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Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Nov 1, 2009 5:57am
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If you search for a LB and come up empty. Then you click on the profile of the planter and they haven't been on the site in a while. So your chances of getting any clarification help are slim. Can you then ask the last letterboxer that found that LB for help?? Sometimes someone else might know where you went wrong since land marks change or sometimes clues are hard to follow. I was just wondering, or is that considered a no no or something.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457049 by koalacat
Nov 1, 2009 6:14am
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Another was a few months ago about how a clue was coded.

You emailed the last finder to ask about solving a mystery box? I've had people do that to me. I won't help them to solve someone else's mystery. They don't usually like that, but it's not my mystery to give away.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457047 by PunkSoulBrother
Nov 1, 2009 9:14am
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Simple answer, no. It is bad form.

You are welcome to ask the planter for help, and they may or may not oblige you, but you should not ask those who have found the box for help unless you are willing to get them drunk first.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457062 by koalacat
Nov 1, 2009 9:57am
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Encrypted clues sounds like a mystery box to me.

Just as a p.s., finders on mystery boxes are not always undisclosed. That's an option that's up to the planter.

MM
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457047 by PunkSoulBrother
Nov 1, 2009 10:03am
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sometimes clues are hard to follow

Sometimes clues are supposed to be hard to follow.

MM
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457085 by Cyclonic
Nov 1, 2009 11:56am
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So are you saying it's not rude to get you drunk to get your clues?
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457047 by PunkSoulBrother
Nov 1, 2009 12:22pm
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This is what I did when I had trouble: I asked the last finder if he was willing to help (with a yes or no answer only) if I told him what I had done to find the box; if I was on the right track. He said yes he was willing to help. I then described in detail my steps to locate the box and he replied that I was indeed on the right track. So, I can go back another day and give it another try. :) That way the last finder can decide to help you or not.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457095 by MissMoon
Nov 1, 2009 4:39pm
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It is never bad taste to ask the planter for help. (Whether you get any help from the planter is another story- especially in the case of a mystery box.) It is always bad taste to ask someone else.

Of course, while in bad taste, sometimes it can be very helpful to ask someone else. The risk of acting in bad taste for the possibility to get to an interesting box is sometimes worth while. But in order for the asking to be successful and not be deemed as overtly bad taste, the asker must first establish a good rapport with the askee and a significant level of trust with the askee. If there is not a good rapport or a good level of trust, then it just makes for bad relations all around.

I have been asked to assist with clues to boxes not belonging to me. In some cases, I knew the boxers well enough to know that they had a modicum of decorum and would not go blabbing about secrets meant to be figured out independently and not to be passed along. In these cases, I would try to give only the very slightest of hints to nudge them on in the right direction. In other cases, I did not know the boxer at all or did not know them well enough to feel comfortable in assisting them beyond encouraging them to think outside the box, so to speak, and try and figure things out on their own.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457113 by Colorful Caterpillars
Nov 1, 2009 4:40pm
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I asked the last finder if he was willing to help

So you didn't want the planter to know you had help.

MM
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457193 by MissMoon
Nov 1, 2009 5:28pm
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So you didn't want the planter to know you had help

I think the original post referred to the planter not logging into AQ for a while........."Now what do I do?" (My paraphrasing in quotes)
Y~K b
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457216 by Yak King blues
Nov 1, 2009 5:47pm
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Msg 457113 by Colorful Caterpillars

If you'll take another look, you'll see I was replying to a post by the above person, not the original post. I wasn't talking about anything said in the original post. I was talking about that person (Colorful Caterpillars) asking for help from the last finder as something they normally do when they have problems with a clue.

MM
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457244 by koalacat
Nov 1, 2009 7:24pm
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Nope, it was listed by city and it wasn't listed under mystery.

That means nothing. If the specific STARTING LOCATION is not SPELLED OUT, then it is a mystery, whether someone checked that box or not. If they give a city, and the clues are encrypted - it is a mystery clue, and should be treated as such.

Don't let "official definitions" get in the way of common sense.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457252 by wassamatta u
Nov 2, 2009 4:18am
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Yes I did know the location too.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457049 by koalacat
Nov 2, 2009 4:33am
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(Another was a few months ago about how a clue was coded.)

I was reading your response to my question and was wondering what you meant by coded. There are coded clues???

I emailed the owner of the LB I went after for another clue and I got a we will check on it sometime in the next month. That was better then no response at all. Like I usually receive. The truth is all I wanted to know was how far the box was from a cactus. 10 feet... 100 feet.... 60 feet. The original clue stated behind and above the cactus. After not finding it I didn't think that was asking to much of a giveaway since it was a paying area and it is a 6 mile hike. That's why I was thinking of asking the last person that found it how far it was from that cactus so the next time I decide to drive 60 miles away from home(one way) and pay $5 bucks to go in the area, plus not to mention do a 6 mile hike I would be better prepared.

Plus around here (Arizona) boxes seem to disappear and never get fixed. I have gone after about 100 boxes now and 18 of them just aren't there. Some boxes have 10 people over 2 years that didn't find it, yet there it is, still active no need for repairs. That's almost an average of 1 in 5 boxes that never get repaired or retired or whatever. I am starting to think if a box hasn't been found in over a year...Don't bother looking for it. I really like hunting them down though... and usually give in and go after it.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457301 by PunkSoulBrother
Nov 2, 2009 5:05am
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There are coded clues???

Bwhahahaha.
Yes, there are.
(Just had someone ask for a hint about my "52 Pickup" box. I gave them a number of helpful suggestions, in my best mapsurferian manner....)

The truth is all I wanted to know was how far the box was from a cactus. 10 feet... 100 feet.... 60 feet. The original clue stated behind and above the cactus.

If it were my clue, that would mean right behind the cactus (all right, behind the tree or rock or whatever, not much cactus in DE). I wouldn't think in terms of feet....

After not finding it I didn't think that was asking to much of a giveaway since it was a paying area and it is a 6 mile hike. That's why I was thinking of asking the last person that found it how far it was from that cactus so the next time I decide to drive 60 miles away from home(one way) and pay $5 bucks to go in the area, plus not to mention do a 6 mile hike I would be better prepared.

Yeah, that's actually the kind of thing you could ask someone, after you'd attempted it on your own.... they might still feel they shouldn't tell you, of course, depends of the person. But yeah, that seems like common sense to me....

Sheba
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457301 by PunkSoulBrother
Nov 2, 2009 6:59am
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around here (Arizona)

behind and above the cactus

now I'm wondering which box this is. six mile hike, 60 mile drive, fee area.... I'm thinking white tanks park??

romana
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457301 by PunkSoulBrother
Nov 2, 2009 10:25pm
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The box he refers to is the Black Mesa letterbox in the Superstition Wilderness and I planted that one in February of 2003. I apologize to you, Punk Soul Brother, if the clues are a bit vague. It is never my direct intention for people to not be able to find the boxes I plant although I do sometimes make it challenging on purpose. This one is not that kind.

It is a somewhat difficult location to get to and that is a big part of the beauty of this particular box. A scramble up a hillside choked with jumping cholla with no real trail to get you there, just pure desert wilderness. The hiding spots for boxes there are abundant but to make the box stay hidden, some care had to be taken to find a really good spot. Since I reside in Washington State I have not had the pleasure of visiting this box in over 4 years myself to verify its existence or condition. I always hope that my boxes stay intact but far flung boxes have a mysterious way of disappearing sometimes. Should boxers stop placing while visiting distant locales just because they cannot do regular maintenance on them? I hope not.

Again, I am sorry it was difficult to pinpoint the location. However, I will not apologize for unique experience you had in the process of seeking it. The hike and the location are well worth the $5 fee and the 6 mile hike in IMHO. And to be there at night time- I envy you that experience especially. At the risk of sounding rude, I hope that everyone who seeks my boxes enjoys the chase and the experience more than the actual find. P counts are not everything.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457318 by JerseyTrailblazers
Nov 2, 2009 10:26pm
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Perhaps the Bw and the ha's are codes in themselves, hmmm?
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457627 by Nailhead
Nov 3, 2009 9:22am
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I think most of my boxes are actually pretty easy to find. With some of them, though, you're not going to understand the clues until you get there. I have found that some boxers simply cannot handle such things; they wanna look everything up online and plan out their hunts using MapQuest or something. They'll ask me for hints on boxes that definitely don't need hints, just go there and you'll figure it out, but they're trying to understand the clues using Google rather than shoe leather.

Of course, I just say "Sorry, no hints!" I get the impression, though, that some of these folks just skip these boxes, declaring to themselves that they are simply too puzzling for them.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457771 by Kirbert
Nov 4, 2009 9:17am
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With some of them, though, you're not going to understand the clues until you get there.

I always assume something like this. The ones that gripe me are the boxes where the clues sound very straightforward until you get there. I have several times looked for a box where the clue said "Find the {distinctive sounding landmark}", only to get there and find a gazillion things that match the distinctive sounding landmark.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #458239 by 55 Steps
Nov 4, 2009 12:04pm
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directions in the woods are often like that especially fallen trees.
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457771 by Kirbert
Nov 5, 2009 5:29am
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With some of them, though, you're not going to understand the clues until you get there.

These are the best kinds of boxes. On one LBing expedition, the clues stated to take a "leap of faith" and along the trail, I kept wondering, "Is this the leap? Or is that it over there?" Once I found the actual leap of faith, there was no question in my mind. It gave an enormous sense of satisfaction and also gave me a link to the planter like no other. At that moment when you know without question that you are on the right track, you feel like the planter is right next to you on that trail saying, "See why I brought you here?"
Re: Clues... and possible help
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #457771 by Kirbert
Nov 7, 2009 10:26am
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I have some like that myself, that you won't know until you come face to face with it and go aha! You are right, you cannot look everything up on google and just need to take a chance and head there... However, some things need a good google. Like on a place to start and it's a mystery!