Eclectically Yours,

Letterboxing 101

(Let me just say right now, that I know this font is really weird, and I can't seem to fix it.)


Ms. D didn't feel so hot yesterday. Some sore throat thing going around. David came home from work early due to the abundance of snow being sprinkled throughout Maine. He helped Ms. D with her grammar/spelling/reading/geography ( not sure how much actually got done, I distinctly heard him give the spelling word "stinky" which was NOT on the W.I.S.E. Guide list) Before his arrival however, Ms. D decided she wanted to carve a stamp. I thought it might be fun to have her work up a "how to" list for letterboxing. Which she promptly did along with graciously allowing her photo be taken as she demonstrated her carving prowess.

Here is what she/we came up with:

Introduction To Letterboxing

1. Choose a "trail name": This is a name you will be called "on the trail", you will sign in logbooks with this name.

2. Choose a stamp: This can be store bought or hand carved (more on that later). Usually it has something to do with your trailname, but doesn't have to.

3. Get a personal log book: This can be a small to medium blank book. You will be adding stamps you find on the trail. If the book is too big it can be too big to carry, if it's too small you wont be able to stamp in those really big, neat stamps!

4. Buy some ink: Just an ink pad for rubber stamps. If you want you can also buy some markers to get really creative while stamping in.

(tools of the trade: logbook, markers, personal stamp, compass and a handy case)

5. Get A Clue: You can find clues in various ways. Our preferred method is through Atlas Quest, or Letterboxing North America (LBNA). Some letterboxers like their clues to be only given by Word Of Mouth (WOM) or through a special newsletter. You can find these by talking to other letterboxers.

6. Find the Box: It may be simple. It may be hard. You may find it right away. You may have to come back. You may need a compass. You may need to pace to find the box. You might have to hike. It might be closer than the nose on your face. Some letterboxers make their clues very challenging, others like to hide clues in riddles. The box could look something like this:



Just a waterproof plastic container. Often a letterboxer will write on the outside just in case someone who doesn't know what letterboxing is stumbles upon the box. (See Below) For those of you that can't read through my bad picture taking it says: "NOT TRASH Please do not remove. Look inside for more details. Be kine enough to return as found."





6. Stamp In: Take your personal stamp that you brought with you, along with your ink and stamp in the logbook that you found in the letterbox. You can write a few words, too. Perhaps the date, or a message telling about the day. (For example: 1.17.2008 Great stamp! A beautiful hike, also! Thanks so much!") But nothing too big. Leave room for the next person!

Most letterboxes have a theme. Here is one I need to plant titled "Let It Snow". The logbook isn't fancy. Just some index cards I cut up, hole punched and tied together.




The second part of stamping in is taking the stamp you found IN the letterbox
and stamping that image to your personal logbook. Now you have a "log" (get it?!) of a letterbox you found!

You DO NOT take either the logbook or stamp you found in the letterbox. You replace these as you found them. And re-hide REALLY well, just as you found it.

That's it! You are now a letterboxer!

Ms. D and I can NOT stress enough the Letterboxers Code of Conduct. All letterboxers do their utmost to follow these rules so that letterboxing can stay respectful and safe for everyone who enjoys this hobby. Atlas Quest has a wonderful description of these. Check out their Code of Conduct page!

Atlas Quest, along with LBNA has some wonderful tutorials for when you are ready to plant your own box. How to make stamps from very simple to the very complicated. Also covered is how to make your own logbooks. For those of you who are more creatively inclined than my index cards and hole puncher (oh, I know who you are, you Amanda Soule wanna-bes, making your own paper pulp, dyeing your own thread, binding your own book) you'll have a heyday! While I love to find ANY letterbox, it's a special treat to find a handmade logbook in one. Below Ms. D is demonstrating a couple aspects of carving your own stamp.

She's using tracing paper to draw an image. She will then transfer it to her stamp pad (kinda like a giant eraser, really) and use her carving tools to cut it out.

Here are a few stamps that I carved. The first is our personal stamp. It was pretty primitive as it was one of my first. But primitive can be fun, no?
Our trail name is Dewdrop. The leaf has three dewdrops, one for each of us. So if you see this in a logbook, you know we've been there!
This is our homeschool name that Ms. D came up with. Again, it's a bit primitive, but we like it.

Ms. D did the artwork for this one and I did the carving. It was titled "Backyard School" and part of a Letterboxing Postal Ring we joined (A Postal Ring: A theme is chosen (this one was Homeschool) those that sign up carve a stamp, send it to the person on their list...they stamp in and send it to the next person...and the next...until you get your stamp back...a great winter alternative for those of us in the northern climes)

So what are some other tools of the trade? I like to pack a small backpack and here are some things I found that make the 'boxing a bit easier.
Binoculars ( letterboxers hide there boxes in beautiful scenic places), small first aid kit, wet wipes (all that ink, ya know) And gloves. That might be strange, and I truly don't mind getting my hands dirty...but there was the time I had to reach WAY under a rock and it was wet and...I won't go on. I had just wished I had gloves at the time. I also carry some extra baggies with me in case I find a letterbox that has been "compromised". Perhaps the wet has gotten to the stamp or logbook. I replace the bags in the box with fresh ones. Just a nice thing to do. And I am, nothing, if not "nice".

Oh, there is SO much more to learn my letterboxing friend. It's a great way to get out with the family, explore nature, discover a treasure and be creative. We thought we knew a lot of the nooks and crannies in this area, but through letterboxing we've found oh, so many more than we knew. Most right under our nose! I highly encourage you to check out the sites most of which are also linked on the side bar to the left, along with some good articles.

(Ms. D and David in 2006 finding a letterbox)

Letterboxing At It’s Finest

I haven't been letterboxing all that much this year, sad to say. We did a ton one day in Bar Harbor area, but they are being planted faster than I can keep up. Which is okay. More for later.

The other day I received an email from a first time boxer. She stumbled on one of our Go Ask Alice series'. One thing a boxer always worries about when planting a letterbox is that it is not planted well enough, that someone will come along and "muggle" or destroy it. Or not knowing how important a good hide is, to just blindly drop it in the vicinity of your hiding place. It doesn't happen often, but it happens. Imagine my delight at receiving this email:

My soon to be 3 year old daughter and I were out hiking in Camden's Children's Chappel. We were going at her pace, pointing out all the small crags and caves in the rocks. We were not looking for anything, but for some reason, one little rock seemed to have a magic glow. I have no idea why I was drawn to it, but I was. The log in the hole seemed odd... like logs can't go up hill and insert themselves into holes I thought. I wondered what was in there. We got closer and looked deep inside, and found your Chesire Cat. The odd thing is that just about a week ago she saw Disney's Alice for the first time and she has been talking about the Chesire Cat ever since. How magical to have found your box. What a great way to get exposed to this hobby. Now we are in the process of making our own stamp so we can return and add it to your little book. I need to go find Jabberwock to start from the beginning. What fun! I asked my wee one what she wanted our stamp to be, and she said, "Bad Cat Good Cat" - so there you have it. Thanks for making our day a most magical one, and rest assured your little box is in good condition, and where we found it. I'm amazed at how many stamps were in the little book. Take care, your friends: Bad Cat & Good Cat! (I'm not sure which one I am, and which she is...) LOL!

This series of boxes were originally conceived by Ms. D. She wanted to commemorate our reading of Alice in Wonderland. She did the artwork, I carved the stamp, we all came up with the places to hide and Dad came up with the poetry for the clues. It's a special series for us so we were pretty excited at receiving this letter!