Letterboxing
©2006 by aisling d'art
Letterboxing is sort of like a scavenger hunt, except that it's not timed and the prize is the satisfaction of knowing that you found the hidden treasure.
In a nutshell: Using clues (usually found online), you'll search for a letterbox in an interesting location such as a public park. The letterbox is usually a plastic container such as a Rubbermaid or Tupperware sandwich box.
Inside the letterbox, you'll find a rubber stamp--sometimes a handcarved stamp--that you'll use to stamp in your personal journal. It's proof that you found it.
You'll also stamp your personal rubber stamp (purchased or handmade) in the letterbox logbook, to show that you've been there.
Then, you'll hide the letterbox where you found it, for the next visitor to find.
This is a rapidly-growing worldwide sport/hobby, that started in the U.K.
For some of my earliest letterboxing experiences, visit this page.
If you'd like to use your own handmade rubber stamp (almost no artistic skills required), here are some basics.
Who goes letterboxing? See this page for photos and descriptions of a May 2002 letterbox gathering.
Texas Letterboxes
Katy (immediately west of Houston) - Katy Birdwatcher #1
New England Letterboxes
Since I moved to Texas, it seems that most of these boxes--if not all of them--have gone missing.
- Salem, MA - Briget Bishop letterbox. Probably missing.
- Nashua, NH - Gilson Road Cemetery letterboxes (2). One reported missing.
- Portsmouth, NH & vicinity - Seacoast letterboxes. Both reported missing.
- Fort Worden, Port Townsend, WA (near Seattle) - Three letterboxes, two of them reported missing.
To learn more about letterboxing, check Letterboxing North America, letterboxing.org.
Or, an international site, Atlas Quest.
For the GPS version of this hobby/sport, check Geocaching, geocaching.com.
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