colector: [JournalWriting] Letterboxing?

TO THE LETTER(BOX)

February 21, 2008
By Mary Forsell, Contributing Editor

I first heard about letterboxing from a woman who was already steeped in it. With her four kids, she habitually goes out in search of letterboxes—that is, weatherproof containers filled with surprises—hidden in our area. She confesses to venturing out in a blizzard once to find one. When her husband goes on business trips, he often sneaks off from his colleagues to go "boxing."

I admit I listened with a frozen smile on my face when she told me about her hobby, making a mental note to avoid further social interaction. But, eventually, curiosity got to me and I went to www.letterboxing.org and www.atlasquest.com to see what she was talking about. These sites offer clues to finding boxes in your area.

Here's what I learned: Usually hidden in a public outdoor spot like a park or nature sanctuary, the boxes contain a unique, hand-carved stamp and a logbook. You need to bring your own stamp, stamp pad, notebook, and pen. So when you find the box, stamp your own stamp in the logbook and then take their stamp and impress it in your notebook (letterboxers usually make their stamps themselves; details on how to do it are on the aforementioned sites). Note the date or any comments in the logbook. Then put it back, well hidden, contents intact. Not all letterboxes are in the wild. Where we live in New York's Hudson Valley, many of our libraries have letterboxes hidden on shelves.

OK, I get it now! It's like going on an art tour because you get to admire the gorgeous creations of others, but it also feels like a treasure hunt. Not to mention, your kids will actually be excited to take a walk in the woods.