following the blue-blazed trails Over rocks, roots, and sticks, over hills and through dales Begin to walk along Hear a chickadee song As you read our poetic words, pay attention to the details Behold white pines on the right with more than one trunk The young “leader” was damaged, perhaps by a skunk From one leader grows two Both making their debut A dark gash spiraling up a tree is a sign that lightning hack Go to the second log bench, which was hewn from a pine tree Look below where a bridge of pressure treated planks will be A glacier formed this valley 12,000 years ago is the tally The whole basin started from an earthquake, not erosion of the sea Make your way across this large flat-bottomed valley We’re sure you know how, see the wooden alley? Uphill without fail Right next to the trail Two skinny parallel firs await you, so don’t dilly dally At the twin firs, look up to see a tangled “witches’ broom” It sits alone in the trees and is suitable for a chickadees room It looks like a nest It’s health isn’t the best It is a deformity that can bring a tree’s doom Follow the blue marks till you get to the intersection Now take the right path, that’s our best suggestion Next are two big boulders With moss on their shoulders Now you walk a little longer in that southeasterly direction On the right of the path is a ledge you should not scale Be careful on the moss for it’s very old and frail Take a left turn and straight ahead A fungus tree grows on a soil bed These polypore mushrooms vary in color, usually pale Inside the tree, the tendrils of mycelium are very long This is how the mushroom “eats” and grows strong Some mushrooms you can eat These are not an edible treat The tree’s slow decomposition, the mushrooms don’t prolong Keep walking to a twisted tree with lofty deciduous leaves Red pine needles are always found in bunches of 2s and 3s Look up at the crooked oak and be amazed Follow the blue marks, it’s not really a maze Next a white pine leaning over the trail at 35 degrees Soon along the trail behold two great pines of massive size When you come upon our box, inside will be a prize But don’t look yet, for it’s not here Two twisty firs you will find near Needles that are flat are what this type of tree comprise Follow the blue marks to a small cove with a rocky beach There will be an outcrop of rock just beyond your reach It was originally horizontal sedimentary rock The vertical metamorphic layers now interlock Get back on the trail and walk far to a small stream you can breach After you cross the cool trickling stream You think it has been a magnificent dream Soon a huge beech Stands within your reach A smooth-barked tree the color of cream Keep on meandering along the lovely quiet trail Walk with caution because the path is ever so frail Go around the point’s edge Stand at a small north-facing ledge If it is windy look for boats that have set sail You look all the way across to the northeast side of Seal Cove Nestled cozily amongst the trees of a small grove Sits a small red cabin A view you couldn't imagine You continue on, knowing you're closer to the treasure trove Continue on walking toward a large fault line As you walk, there shall be a slight incline The white quartz wall is quite far You’re now headed toward your car We hope you are happy and feeling just fine You see some very large ledges, a quartz fault line It’s whiteness is made from sand, not from lime This ledge is the west side of the cove It extends all the way past the cabin’s grove To create the cove has taken millions of years time Back to the wooden bridge you now must go When you get to the intersection keep your downhill flow Through the twin trees Which feels like a breeze Down into the valley where the water line is low Take yourself carefully across the clean-boarded bridge Take your time walking slowly along the very large ridge Soon a root system you see Fallen trees more than three Study the sizeable root system for more than a smidge Look over the root system carefully from back to front This quest to find the treasure has been a good hunt There it is! A box you see! Filling your heart with glee Open it carefully, but with a vociferous victorious grunt On this quest, we hope you had some very good fun You must be feeling a little sad that you are all done Walk back to your car It is not very far Spread word of our quest or come back for a rerun Place your stamp here to show that you've completed this quest: |