Does anyone go letterboxing?

**norcalmommy** · 04-19-2009, 12:17 PM

I was wondering if anyone else here letterboxes? My family loves to do that. If you don't know what it is, it is a treasure hunt type game, similar to geocaching. You look online for the clues, then find the boxes in your area. Each person needs a stamp, handmade or store bought. Your stamp is like your personal signature. The more unique the better. You also need a logbook. It can be a memo pad or something homemade.

When you find a letterbox, you take your signature stamp and stamp it into the log book inside the letterbox. You can also write the date and your hometown. Then you take the stamp that is inside the letterbox and stamp it into your logobook, to record your find. It sounds a little goofy, but it is alot of fun.

We started letterboxing in 2005. I am glad we did. My hubby did not want to go the first time. But he loved it and since then we have found letterboxes in other states and far away cities. When we travel, we always check the letterboxes along the route we will be taking. Our family has hidden 15 letterboxes. It is fun to carve the stamps and make up the clues to find the letterboxes. We have gotten my mom, my sister and her family, and several friends into letterboxing.

What I like is it is basically free. It takes gas, a picnic lunch, and some sunscreen. We are going to hide a letterbox today. The kids are very excited. We have some new friends joining us, they want to see what exactly we are talking about.

My kids have been working very hard in the garden with me. We are doubling the size of the garden, and my son and nephew, both six, have really helped. So they get to go on a picnic to a lake about 1/2 an hour away. It is one of our favorite places to go. Since we haven't hidden a letterbox there, we made one up last night. I am glad they are still young and a picnic at the lake is still a good reward. Have a great day! We have our van packed and are waiting for our friends to come over so we can all go together.

To find letterboxes in your area, go here. Click on the big book, then your state. You can see all the letterboxes in your region.
http://letterboxing.org/

Another letterboxing website, this one has message boards, etc:
http://www.atlasquest.com/

**mom23boyz** · 04-19-2009, 12:58 PM

I had never heard of this. It sounds fun. I looked over the list and found some in my area...I was shocked!Thanks for the info!!!!

**Saydee** · 04-19-2009, 01:51 PM

That sounds like a lot of fun! I'm going to go check out the web site.

**Nada.Leona** · 04-19-2009, 02:09 PM

Neat, there are five in mine. I will have to persuade my beloved into going, once he's finished school.

**familyof3** · 04-19-2009, 03:11 PM

We tried for a while, but it seemed like all of the sites were "dead", maybe I'll check them out again. I love the idea of it!

**NewLeaf** · 04-19-2009, 04:27 PM

Yes!!!! We found a few last year and hope to find more this year!!! The family stamp is so much fun to make. When you look at the log in the letterbox you wouldn't believe where some of the people have come from.....

**Ians Mama** · 04-19-2009, 06:02 PM

cool this just maybe easier than geocaching

**Michelle68** · 04-19-2009, 09:54 PM

It sounds like a lot of fun! There are at least about 20 locations in our area. I think this would be a great activity for our family. Thanks for the links!

**norcalmommy** · 04-19-2009, 10:43 PM

We hid our new letterbox today. The kids had a great time helping to find a place to hude it and come up with clues. We made a pirate stamp and you have to walk the plank, which is a very long wooden foot bridge. I need to sit down and come up with a fun pirate story to work in all of our clues.

We checked on a letterbox we hid last spring. It was full of water. But I think I can save the memo pads, maybe. I guess we need to retrieve that letterbox before the heavy snows come every year.

**NewLeaf** · 04-20-2009, 07:48 AM

The letter box we hid was smashed in. I hope to repair it and put it back this Spring.

**JustMegan79** · 04-20-2009, 08:33 AM

Thank you for posting about this! I had never heard of it and just clicked outta curiosity. I have heard of geo-cacheing and thought it sounded fun but never really considered it because I didnt want to buy (read: cant) a gps thing. also, since we live so far out, I doubt any areas for it would exist. I am going to check the letterboxing site now!

It sort of reminds me of this place I went when we lived in SC last year. In little river, sc(slightly north of myrtle beach) there is Byrd Island, and if you go over onto it on a boat you can walk all the way around it, and end up in North Carolina. Nothing but sand dunes, and ocean, no people, high atop a dune sits a mailbox. In the mailbox is several filled and one unfilled notebook which travelers write in and leave in the mailbox, ppl write their thoughts, quotes, hardships, prayers, etc. I thought it was awesome and sort of mystical. Reminded me of the movie The Lake House.

**norcalmommy** · 04-20-2009, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by JustMegan79

Thank you for posting about this! I had never heard of it and just clicked outta curiosity. I have heard of geo-cacheing and thought it sounded fun but never really considered it because I didnt want to buy (read: cant) a gps thing. also, since we live so far out, I doubt any areas for it would exist. I am going to check the letterboxing site now!

It sort of reminds me of this place I went when we lived in SC last year. In little river, sc(slightly north of myrtle beach) there is Byrd Island, and if you go over onto it on a boat you can walk all the way around it, and end up in North Carolina. Nothing but sand dunes, and ocean, no people, high atop a dune sits a mailbox. In the mailbox is several filled and one unfilled notebook which travelers write in and leave in the mailbox, ppl write their thoughts, quotes, hardships, prayers, etc. I thought it was awesome and sort of mystical. Reminded me of the movie The Lake House.

The mailbox sounds pretty cool.

We are in a rural area and there weren't any letterboxes in our direct area. We had to travel about 30 minutes to another small town to find several. Since then lots of people in this area have started letterboxing and there are dozens of local letterboxes.

**mamamia** · 04-21-2009, 12:20 AM

Wow! We have 3 within 25 miles. I need to go back and read it again, because I'm not really getting it yet. But I bet kids have a ball with this. Free fun...gotta love it!

Thanks for posting. Never heard of this before.

Theresa

**CrazyCat** · 04-21-2009, 11:58 AM

I found 3 within one mile~WOW~I'm amazed~

Thanks for the link....it's a great idea~

**Bellaboo** · 04-21-2009, 12:58 PM

I've never heard of letterboxing before, thanks for the link. It sounds like a lot of fun and I was surprised to see a handful of letterboxes in our town. I know what our family will be doing this summer!