Posted in Just for Fun

We are always on the lookout for fun family activities, especially those that use our brains and require little ca$h.  I found a website with a really cool activity for the whole family; better than a message in a bottle.  Are you ready for a Treasure Hunt?  Prepare for Letterboxing and get ready for some family FUN!

A basic description of letterboxing can be found on the Letterboxing Info website. Here is the intro article.

What is Letterboxing?

06/19/2002
by Silent Doug

Letterboxing is growing hobby that combines elements of hiking, treasure hunting and creative expression into an activity that the whole family can enjoy. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by following clues that are posted on the Internet (see the Web sites listed below), and then record their discovery in their personal journal with the help of a rubber stamp that's part of the letterbox. In addition, letterboxers have their own personal stamps which they use to stamp into the letterbox's log book.

According to legend, letterboxing began in southwestern England in the mid-1800s when a Victorian gentleman hid his calling card in a bottle. Today, the nearby area is the Dartmoor National Park, and there are several thousand letterboxes hidden there! (As a result, Dartmoor is akin to the Holy Grail for American letterboxers.)

The hobby came to the U.S. in 1998, following the publication of an article in Smithsonian magazine about Dartmoor. Soon, a loose confederation of letterboxers began to plant boxes in the U.S., using the Internet to exchange information and clues. Letterboxing North America is host to a web site and discussion list where new clues are posted nearly daily! (See the letterboxing links for more details.)

More letterboxing links. 

Atlas Quest

The Letterboxer's Companion

Letterboxing North America-USA

Letterboxing 101

This sounds like so much fun, our family is heading out this weekend to get our box supplies, as we have already picked a few places to go hunting! 

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