I'm going to live vicariously through others because I haven't found any letterboxes yet this year, and I haven't any plans for planting any this weekend.

So, have you found and/or planted any letterboxes so far this year? Do you have any plans to do so this first weekend of the new year? Please make your experience as interesting as possible even if you have to use hyperbole or puffery. Let's see how fun you can make your experience.

I planted a pair on New Year's Day morning. I was hiking in New England in a short-sleeve T-shirt and I was hot. Crazy. There was a high wind advisory, and normally I don't voluntarily walk around under rotting trees in those conditions, but it seemed like the entire population of Connecticut was bolting from their homes and tramping through the great outdoors, and I didn't want to be the wussy one.

One of the stamps is for Saugatuck, Michigan, just because I saw an AQ event listed "Serial Killer in Saugatuck" right as I was hiking the Saugatuck Trail in CT, which struck me funny. I didn't even know there was a Saugatuck in Michigan, and it's such a unique name that I looked it up. It's from the Paugussett Indians of CT and means "Mouth of the River." So I planted a stamp for Saugatuck MI on the Saugatuck Trail in CT. Because why not?

I'm going to be tromping around the woods tomorrow, but it's not going to be for finding boxes. I'll be finding orange and white flag with a punch. Orienteeting meet with scouts. And with all the rain we've had, it will be a soggy tromping. Should be interesting.

There was a high wind advisory, and normally I don't voluntarily walk around under rotting trees in those conditions

Tessie, my deaf friend and I were walking in the woods that day, looking for wildlife, until I heard the crashing sound of several large branches falling. I told him that we needed to head to a field! Then I saw a large branch fall near me when I was birding in a cemetery later that day. Scary.

I made a few dozen logbooks a few weeks ago, in preparation for a wildly embbarassing planting binge-o-rama this year, as I am now living in a new place and there is some uncharted territory to be explored! However, sadly, I have been scheduled to work all weekend so my planting will have to occur another time....but soon!!

I found one of W&P's boxes on New Year's Eve, but I haven't done any boxing since then. Maybe I'll go out on Sunday, depending on how I'm feeling (I just did a shot of NyQuil and will hopefully pass out shortly).

A surprise Happy New Year's box was planted on January 1st, a mile from our house, in a park we are very familiar with. Having January 2nd off, my son and I walked the dog to the park on a crisp but beautiful morning and found the box, offering a small suggestion for clue clarification to the planter. The box was big enough to plant a HH in it that had last been found in 2006 by a letterboxer who was murdered a number of years ago. Getting the HH out in circulation again feels like a chance to honor her memory by getting her siggy out there for 2019.

Plans to plant more boxes and collaborate with people for events and other boxes are definitely a goal for 2019 for us too!

Jeff

There was a Minnesota heat wave today (sunny and 44 degrees) so of course I had to go boxing! Picked up a few drive-bys on the way to our destination , and enjoyed a short walk to find a box under a bridge (it was a troll stamp....) Then we followed some more clues down a long driveway to a backyard gazebo that contained a Christmas tree lavishly decorated with SIXTEEN letterboxes! Total count for the day = 20 . Distance walked = about 1/2 mile. Finished the day with lunch and ice cream at Culvers (butter pecan with hot fudge - YUM!)

I boxed on new years day! Found 17, planted 4! More to come... I have to meet some people tomorrow afternoon and I'm currently looking to see if there are boxes nearby / if there's a place I can leave one near by :)

We planted 4 boxes on New Years Day. It's not super exciting but while we were out we started work on some GeoArt hybrids. There is a big Batman symbol made of hybrids not far from me. We looked for 28 (of the 56) and found 26. Unfortunately, only 6 of the 26 still had their stamps :(
A letterboxer planted 2 boxes on New Years Day and tomorrow I plan to get them and finish the GeoArt Batman.

I didn't even know there was a Saugatuck in Michigan, and it's such a unique name that I looked it up. It's from the Paugussett Indians of CT and means "Mouth of the River."

And I didn't know there was a Saugatuck in CT! You got me curious, so now I know that the Michigan Saugatuck was originally called Kalamazoo until the real Kalamazoo got incorporated with that name so the Saugatuck Kalamazoo had to find a different one. It went by Newark until changing to Saugatuck.

Interestingly, my sources agree that Saugatuck means "Mouth of the River," but they claim it's from a Potawatomi (indigenous to Michigan) word. Hmmm.

New Years day weather in New England was such a gift how could anyone not be outside. I did a 6 box series with 100% success. So enjoyed breathing cool winter air and hearing the crunching of the trails. Yest. afternoon wasn't bad either. Took advantage again. Oh; it is soooo nice to not be working anymore and can hit the trails whenever opportunity arises.

No car so no Letterboxing yet this year, should have it back by Monday, then it’s a 40 box series on Friday. As for planting I have over enough Scooby villains carved to cover the 14 sites TBA for this years Sky challenge.

I haven't found or planted any yet this year but I leave for a family ski trip tomorrow morning. We are driving from central Texas to Santa Fe, NM and I plan to plant three boxes along the way and also look for a few in counties I haven't boxed in yet. I am working on an All County Challenge to place or find boxes and caches in every county of the country.

County Challenge

At this moment, I have found 30 boxes since January 1 and planted 16. We headed to our home in sunny Florida last week so I am making the best of my time here in the beautiful weather!

Alas, 2019 is rapidly approaching a decade of days old and I sit despondent as my PFX count has not budged even a fraction of a smidge since the prior year....how can I call myself a boxer with such pitiful performance?

I could claim that I have been slaving away during the meager daylight hours, and that we have been experiencing monsoons nearly every moment of this year, but those are pitiful excuses...I have rain boots and an umbrella and a flashlight....I should be out at midnight despite the cold, pouring rains, insuring all the boxes in my area are safe and sound....

But wait, it is not too late! Tomorrow is another day! I can--I will--venture forth and discover hidden treasures despite the mud and mire. I shall redeem myself!

and planted 16

Squeal!
2 down, 14 to go....
This is better than Christmas morning!!!

I am working on an All County Challenge to place or find boxes and caches in every county of the country.

There are 3,142 counties (or equivalent) in the United States. Good luck on completing this challenge!

I'm about a 1/0 of the way there after two years and I retire in 16 months so I think I have a good chance of....having a lot of fun trying!

Haven't found any since the calendar turned January, but we did attend a drop-in event over the course of New Years Eve weekend and got tons then! The past few days I've been carving some future plants and working on a group of interactive LTCs.

Interestingly, my sources agree that Saugatuck means "Mouth of the River," but they claim it's from a Potawatomi (indigenous to Michigan) word. Hmmm.

The Town of Westport, CT was called Saugatuck from 1640 to 1835. I've seen maps from the 1630s that show Saugatuck in CT. A lot of Connecticut farmers moved west in the 1800s after the Erie Canal opened because the land was so much better, and they took their place names with them. In the same way that so many Connecticut names are from England.

Found 4 on December 31st. Then since New Years Day we have found 18 and planted one. Days and days of cool wet weather I think is what got us out of the house some. Plus we had off work this first week of the New Year.
Today we boxed and the sun was shinning!!
Safe boxing to all...

No finds or plants for me yet. I started 2019 with an explosion of carving! I've carved 23 stamps this week and have 10 more to wrap up tomorrow. I hope to do some actual planting in the next two weeks!

I'm working with a new carving medium that is firmer than pink stuff - so more pressure needed... resulting in my second serious carving wound (and fifth overall letterboxing related injury in ten years of this aggressive sport). I gouged the crap out of a finger tip... no stitches, just a band-aid and ton of whimpering. Luckily (?) it was a brand new blade, so I don't think I'll need a tetanus booster...

Who knew letterboxing would be so dangerous?!

Interestingly, my sources agree that Saugatuck means "Mouth of the River," but they claim it's from a Potawatomi (indigenous to Michigan) word.

The Algonquians live(d) in both Michigan and Connecticut areas. They speak Algonquian languages, so they may very well mean the same thing.

The Wikipedia article on Saugatuck, Connecticut says about the neighborhood of Saugatuck, "Saugatuck originates from the Paugussett tribe meaning mouth of the tidal river." The Wikipedia article on Saugatuck, Michigan does not give an origin for the name.

Just got back from a last second funtrip with my daughter and her friend to Reno. While making the requisite visit to The Spy Shop (because how could one NOT go to a place called The Spy Shop?), a quick check on ClueTracker showed a letterbox nearby. So, off we went. The look of astonished joy on my daughters' friend's face on finding her first letterbox was worth the trip. However... we soon realized I had left all my boxing stuff in my suitcase at the hotel! Not to be daunted, I figured we would at least sign in the logbook.

As one would expect, a thorough search of the car came up with not a SINGLE writing implement! No pens, pencils, chalk, crayons, markers, or quills. At this point, as I was contemplating biting the tip off one of my less important fingers, daughter's friend said "I have some makeup, will that work?"

So, if you are in Reno and come across a logbook with 3 Sephora Foundation roughly-thumb-shaped smudges... that's us!

This girl is gonna make a great letterboxer.

A mere paper cut usually suffices ;)

As one would expect, a thorough search of the car came up with not a SINGLE writing implement! No pens, pencils, chalk, crayons, markers, or quills.

This girl is gonna make a great letterboxer.

Well, if you consider a GREAT LETTERBOXER sometimes forgets ALL of their letterboxing stuff, including something to write with, then YES! ;-)