I had great fun with Eagle Tree. Two groups found it. I went to check on it this evening and it seemed to be missing. There were lots of people around so I waited a bit and then I thrashed the bushes. It really is gone. I hope who ever took it will realize the mistake and put it back. Please write more about the ones you have lost and refound--all you boxers who have grieved a box or two in your longer experience of boxing. I need a little consolation.

Darren and I hiked Cloudland Canyon October of 2004 and placed a box. It's a 6-plus mile hike. We placed a box on the hike called "We planted this box because we had to pin the corner of our map up". (It's in the NW corner of GA). I gave the clues to someone to preview. For many reasons, the person was unable to fulfill that. So, 14 monthes after the inital plant, we gave the clues to someone else. We warned them that the box had been there for 14 monthes, so we could not verify anything about it. We were unable to check the box ourselves due to some knee troubles I've been having. The boxer went and found the section of the trail the box was on closed and guarded by a ranger. So, he went home, did some research and found a shortcut that would bypass the ranger. The boxer drove the 3 plus hours back up to Cloudland Canyon. The box was demolished. It had been attacked by an animal. the stamp was about 4" by 6" and the largest piece the boxer could find was no bigger than a dime. The funny thing- we'd left a thank you card and some buttons for the person who was supposed to preview our clues- and they were totally in tact.

Desi of drgdlg

I have lost a box near and dear to my heart....TWICE.
It was one that I planted first...before really knowing much about the hobby.
I think the hiding place...even though it seemsed ideal at the time and fit right into the story/clues...has turned out to not be such a good place. It breaks my heart to think the spot is not useable for the LB...should I try again?? I think not...the clues will have to be changed and it will change my story (a spin on a local witch legend) entirely. :-(

I just can't bear to think that the last stamp i did may have been thrown away etc.
It was really good. Still one of mybest images even though it was one of my first.

I feel for ya.
Gosh...how depressing...gotta stop thinking about it.
I have a wealth of boxes around here since planting day.
Here's hoping they last much longer.

dixiekin

I have lost a box near and dear to my heart....TWICE.
It was one that I planted first...before really knowing much about the hobby.

Thanks, live n' learn. And wine. Jist a wee nip.

I lost the first box I ever planted. I was not terribly attached to it, however, except as my first plant. It was not really exceptional in any other way.

I had a report that another box of mine had gone missing - actually, it had been reported missing twice, but the first report was just a case of looking in the wrong spot. I was so sorry about the second report I delayed going out to check. Just dreading it. And it turned out that the box was reported found again before I ever got out to check. So that was a happy ending.

I recently pulled a couple of boxes for maintenance -- one because the hiding place really stank in the winter, something I didn't realize when I planted it in the summer. It was (and is) a pretty special box to me, story, carving, etc. So I gave it a nice shiny new lock-n-lock and another boxin' friend of mine helped me find a nice new secure spot.

You guessed it, it's been reported missing. Still haven't had the heart to check on it yet, but I suppose I'll have to do it soon.

Mentally, I remind myself that stuff is going to happen, and if I carved it once, I can carve it again. And it surely hasn't stopped me from planting. But it still stings!

MoonBunny

I lost the first box I ever planted. I was not terribly attached to it, however, except as my first plant. It was not really exceptional in any other way.


Thanks MB, I am healing my wounded heart through these good stories.

Quote

and if I carved it once, I can carve it again. But it still stings!

And how it stings! I can never bring myself to carve them again.

I can feel for you Eaglecatcher. At the moment I am checking up on all my boxes and refurbishing them. It is always the boxes with the best clues or stamps that go missing. I have just had a good cry over my Fairy Box.

Actually it is the boxes on the moors which have survived the best, the boxes in the forests (forests which are on the moors that is) have got misplaced and/or the clues messed up because the Forestry Commission are harvesting all the trees at the moment.

My eyes are red from the weeping.

YT

Oh Yikes,
Is that the new plant in Westbrook that I have on my schedule for this afternoon when I get out of work early Please say it isn't so!! I'm sorry for both of us! Wha't wrong with people anyway.. If people want to take stuff that doesn't belong to them, let them pick up litter instead!
Teacup-outraged in Brunswick

There was a time when I thought all three of my boxes were missing at the same time. I checked on one, it was gone. I checked on the second one. It was missing. I was getting seriously bummed out. I can handle one missing, but two, possibly three, at the same time! I went to go check on the third box, fully expecting it to be gone.

I got to the third box's hiding spot. The third box was missing, but the second box was in its place! I ended up recarving the third stamp (haven't gotten around to re-carving the first one) and went to hide the new box. When I got to the third box's hiding spot, the old third box was back in its proper place!

I was very confused, but happy to have two of my boxes be ok.

How strange! Someone out there knows what happened. Maybe one day they will break down and tell you the truth :) Perhaps someone was planning on nabbing all the letterboxes in your area as a prank and then had a bout of conscience.

Tis the very one. Thanks for the tea(cup) and sympathy. I am soooo sad.

Like some poor boxer was confusing musical chairs and hitchhikers with regular boxing? How very odd. Perplexing. It raises some hope with me that the box will turn up somewhere. I really thrashed the bushes though. Thanks for the story.

I think one of mine is missing. I say think because it hasn't been reported missing but I went to look at the log and couln't find it. It was under a bridge so I think the flood water may have washed it down stream.

Shiloh

Thank you. I had a hard time moving my first box off my work bench and out into the wild. I would learn something new from you in the LB community and delay the plant while I tweaked or refined. I am serious about being sad but also somewhat tongue in cheek about the grieving. I have learned so much from you all and I will try again soon because of the carving thing. I really enjoy that part and I want to get really good at it. I appreciate those of you who shared your experience with missing boxes. And I appreciate (was thrilled) that people came 40 miles or so to find it. Last but not least, I appreciated when finders took the time to write me via AQ to share the finding experience with me. It was fun while it lasted!

I think it's great when boxers take time to email about a box. Just yesterday I sent an email about a HH that came from Indiana to South Carolina....it was sent out originally in Pa and was carried from Wisconsin to Illinois (I think). Just remember to put that info in the HH book..... With this one there is a gap...don't know how it got to Indiana.
zoemomma