| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| shmeg |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 07:13:13 AM
I wanted to post a bout one of our new family hobbies that we started doing last summer. It is the perfect combination of hiking, exploring, and a craft. It is called letterboxing. There are two good websites to learn more about it.
www.letterboxing.org
www.atlasquest.com
I love it, my husband loves it, and the kids love it. There are varying degrees of difficulty to suit everyone in the family and there are letterboxes everywhere! I bet many of you have walked by them and never even knew it. I realize I'm not giving any details and you don't knwo what I'm talking about. To be brief, it involves getting clues to a certain letterbox and following those directions until you find where it is hidden. Once you find it(a letterbox usually consists of a booklet, and a handmade stamp) you stamp your own handamde personal stamp into the book and stamp the letterbox stamp into your own book. Check out the websites, it really is a lot of fun!
-Megan
|
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| City Chick |
Posted - Aug 29 2012 : 07:27:03 AM
We just planted a hitchhiker when we were out camping last weekend.  My girls & I are going to make up our own and send them out. With an email address or blog addy. We'd like to keep track of where it goes.
Reminds me - we're going to Kentucky, I should look for letterboxes where we're going.
We've been doing this for about 10 years. I have a friend that lives locally who is extremely active in it. She's a big player on Atlasquest if you go on there. She teaches how to carve stamps, organizes outings and loves to share her gift. I'm so happy to know her!
Edited to add: If anyone is on Atlasquest and wants to be buddies, I'm 3 Sweeties - over there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My new blog - http://citychickadventures.blogspot.com/ Come visit me!
Farm Girl #790
http://pinterest.com/debbie_s/
https://twitter.com/EllieFunt
|
| Simply Satisfied |
Posted - Aug 29 2012 : 06:55:47 AM
Just found our first hitchhiker stamp this weekend. We are having so much fun with this new hobby. Just thought I would share again to let others know about this cool activity.
Emily
Farmgirl # 3591 |
| SpyChicken |
Posted - Jul 30 2012 : 10:55:53 AM
Back from our first letterboxing adventure! It was really fun...from finding the location where we needed to search to following the clues, etc. We did find the box and surprisingly dh was the one who fell in love with the activity!! He and ds are planning a lot of letterboxing stops on our trip to Michigan this autumn-can't wait! |
| SpyChicken |
Posted - Jul 29 2012 : 09:36:40 AM
We're off on our first letterboxing search today...about 38 minutes from our house!
|
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Jul 23 2012 : 07:12:56 AM
I really think my little one would enjoy this, but I'm finding it a little overwhelming to figure out where to begin, how to begin, etc. She is 3, so I was thinking of something for next year, when she's a bit older. She really loves the woods and hiking, and she's all about "secret treasures" and finding hidden things. Would be right up her alley.
"Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile..."
The Only Living Boy in New York, Paul Simon |
| Joey |
Posted - Jul 17 2012 : 11:31:16 AM
It is a fun, cheap, sometimes educational hobby. We really enjoy it. Joey
Well behaved women rarely make history. |
| YakLady |
Posted - Jul 16 2012 : 8:09:32 PM
That's so neat!!! When Ty gets older, I hope to get him interested in this :)
~Hen 4316~ Just a farmgirl in Western Montana.
Starting a family and raising Tibetan Yaks, Highland cattle, Laying hens, Muscovy ducks, Silver Fox rabbits, and a few dogs. |
| Simply Satisfied |
Posted - Jul 16 2012 : 11:32:02 AM
No hitchhikers yet. I can't wait to find one though.
Emily
Farmgirl # 3591 |
| Joey |
Posted - Jul 16 2012 : 10:29:05 AM
It's so nice when others help too. Good for you. It is a spirit of community, isn't it? Have you gotten a hitchiker yet? That's a 2 for 1 sale at the store. Such fun. Joey
Well behaved women rarely make history. |
| Simply Satisfied |
Posted - Jul 15 2012 : 8:32:34 PM
Just an update... My daughters and I have found 19 LBs now. I have repaired afew and even helped two Letterboxer's when they needed a new book and a new stamp placed in boxes they no longer live near. Both were so nice and thankful the first sent us a pouch to place our first LB with and the second sent us two letterboxing trading cards. What a nice group of people these Letterboxers are. Thank you so much for showing us the way to such fun.
Emily
Farmgirl # 3591 |
| Joey |
Posted - Jul 04 2012 : 01:36:34 AM
DH and I got a letterbox yesterday at the only lighthouse on the island of Kauai, HI. It was a nice lighthouse stamp. We hadn't been letterboxing is awhile so this was sweet. Joey
Well behaved women rarely make history. |
| FarmDream |
Posted - Jun 21 2012 : 10:10:30 PM
Yea! We went to the park the other day and I found this...
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BitsofEntropy?ref=si_shop
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
| Joey |
Posted - Jun 19 2012 : 9:07:23 PM
How wonderful for you and your new hobby, Emily. Nothing like the firat box. We were so excited and still get excited at finding a box. Welcome to a new "secret" society.
We found that since this is "secret" and you don't want other "muggles" in the area to know what is going on, you need something to say when you are searchiing for a box and people catch you or when you've found a box and want the others in your party to know it but not let anyone else know..
We tell non-boxers who ask what we are doing that I dropped my cell phone or a bracelt and we're looking for it..when we have found a box and want to let others in our party know we ask "Are you hungry?"..seems like a reasonable question and nobody thinks to question what you are saying, but we all know what we're saying is "I found the box"..this works for us. Just thought I'd pass it on. Have fun! Joey
Well behaved women rarely make history. |
| FarmDream |
Posted - Jun 14 2012 : 7:27:10 PM
This sounds like a fun activity! There's 24 listed for my town :O
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BitsofEntropy?ref=si_shop
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
| ruthie218 |
Posted - Jun 14 2012 : 05:40:06 AM
Hi! This looks likec a fun activity. There are 4 boxes within a six miles of my house. Today Im packin up the kids and were off to find the first box. Then a picnic and playing in the park.
Thanks for a great share,
Ruthie Ann
http://simpleindianagirl.blogspot.com/
Farmgirl sister#4072 |
| Simply Satisfied |
Posted - Jun 13 2012 : 11:53:25 AM
We found our first two letter boxes today! So fun. The girls loved it so while the youngest naps today we will plan tomorrow's hunt.
Emily
Farmgirl # 3591 |
| Simply Satisfied |
Posted - Jun 13 2012 : 06:27:46 AM
We are so excited, today or tomorrow weather permitting on one of them we are off. Definately we will start with buying as I have read and read and sounds like it isn't so bad and we have so many around or house I can't believe it. I explained it to my five year old who loves treasure hunts and she doesn't quite get it but she will.
Emily
Farmgirl # 3591 |
| musicmommy |
Posted - Jun 12 2012 : 07:05:05 AM
Letterboxing is so much fun for my boys. Our oldest takes the clue list and off they go. I've had to bite my tongue a few times when they've gone the wrong direction, but they eventually figure it out. We even did letterboxing at Disneyland a couple of years ago. That was a hard place to be stealthy!
My youngest said that he feels like Indiana Jones when we letterbox.
One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.
Bob Marley
www.becomingwendy.wordpress.com |
| rough start farmgirl |
Posted - Jun 12 2012 : 03:02:26 AM
Thanks so much for sharing this. It sounds very interesting ... a fun new hobby!
Marianne |
| Joey |
Posted - Jun 11 2012 : 10:10:11 PM
Emily, alot of letterboxes are in parks or playgrounds. Also, although we have letterboxed for years, my Dh and I have not carved our own stamps. We got them at Michaels. They represent us. My stamp is a pair of flipflops and DH is a bird. I guess someday we'll get around to carving stamps but so far have not and have never gotten any flack about it. Joey
Well behaved women rarely make history. |
| Simply Satisfied |
Posted - Jun 10 2012 : 8:25:41 PM
I am so excited to try it. My girls are pretty young, 5 and 2, so I worry about the three of us out hiking alone. Most of the boxes I see listed around me aren't in the woods like the geocaches are so I feel much safer trying to find them. I am a little uncreative though so I am not sure about making my own stamp. I am already trying to figure out when we can get out and try to find one though.
Emily
Farmgirl # 3591 |
| Joey |
Posted - Jun 09 2012 : 9:42:44 PM
Hi all. My DH and I have been letterboxing for over 2 years..I think my DH has at least 100 from all over the country. Now my DD and her family do it too. It has taken us so many interesting places that we wouldn't have gone otherwise. We also geocache and love that too, but I like letterboxing better. My DH loves th "hunt" to find it. I like the stamps and reading what people write. My name on atlasquest is "Travelin RN." You can look up my box and see where I have been, although I have several I have to post still. If anyone has questions please e-mail me. I'll be glad to help. Thanks Megan, for posting this. I never thought about it. We've even been to a letterbox retreat and there are tons of boxes near us. We started bcause it was my way of getting us off the couch and outdoors. It was cheap and fun. Maybe someday we'll meet on the trail. Joey
Well behaved women rarely make history. |
| SpyChicken |
Posted - Jun 08 2012 : 2:15:19 PM
This sounded like a lot of fun, so I took a peek at the website! Now, dh and I have plans to find a box while we are on our Niagara Falls trip! We'll have to improvise the stamp but I can't wait to see how we do. If all goes well, the family will investigate more boxes close to home.
Can't wait to get started! |
| NeeneeB |
Posted - Jun 07 2012 : 2:48:35 PM
Rather than start a new thread on the topic, I decided to reply to this older one. We've been letterboxing for several years now and love it! It's one of my favorite ways to get out of the house. I've carved a few stamps and made a few books and want to work on those skills this summer when I'm off from work. Anyone else letterbox? We do some geocaching too but I'm not so good at it!
#4127
Caprinihill.blogspot.com |
| brightmeadow |
Posted - May 06 2007 : 6:36:39 PM
Thanks so much for sharing this! I was familiar with geocacheing, I learned about it through an amateur radio activity, but I had never heard of letterboxing before. I am doing a geocaching event with the Girl Scouts in my council next Saturday. I'll have to be sure and let them know about letterboxing, if they don't have a GPS this is something they could do on a teenage budget!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
