How Did You Get Involved in Letterboxing:
Lucy: I had seen the 1998 Smithsonian article about letterboxing on the moors in England, and it struck me as something I'd really love to do if I ever got over there again. Then, 3 or 4 months ago, a letterboxing webmaster from Virginia posted something on Walklist about Letterboxing North America ( LbNA), and posted the web site address. I visited the site, and within a couple of weeks had bought a handmade leather-bound logbook, and had an artist friend design a personal stamp for me. I found my first box the second week of June, right before I left for the American Volkssport Association convention.
Gary: I read a post on the Walklist several months ago and it listed a Web site www.letterboxing.org and when I visited it gave me basic information and a map showing letterboxes all over the US and when I clicked on Oregon, I found that we had a lot of boxes planted here. When I looked at the clues I found that quite a few in the local area were in the form of cryptograms and other secret messages. Before even starting out to look for the boxes, I had to solve the puzzles.
What Attracted You to Letterboxing?
Lucy: Ever since I was a little kid (from a very large family), I have loved the idea of secret treasures, map-making, and having something that's all my own. Collecting these stamps is fun, and I don't have to frame them or dust them. And so far, the letterboxing I've done puts me out in the woods more than volkswalking does. I'm a very sociable person, but I love to be out in the woods with just one other person or my dog.
Gary: Letterboxing opened up some new areas to explore, and the puzzle and search challenge added a new dimension to my walking.
Gary and Lucy's Excellent Letterboxing Adventures
Gary: When I first started, three of the early pioneers of letterboxing in the Northwest had set up a booth at an Earth Day event in Beaverton. They had planted about 7 boxes on a wetlands trail, with clues ranging from easy to difficult. These clues were printed out and given to all who wanted to participate along with a blank "scratch board" stamp that could be carved with a pencil. Everyone was then not only to find a box and obtain a stamp, but to leave their own personalized stamp in the book for others to view. I have since gone back to the park and left my regular stamp in both the boxes I had already found, as well as the ones I had missed.
Lucy:
So far my favorite letterboxing adventure just happens to have been during the AVA convention in Washington State. There was a 10k and 5k walk at Point Defiance near Tacoma, and because I had to hurry back to the convention center to set up the SE Region booth, (and because I'd left my compass in the car!), I decided to do the 5k, then look for the letterbox. The beginning of the letterbox clues happened to be at the 10k checkpoint, and I thought I saw some folks there giving me that "oh, she DRIVES to the checkpoint!" look...but I headed into the woods. I crossed paths several times with walkers, but with the clues and compass headings, found myself off in a beautiful spot, and found the box with no problem. It was the first time I'd used a compass by myself, and I was very pleased that I could do it!
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