Did It Ever Go "just Right" For You?

[mloser]

Last weekend (the 9th) I went out on a whim to hunt some benchmarks. I headed out with a loaded GPS and the thought of grabbing a triangulation station on top of a local hill called Round Top. When I got there I realized it was on State Game Lands and it was still hunting season, and wearing a dark jacket on a cloudy day, I figured thrashing through the brush would not be a brilliant idea, so I headed off for the nearest mark that I hadn't yet found.

 

Well, what ended up happening was that I found the two marks closest to Three Mile Island (previously discussed in this forum) KW0907 and KW0908, a number of other marks along the railroad down the Susquehanna River, saw a canal lock from the Pennsylvania Canal, which was abandoned about 1900 KW2663, saw the remains of an old limestone mining operation at KW0901, found the stem of a mark previously "not found" by the NGS in 1979 KW0888, found a chiseled square previously "not found" by the NGS in 1979 KW0886 and saw the remains of a late 1800s iron forge Henry Clay Furnace in the process of finding the above two marks.

 

All in all, it will go down as a great day for me in benchmarking, possibly the best. The combination of finding 13 marks and the accidental industrial archeology was amazing. It is one of the things that keeps me benchmarking--you get to see and touch history.

 

Matt

 

P.S. Yes, I submitted all of them to the NGS.

 

P.P.S. I passed the 400 mark too!

Edited January 18, 2005 by mloser

[evenfall]

Matt,

 

Congrats on the great work and the keen thoughts of being where it might not be safe to be. That is something we should all keep in mind no matter the season.

 

Oh, And your P.S. gave me a hell of a laugh! I am reasonably certain that after all the bent up feelings over that question which I have managed to ferret out lately, No one will be asking that question around here for a very long time. Thanks for Volunteering! :-D

 

Rob

[mloser]

Rob,

 

Yeah, not getting shot is pretty high on my list. I will grab that mark in the spring. There is something odd about the two stations BOYD and NEAR BOYD

on that hill that I want to check out. They have been variously "found" and "not found" by benchmarkers here on this site, but I think there is at least one more mark up there that remains to be located if I read the descriptions right.

 

As for safety, you didn't mention, but probably noticed, that most of the other marks I found were along the railroad. There are a number of people here who feel it is unwise to trespass on railroad property, and they are right. However, I take that calculated risk at times, and this was one of those times. The tracks in question are not used heavily--I think there might be one or two trains a day, and since it was a Sunday there was little or no chance of a train. Also reduced on Sundays is the possibilty of railroad police. My caveat: To anybody thinking about doing the same I give the warning to be safe, and be prepared to get caught.

 

It was really the industrial archeology that caught me during my hunt. To stand on the edge of a perfectly perserved canal lock, walk in the ruins of a tenament from an iron forge, and stand in front of an old lime kiln. Wow! What can I say?!

 

To anyone South Central Pennsylvania, the iron foundry is on a walking trail at the base of Chickies Rock. The ruins are about 1/2 mile in from the head of the trail, along an old railroad grade and are an easy walk. If you want more information contact me.

 

Matt

[+seventhings]

Matt -

 

I would say it was an excellent day. Well done, and congrats on 400.

 

Will

[caseyb]

P.S. Yes, I submitted all of them to the NGS.

 

On behalf of the NGS, let me say, "Thank you!"

 

[mloser]

Thanks Casey. There are quite a few people here who have passed the 400 mark though!

[+PFF]

You know it's going "just right" when you correctly interpret subtle clues you find at the scene. As an example, I give you this recovery note for a fire tower in Virginia:

 

                        STATION RECOVERY (2001)

 

FX4342'RECOVERY NOTE BY US POWER SQUADRON 2001 (JDB)

FX4342'MARKER IS SUSPECTED OF BEING DESTROYED BECAUSE LOOKOUT TOWER HAS BEEN

FX4342'DISMANTLED WITH RESIDUAL PARTS LAID ON THE GROUND AT THE LOCATION.

 

Please note the caution employed in the report, New Hunters. You don't wish to go out on a limb and make a definite statement. Far better to report that destruction is "suspected".

 

-Paul-

[+Greymane]

Many years in the Navy have kept me away from my home in PA, but I remember my days of rock climbing around Chickies Rock. Much history and much enjoyment to be found in that area. Thanks for stirring up the memories!