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Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Apr 16, 2011 5:53am
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I am new to this board so forgive if my question is redundant.

Has anybody ever had a hitch hiker returned after it has been set free in the wild?

When I was new to this LB game I found a few HH and replanted them in another box and notified the originator as per SOP. I then got into making them myself and set 7 of them free, with postage hidden under the last page of the log and instructions on the last page for the last finder to look under the covering on the last page. There they would find instructions on how to contact me and also enough postage stamps to mail the log and stamp back to me. My Log book contained about 15 pages for stamping. That was about 5 years ago and I have never received any of them back. I did get notification on their whereabouts for a short period of time but then nothing more in the past 3 years. (one did make it to Maui). Have any of you all fared better?
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600005 by Safari Man
Apr 16, 2011 6:11am
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I launched 3 in my very early days and on rare occasion hear on one of them. These days I ignore them if I find them and I plant in small boxes so "hopefully" don't have any left there. Though, recently someone put a baggie on the outside of one of my boxes and left a HH in the bag with my box. I was with the next finder who fortunately for me and the HH took HH and Baggie with them.
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600005 by Safari Man
Apr 16, 2011 6:46am
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My very first carve was a hitchhiker (part of my Mother's Admonitions series). Last year, a finder sent the logbook to me because the stamp was missing!
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600005 by Safari Man
Apr 16, 2011 9:12am
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I am new to this board

Who are you, and does Safari Man know you're using his account? 8))

Out of twenty five traditional plants, I have lost five stamps. It's the other way around for my fleas and hitchhikers, out of a dozen only three have had finds logged in the last fifteen months.

Your experience here seems typical to me.
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600005 by Safari Man
Apr 16, 2011 10:00am
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I launched my very first one within a month or two of getting restarted in 08 and I never heard anything from it so while visiting the park I left in, I had Jerry go look for the box and found that it had many visitors after we left it. not sure who has it or where it ended up never got a report on it.

I have launched a couple more since then but haven't heard from them yet.

GG
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600005 by Safari Man
Apr 16, 2011 10:06am
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I released 4 rather large HH's in the beginning of my career and one logbook was returned to me from the east coast sans stamp. I consider it a big bonus. Never expected to see them again. I haven't released any more.

I just realized today is a VERY IMPORTANT DAY - My first find was April 16, 2004! A mystery box with Hot Potato HH. Too bad the weather is not cooperating or we would be out on my 7th Anniversary. Maybe tomorrow?
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600058 by speedsquare
Apr 16, 2011 11:08am
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have found a few and have moved them along. I find it sad and frustrating when I find a HH and yet can find NO 'clues' or contact anywhere....I would love to be able to contact the placers. My saddest one was a 'Bow' HH found at a racetrack in California about 5 years ago. It belonged to a family that had been avid LBers but they lost a family member and were no longer boxing or contacting people. I really wanted to be able to return it to them.(it was full and damaged) No one was able to give me their contact. So we just added pages and reset it out in the wild. I have also planted a couple and same thing...heard about them for the first year and then nothing...
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600005 by Safari Man
Apr 16, 2011 12:47pm
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I have had 3 returned over the years. I hid postage in 2 of them in the back of the logbook, and reimbursed the 3rd after they sent me the logbook. It's always fun to see where an HH has been.
Waterbird
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600005 by Safari Man
Apr 16, 2011 4:42pm
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I think its sad when people don't take a HH as seriously as a traditional box. The carvers put just as much thought and effor into a HH as anything else. ALL LBers should treat HH with respect and move them along, I know I do!
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600139 by EverAfter83
Apr 16, 2011 10:34pm
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HH are always such a joy to find. I ALWAYS log them and pass them along as I find them. To find them in boxes is always so much fun!! :D
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600139 by EverAfter83
Apr 16, 2011 10:41pm
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The carvers put just as much thought and effor into a HH as anything else.

Perhaps the carver did, but the planter's haven't. I do agree that all letterboxers should treat HH with respect, and I've planted hitchhikers, but I didn't have to put any thought at all in planting it. The stamp carvings are just as good as the ones I planted as traditional boxes, but overall, I put a lot less thought and effort into the hitchhikers.

-- Ryan
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600190 by KnottyKnitterDirtMonkey
Apr 16, 2011 11:48pm
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Someone just today, well, yesterday, now, logged my HH in Seneca, OH, yea!!!! It's been hanging out in Ohio for a while now. Launched it last year... fun to hear of its travels.
I planted an HH in a postal in Feb of last year and heard from it up until June of last year, then nothing more...

You always hope for the best for these little boxes, and are usually thrilled to hear about them.

Wonder what the oldest HH would be and if its still going strong...guess no way of knowing that.
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600193 by Okie Dog
Apr 17, 2011 3:19am
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When I originally posted my question
Has anyone ever had a HH retured to them after a period of time in the wild?

I never got an answer of yes. I always wanted to have one returned so I could see who all had stamped in and where all it had been. It never happend out of the 7 I released......and because of this I lost interest in them. Plus the fact that they used to be few and far between and now they are a dime a dozen....some good and some with little thought put into them. Any "Yes I had one returned" answers and if so how many places had it been and how long in the field?
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600196 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 4:02am
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We found a hitchhiker called Hobo Hitchhiker by Kurious Jo (Slo Mo) in late March here in CT. It was planted in July, 05 in the Seattle area. It was in great shape. Interesting travels after nearly 6 years on the road. After we logged it she contacted us to have it back. So we sent it home. Maybe she will see this post and give her "Yes, I had one returned" story.
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600201 by Celtic Roots
Apr 17, 2011 4:58am
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Great Story. I am glad to hear of one returned so that the planter will get to enjoy what I never did.
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600196 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 5:20am
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In our family we only planted 2 HHs and 1 returned after a cross country journey. So our ratio is 50%. (I realize statistically that is not a big enough sample space. :-))

http://www.atlasquest.com/boxes/finddetails.html?gSeriesId=65027

My daughter, croo's, HH went from MA to WA to the Disney area of Florida(!) to a journey up and down the east coast before some nice sole sent it back to us.

:-)
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600208 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 5:29am
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It would be great if she responds to the post. But if you sneak a peak at her HH plants for Hobo. You'll see a small part of it's travels. You would think the Hobo was stuck in New England for years. AS I recall...not even close! Maybe "we" log our HH finds more than other areas of the country. Just a thought.
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600196 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 6:06am
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I have a couple of HH out there and I hear from some of them every so often. But I haven't had any returned to me yet. I'm still waiting and hoping. I do know that one went all the way to Canada and then I lost touch with it. It's too bad, because that one was nicely done. It was the Dead Gerbil of Naugautuck HH that I made a nice logbook and the Gerbil was packaged in a little matchbox. Oh well. I hope that comes back or returns on the scene again. Another one that I would like to pop up again is the Heaven Cent HH.

Sally-O
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600212 by roo
Apr 17, 2011 8:38am
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Hey, thats a great journey and like a lost dog, found its way home.
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600208 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 11:45am
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I had my hands on a HH with a full logbook, contacted the placer. offered to send it home, or replace logbook and send full book home. she asked me to add a second logbook and send it on its way with both books...

had she wanted it back, it would have gone home.

not sure if you would count this as a success or not.

romana
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600005 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 1:51pm
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Has anybody ever had a hitch hiker returned after it has been set free in the wild?

I just had someone offer to mail me my hitchhiker with the full logbook. I asked him if he would mind scanning/photographing the pages instead. Saves on postage. I asked him to keep the full logbook if he wanted to.

He photographed the pages of the logbook :) and sent the images AND he's going to make a new logbook and send the HH on its way again. How great is that?! :)

I have 13 HHs. 8 of them have been logged in the past year. I've been pretty lucky, not sure why though, but I'm happy with the results.
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600282 by Romana
Apr 17, 2011 2:12pm
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not sure if you would count this as a success or not.

It sounds like a success story to me (never happened to me) and at least you were not asked to photograph all 100 pages of the log and send it to the planter, like the post below yours. ;O) (100 pages being an exaggeration of course)
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600095 by Waterbird
Apr 17, 2011 2:22pm
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Waterbird, interesting coincidence--just yesterday I was paging through a logbook from a box that you visited back in December of '06 and stamped one of my HH (Bass Bottle Cap) into! (The HH wasn't listed anywhere back then.)

Sheba
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600196 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 2:37pm
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I returned one (Woo-Hoo, What a Ride!) to MissMoon a couple of years ago.

Sheba

(OK, I just checked logbooks, it was the end of '05. "A couple of years ago." How time flies....)
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600305 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 4:16pm
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at least you were not asked to photograph all 100 pages of the log and send it to the planter, like the post below yours. ;O) (100 pages being an exaggeration of course)

It was 12 pages ;)

I did offer to send him my mailing address in Canada if he preferred snail mail. I just thought the electronic option would be faster and cheaper and hopefully more convenient for him then having to go the post office for international postage. :)

I like the idea of tucking postage into the back of the logbook, but being in Canada I'd be leaving Canadian postage stamps. The HH would likely end up in the U.S. where Canadian postage can't be used.
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600196 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 4:46pm
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I've only released a few HHs and found many that I always gladly send on their way. I always thought of them as just a bonus surprise for a finder. I never thought, until this thread, about someone ever wanting them returned. I don't really get the point in that. I would hope my HHs keep traveling indefinitely, and if a logbook is full, someone will add a new one. To have them returned would be like removing one of my traditional boxes just because the logbook is full. I'll just add another and hope it remains for others to find for years to come.

Kelsung
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600139 by EverAfter83
Apr 17, 2011 5:04pm
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I love finding HH's. It's more work logging them, etc but just such a bonus. Love it
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600191 by Green Tortuga
Apr 17, 2011 5:06pm
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I try to replant them where someone will find them sooner and send them on their way..hopefully
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600358 by Kelsung
Apr 17, 2011 5:40pm
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Hi Kelsung,
It's just that I would like to see the logbook and know that the HH is okay. And then send it on it's way again. Sometimes, they just "disappear" from the face of the earth, and that's sad when it happens.

Sally-O
Re: Hitch Hikers
Board: Stupider Questions About Letterboxing
Reply to: #600196 by Safari Man
Apr 17, 2011 6:47pm
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Has anyone ever had a HH retured to them after a period of time in the wild?

Yes, Glenn, I have had a HH returned to me when the logbook was full. It was returned by Woody Clowns. I made a new logbook and sent it back out and have not heard from it since.

I have also sent two HH's back to their owners when the logbook was full. One was to a man down in your part of the state, Big Guy.

So, it does happen, although not frequently. -Rose