My older brother took an art class and learned stamp carving and keeps telling me I need to get a real stamp carving tool.  Can you help me discover what this tool is and where I can find it?

He's probably talking about a took like the SpeedBall cutters. Check out the Stamp Carving Tools in the stamp carving tutorial. =)

-- Ryan

In case you hadn't noticed, I just wanted to applaud Mooky & Dipper for being noticed by Mark and Sue Pepe on their high point series!  It is a way cool idea.

Amyrica

It's:

http://alum.wpi.edu/~p_miner/travelers.html

Maine Mom of 123 Family

Only the owners of geocaches can "list" them on www.geocaching.com as they need to get approval from the geocaching approvers. As someone said, more than likely there is a geocache close by. It was probably planted there not knowing your letterbox was near it. I try to check before planting that no geocaches are anywhere near where I hope to plant a box. I just checked on one of my boxes and since I put it there, a cache must have been approved to be put near it. Fortunatly, the box is so small that there is no way they can fit any trade items into it. true indigo

I know that either Glad or Ziploc has come out with a new twist on top peanut butter style container in their disposableline of products.  When I saw it I thought it looked like it would be great. 

How about using mason jars????  Anyone tried them?

jen

What do you guys do when you find that your box is being used for geocaches?

That happened to one of ours recently when a geocache was placed within 25 feet of one of our letterboxes.  This was a first placement by the geocacher, and the directions were particularly unclear (it was interesting because it was one of my son's classmates who placed it, thinking it would be good for them to practice their map directions, something they were studying in school). 

One thing I did do was go on the geocaching website and log my find of the gc and in the comments section try to make it clear that the gc container was a completely different color from the letterbox, etc..  Still, we were finding casino tokens and other trinkets in the box.  No one took the stamp though.  Luckily for us, the cache placer got flamed by the gc community for not "doing it right" and archived the cache after a short while.

Their accidental find led several area gcachers to become more aware of letterboxing.  For about a month, there were geocachers running around finding lots of letterboxes in the area, but they seem to have lost interest. 

DB

 I just got a post from someone letting me know they got my HH.  I was so happy to hear about it.  However, they said it has a parasite.  What is that??

jen

Ref: Mason Jars

I found a bunch of letterboxes in Bowie, MD several years back that were tiny Mason jelly/jam jars.  They did fine and were watertight--despite a driving torrential downpour we endured while stamping in.

dvn2r ckr

I found a bunch of letterboxes in Bowie, MD several years back that were tiny Mason jelly/jam jars.  They did fine and were watertight

I am interested in experimenting with containers.  What are other clever containers that were airtight that people have found?  I have a great plastic mason-jar type that I am going to use for Bug Catcher.

DB

We picked up a HH that was in a small "altoids" type tin.  It is actually a doggie breath mint tin, but then again the HH was "Scooter goies camping", for those who don't know, Scooter is the cutest litte bishon frisse(sorry about the spelling) that loves to letterbox!!

jen

I wouldn't quite use the term 'hijacking' as that has a much more sinister connotation to it but I have had some instances of letterbox/GC cross-pollination occur over the past couple of years. 

I've had dozens of letterboxes we've planted over the year discovered by geocachers.  Most times the geocachers just log in, say they found the letterbox while geocaching and carefully return it to its intended hiding spot.  Occasionally some have no clue that they found a letterbox instead of a geocache and assume that they've found the geocache.  The first time it happened to one of our letterboxes, the entire letterbox ended up in a neighboring cache and bizarre references to it appeared in the GC online logbook. 

A couple of times I've received angry emails from folks who only realized that they hadn't found the geocache they were seeking until they returned home and went to log their geocaching find on the GC website and noticed other references to the letterbox in the GC online comments. 

What's odd is that I label my letterboxes all over--name, websites/email POCs, etc.  I even label the stamp as a letterbox stamp (after the first couple of 'wandering' stamps occurred).  Sometimes nothing helps.  On occasion I've had my stamps (especially in micro-letterboxes such as 35mm film canisters) walk away and I've found coins and polished glass/rocks in the stamp's place.  Frustrating when the boxes are 100s or 1,000s of miles from home (we've planted a bunch of LBs over the years) and maintenance trips aren't all that easy to coordinate/resource.

On one 'good result' occasion a stamp wandered away from one of our LBs in Tacoma.  A geocacher who only 'vaguely' knew about letterboxing found the stamp in a geocache some 100+ miles away and thought it looked like an 'odd' trade item.  She had the foresight to grab the stamp (labeled with the LBs name and letterboxing.org on it), do some research on it, post to the regional LB discussion board and we eventually coordinated a pickup so I could put the stamp back in the letterbox.  She's since dabbled in letterboxing a bit, as well. In fact, a few weeks ago I noticed one of her close GC friends have started planting 'hybrid' geocache/letterboxes around the area.  Interesting--in that the clues to them are only logged on the www.geocaching.com website stat www.letterboxing.org  Good though as it gives us a couple more options for letterboxing hunts.

On another interesting occasion, I've actually coordinated a 'hybrid' geocache/letterbox with a geocache owner.  We found the geocache and it was in such an interesting and unique spot that it just HAD to have a letterbox, so I coordinated with the planter to allow me to co-locate a LB in the geocache and it's been going strong ever since.  I made sure the LB contents' were well labelled so there wouldn't be any confusion.  I also left a really cool & valuable trade item (in excess of $20) so the GCers would think highly of letterboxers.

The best thing I can suggest is label it well--put letterboxing all over it (container, stamp, logbook, plastic bags, etc).  Sometimes I may even add comments in the letterboxing log as to specifically where the geocache is if I've found it myself--so I can do my part to help 'better steer' GCers to their caches.  After I plant a letterbox and then realize a GC has appeared in the neighborhood, I often go and rehide the letterbox in a new spot--aiming to find a spot at least 50m away from the geocache's spot (knowing full well this isn't always practical at times--it just cuts down on potential problems).

dvn2r ckr 

well-cleaned prescription med containers--small ones with tiny scroll logbooks and tiny stamps

those all black 3-D potato chip/doritos containers

I personally love VHS containers (I buy in surplus from Boeing Co) and Hershey's Cocoa Powder containers (the PERFECT letterbox container--unfortunately I don't use them up as quickly as I need them for boxing)

dvn2r ckr

As someone said, more than likely there is a geocache close by. It was probably planted there not knowing your letterbox was near it.

I've had this happen too.  A geocache has been planted quite near to my letterbox, and now that "hunting" season is heating up, my letterbox is filling up with geocache trinkets.  Luckily I know the geocache planter, and we are working together to educate all those misguided treasure hunters.  I've placed a new message on the top of my letterbox that says:

The Green Cathedral Letterbox

If you're looking for Down By Duncan Gardens, keep hunting, Baby!

Inside the letterbox is a short note explaining about letterboxing and copies of clues to the other letterboxes hidden in the park.  The geocacher is looking in to putting a link to the letterboxing website on her geocaching clue page.  It's only been a week or so, but so far so good.  I recommend contacting the geocache box placer (through the geocaching website) and at least let them know there is another treasure close by.

colls

Cool ...I'll have to check that out.

We've actually been highpointing for a while. We got MA. RI. ,and CT. this weekend, making it 24 total state highpoints. Now we need to revisit some highpoints so we can continue our series.

Enjoy, Blue Skies,

Mooky & Dipper

We got MA. RI. ,and CT. this weekend

We were in that neck of the woods this weekend too!  We were visiting my sister in southeastern CT and were happy to find our first 5 CT letterboxes.  :-)

Amyrica

I can attest to those Hershey's boxes. I found one of Bethany's boxes in one and it took FOREVER to find.. even though we were right on top of it.

Maiden

We got MA. RI. ,and CT. this weekend, making it 24 total state highpoints. Now we need to revisit some highpoints so we can continue our series.

What about the high points located in National Parks? Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five state highpoints that would be off limits.

-- Ryan, proud to have beaten you with a letterbox to the high point in Virginia. ;o)

Jen posted: We picked up a HH that was in a small "altoids" type tin.  It is actually a doggie breath mint tin, but then again the HH was "Scooter goes camping"

Scooter, the letterboxing Bichon Frise, found a HH at Stone Mountain Park last week called "Boldly Go Hitchhiking Letterbox Capsule". It was a 35mm film canister and was very, very well done.

Scooters Mom 

I love to experiment with different size and types of containers. So far I have used:

1)Tupperware that I spraypainted with green spray paint made for plastic

2) 3x 5 index card boxes (with snap tight lid)

3) Small, heavy duty cardboard boxes that I painted and then covered with Outside Mod Podge

4) Tins ( of various sizes)

5) mini suitcase

6) recipe card box

7) handmade wooden boxes covered in  layers of varnish

8) wooden birdhouse

Possibilities are endless!

Lock Wench

Oops..almost forgot! Just planted my very first letterBOOK. *grin*

Lock Wench

What about the high points located in National Parks? Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five state highpoints that would be off limits.

And unless they're very careful, the high point of NC won't keep a letterbox long. The rangers at Mt. Mitchell are most LB-unfriendly.

Knit Wit

Perhaps, a box could be placed at the Low Point (away from the ocean) just to get the point across in North Carolina.

Why would a national park be "off limits"?

Virginia's highest point was absolutely beautiful.  Did you see any ponies?

When it comes to "unfriendly" high points... We'll need to find the nearest friendly spots to plant LB's. We've already had to improvise with Rhode Island's privately owned highpoint.

Why would a national park be "off limits"?

The NPS isn't fond of letterboxes. *shrug*

Virginia's highest point was absolutely beautiful.  Did you see any ponies?

Absolutely! =) But you know, the actual highest point is rather anti-climatic. Just a bunch of trees around blocking the view....

-- Ryan

Yep, I was thinking that, too.  Texas and Washington's highest points are both NPS territory.  It'd definitely be interesting to try to plant those LBs--the one in WA would require year round crampons, ice picks and a can of deicer just to open the container once you're there.  ;)

dvn2r ckr

Texas and Washington's highest points are both NPS territory.

So is California, Alaska, and Tennessee. I'm not sure about Colorado, but I have a hunch it might be too. And while Maine's is not in a national park, I'd be completely shocked if they allowed it! They take "leave no trace" more seriously than even national parks to, which I think is commendable.

National parks are bad about building services for visitors which attracts more visitors and damages the environment they want to protect. Baxter SP in Maine is the only place I've ever been where nature comes before people! No paved roads, no running water, no potable water for that matter--it's quite commendable in my book, but for that reason, I'd seriously doubt they'd allow letterboxing. In fact, I hope they don't! =) It's nice that there is a place where people are second class citizens to the environment.

-- Ryan

<> Those danged ponies ate my first aid kit when I was there. I have never forgotten this, and someday will have my revenge. ;-) DebBee

I shall be doing a rather extensive update later tonight (probably around midnight, PDT) and some features of Atlas Quest will break temporarily in the process. It would probably be a good idea not to add or edit any information (boxes, finds, posts, etc.) during this time since it could be lost in the process. Doing searches for letterboxes or viewing a person's logbook or profile won't hurt anything.

Basically, after 11:00 Pacific time tonight, it would be a good idea to use the "look but don't touch" policy. =) At least not until you wake up tomorrow morning!

For those of you who log in first thing in the morning tomorrow--if you see anything strange or that doesn't seem quite right, please let me know! This is a very big update and I'm sure a few minor blips will slip through.

Happy trails!

-- Ryan

Hi Jen!
A parasite is a stamp that hitch hikes along with a hitch hiker.  It can't survive without it's host hiker.  I'm not sure if it has a logbook or not but they are kinda funny because a hitch hiker is in itself a parasite, so your parasite has a parasite!

Aahhh . . . The biology of Letterboxing! ;-)