Letterboxing: Interested in Geocaching and Don't Have a GPS Yet? Get a Rubber Stamp!

Letterboxing is the low tech forerunner of Geocaching, and it is done with clues and a rubber stamp. You can find lists of letterboxes by state on the Internet, along with clues on how to find the letterbox.

Letterboxing has a history starting in the 1800s, on Dartmoor moor (yes, where Sherlock Holmes solved the mystery of the Hound of the Baskervilles). An article in Smithsonian magazine in 1998 introduced the current version of the sport to North America. Letterboxing itself also has a longer history in the United States.

At Amazon, you can find It's a Treasure Hunt! Geocaching and Letterboxing.

Letterboxing

In letterboxing, you follow clues in a specified geographical area to find a waterproof container with a rubber stamp and a logbook inside. Once you find the letterbox, you use the stamp inside on your personal logbook, and use your own stamp to mark the letterbox logbook. You note the date in the letterbox logbook, along with your trail name, and date your own book, along with any notes about the experience. There are methods on the Letterbox North America site for noting letterboxes you have found or placed, but not everyone follows the same practice.

There are also letterboxes that have cryptic clues or puzzles to solve. And more recently, there have been hybrid letterboxes, where you follow geocaching clues to find its location, but inside are a log and a stamp, instead of trinkets. For more on Geocaching, check out Bright Hub's Geocaching topic. Here you can find an article explaining Geocaching.

A Typical Set of Non Cryptic Clues

Almost immediately you'll be walking a path beside a split rail fence. Count six posts and on your right you will see a trail which is marked with a blue trail marker. Follow the path downhill, walking through a fallen tree which had the center sawed out so the path could be followed. The trail will split. Keep following the blue trail markers, not the red ones. Continue up the hill through the woods and come to a clearing. Remain on the path going back into the woods and immediately you will pass a man high boulder on the left. Go to the far side of the boulder. The box you seek is straight North in a split tree, resting in the cranny. Please cover again with leaves and twigs after you have stamped in. The round trip will be about a half mile.

This would be a very easy letterbox to find. Many, even without more cryptic clues, require you do considerably more traveling to reach your objective.

Letterboxing Supplies

It's easy to get started letterboxing. All you need are a few items:

• Pick a trail name. You don't ever want to leave personally identifiable information where anyone can find it- and possibly you.
• Make a stamp from an eraser or kit, or find a commercial stamp that is personally meaningful. Both sites mentioned in this article have information on making your own stamp, and links to more expert directions for those who end up wanting to make themselves an intricate stamp.
• Get yourself an ink pad from an art store, along with a sketchbook to be your logbook. Eventually, you may want to get a hardbound sketchbook, as it will hold up to travel better. Bring along a pencil or pen.
• You will also want to have a compass. One designed for orienteering will work. Don't buy the cheapest kid's model. Some clues involve a lot of compass directions, and you wont want to be off by a few degrees when you start counting your paces.

Now that you know what supplies are needed, continue on to the next page to find out how to start letterboxing.

Letterboxing: Interested in Geocaching and Don't Have a GPS Yet? Get a Rubber Stamp!

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