Letterboxing

[seahunter]

My wife doesn't do geocaching, but she does letterboxing. Just thought I would see if there are any LBers out there, especially out in Oregon or Washington??

Thanks!

Greg for Kris LOL

[DQDick]

Explain what it is for those of us who don't know. Thanks!

[Bill-N-Donna]

quote:Originally posted by DQDick

Explain what it is for those of us who don't know. Thanks!

X2

[seahunter]

oops...

I find it difficult to explain, so....

from http://www.letterboxing.org/faq/faq.html#001

What is Letterboxing?

Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring interesting, scenic, and sometimes remote places. It takes the ancient custom of placing a rock on a cairn upon reaching the summit of a mountain to an artform. It started when a gentleman simply left his calling card in a bottle by a remote pool on the moors of Dartmoor, in England.

Here's the basic idea: Someone hides a waterproof box somewhere (in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location) containing at least a logbook and a carved rubber stamp, and perhaps other goodies. The hider then usually writes directions to the box (called "clues" or "the map"), which can be straightforward, cryptic, or any degree in between. Often the clues involve map coordinates or compass bearings from landmarks, but they don't have to. Selecting a location and writing the clues is one aspect of the art.

Once the clues are written, hunters in possession of the clues attempt to find the box. In addition to the clue and any maps or tools needed to solve it, the hunter should carry at least a pencil, his personal rubber stamp, an inkpad, and his personal logbook. When the hunter successfully deciphers the clue and finds the box, he stamps the logbook in the box with his personal stamp, and stamps his personal logbook with the box's stamp. The box's logbook keeps a record of all its visitors, and the hunters keep a record of all the boxes they have found, in their personal logbooks.

It's a great excuse to get out and play, and a great activity to do when RVing...

[HamRad]

Greg and Kris,
Wow! This LB thing sounds really interesting. Thanks for info. I think I'll look into it some more. Later, Dennis

On Edit: Our daughter and family will be moving to the Seattle area in the next few months so we will be spending more time in that area. Dennis

[Ozz]

That sounds like a good thing to do, anyting we can do by getting out and exploring this beautiful and interesting country.

[subra1228]

HI,

We've done some letterboxing - really enjoyed it - took us to places/hikes we wouldn't have maybe done. But one time a couple asked us what we were looking for, and when we described it, she replied that it was a child's game from England - sort of took the fun our of it for my husband. :-( But we do keep planning to get back into it - still have our stamp.

Have fun!
Suzanne

[seahunter]

Thanks for the replies! Yes, letterboxing has taken Kris (us) on some really fun hikes and "gatherings". We have met people from all over the country and it is a great activity for a family. It is fun and educational, because you usually always learn something from the clues and/or the area you're in. The creativity of the people is amazing - the stamps they carve, the clues they come up with, everything.

One of my favorite stories is Kris had met a lady at a gathering just once in Washington State. Well, we were going on an Alaska cruise and this is where the lady lived. They got to talking online, and long story short is her and her husband took the whole day to show us around their town when we got there. It was the best shore excursion of the entire trip! Knowing there weren't a lot of letterboxes to be had, she had even "planted" some before we got there as a way to see the town and make sure Kris had some boxes to get on our trip. Very special people we never would have met if not for letterboxing...

[DQDick]

Great story, we'll have to look into it further. Thanks for the info!

[WaltandLynne]

I'm thinking that letterboxing would be a very fun thing to modify (perhaps) for the Fall 2012 Rally! I think it could be a hoot!

Lynne