I hosted the first chat in March of 2020 and gave people had the opportunity to gather and socialize when they were told to stay home. Over the years I have opened the chat room to anybody who would like to attend, carve stamps, share life, ask questions about letterboxing, have the occasional Zoom party, do stamp exchanges, learn, laugh, or simply sit there and chit chat.

Here is what I am seeking: Is there someone who would like to take over hosting the Monday Night Chats?

What it entails: Have a Zoom room (or other video chat platform?) and open the Zoom room each week. Post the MNC on the AQ Events page. Plan to chat and spend virtual time with your fellow letterboxers. There are some regulars who have been attending for years and enjoy the time together, and there are some semi-regulars and folks who randomly log on to ask questions or say hellos.

Zoom room: You can have a free Zoom room, which gives you forty minutes of use at a time. In that case, people would get booted after forty minutes and have to sign in again. A paid Zoom link gives you unlimited time, and people could log out and wrap up their MNC time when they choose. MNC usually lasts about ninety minutes to two hours.

After almost six years of hosting MNC, I would like to pass the baton -- or the chat room, as is the case -- to someone else. Are you an experienced letterboxers who has time and the desire to be social and get to know and spend time with other boxers on a weekly basis? Please reach out to me. Thank you bunches!

If nobody takes over, Wassa created a video chat room that is always open. I used it for the 2020 virtual events that I hosted. No need for a dedicated person to host, anyone can enter at any time.

https://www.atlasquest.com/boards/read.php?authorId=1992&flags=128&startId=984596

I thought to mention that, but I am pretty sure that GT closed that chat room because no one was using it, and it was taking a lot of space/memory/something.

GT doesn't own or run it. I'm literally in it right now.

Oh, then it must be a different chat room than I knew about. That is definitely an idea. Someone volunteered to take over as MNC host. Maybe that boxer will see this information and consider it. Thanks, RI climber. 👍

That link goes to a blank message board...where is it on the search bar up top?

This is the conference room:
https://freeconferencing.vonage.com/room/atlasquest

And this is the post talking about it:
https://www.atlasquest.com/boards/read.php?authorId=1992&flags=128&startId=984596

Not to muddy the waters, but...
That last link is an older version of the video conf.
This one is a much better one to use: https://meet.vonagenetworks.net/room/atlasquest

We are opening a store for hiking, camping, and survival. Would you be willing to share some suggestions for what items you might need when you are out on a trail or camping -- or what item you tend to leave at home or forget until you need it? Thank you for your input. 😃

This is my list of supplies:

Pens. Trinkets. Swiss army knife/multi-tool. Telescoping magnet. Mini flashlight. Tweezers. Pruning shears. Tissues. Extra log sheets on Rite N Rain paper. Plastic grocery bags for picking up trash. Personal stamp. Ink pads. Logbook. Paper towels. Small baggies for log sheets. Extra nano container. Extra bison tube. Snack. Water bottle. Hair ties. Barrettes.

These usually stay in the car: Gloves. Step ladder. Anti-itch lotion. Bug spray. Baby wipes. First aid kit. OTC meds like Tylenol, Imodium. Camo duct tape. Hiking poles.

PAMB (personal anti missile battery), satellite messaging device, toothpicks.

I have a purifier water bottle that works like a French press. It is definitely a survival item. Mainly I used it in rugged South/Central American jungle areas where I didn’t trust the water source.

Rescue whistles

Best Wishes for this new venture!

Items I can think of:

Acetaminophen, children's acetaminophen, wet wipes, bandaids, thin rain ponchoes, sunglasses, bottled water-, postcards--, feminine hygiene items, insect repellent, sun screen, travel sized toiletries, bandanas, juice boxes, painted rocks, local restaurant information, scavenger hunt lists of things in the forest, ...

- or gallon sized so ppl will use/reuse their own water vessel
--I envision RDHG making her own with her amazing photos

Just curious, is this a B&M store or online?

Thank you for your list. Do you carry the bison tube and nano containers for anything hiking related, or is that for the hobby?

Satellite connection to the outside world is valuable. Thank you.

I agree and already hope to have those. Great idea.

I am not sure why someone laughed, as that is a good idea. Thank you for responding.

That is an extensive list. Thank you for putting that much thought into it.

We will be having survival and life skills classes, and also some classes simply for fun. A rock painting class could be a fun activity for the community.

Thank you for asking. It will be a physical store, and we will also have a web site.

Bisons and nanos are common geocaching containers. Sorry, I should have specified. 😊

For hiking or camping, I have often needed more fuel than expected. Both the small butane mix camp stove canisters and the 1lb propane. I expect a full 20lb propane refill station is a bit much, but would be useful!

Towels! I always seem to want "one more dry towel", or they are completely forgotten at home.
Maybe basic clothes? A rainy week in the wilderness and there would be very little I wouldn't do for a dry pair of socks and a sweatshirt!

I have spent a ton of time in the wilderness hiking and solo backpackers and I have some thoughts on this. Teach REAL survival.

Some people have romanticized backwoods survival. Bushcraft is rarely needed. If fact, I’m strongly against it. In today’s modern world, if you hike smart, you should be found long before you need food or need to be chopping down trees or vegetation.

The first and main key to survival is hiking and camping smart. That starts at the trailhead. Make sure responsible people know where you are going and when you will be back. That includes family and rangers. Check in, sign visitors logs, get permits. If you do that, and then get lost, help should find you soon.

You also don’t need to learn how to start a fire by rubbing sticks together, or any of the usual “survival skills” methods. Just toss a couple of Bic lighters in your pack. They are cheap, light and reliable.

You don’t need to learn to build survival shelters from trees and vegetation. There are several survival tents on the market. They are light and don’t take up much room in a pack. Same for emergency ponchos.

If you take a few protein bars you should be good for the duration of your lost time. Learning how to build traps, snares and the like is not needed for short term survival.

Always carry a map and a compass. A modern gps is highly recommended but even so, should something go wrong, a compass might save you - know how to use it.

The absolute best ways to avoid not getting found is to always carry a personal survival locator beacon. These are pricey but will guarantee you will be found should you get lost.

I admit I have a few survival books in my library. And there’s nothing wrong wrong with learning to start a fire with a bow drill - it’s satisfying - but don’t trust your life to these things. They are always MUCH easier to do under controlled conditions when you are warm, dry and fed.

Stickers. I know you asked for useful stuff but I collect stickers when I’m traveling.

I’ve found some non-heat clothing and gear patches that are washer and dryer safe are handy to have.

I always had to come back to aq to do that. Are you saying we can do that in the app now?

I found my grandfather's old letterhead -- on onionskin!-- from back when he had his own painting business. It looked great next to the old typewriter clack clack CHING zzzzzzzzttttt

We've done a lot of canoe camping up in the BWCA. Things we bring along include detailed maps, binoculars, good flashlights, butane lighters, fire starters, (we make our own from egg cartons, dryer lint and melted wax), rain gear, waterproof bags, lots of rope, first aid supplies, and lightweight backpacking hammocks.
A must-have luxury item for me would be my Aero Press coffee maker - it's lightweight, simple to use, and is very easy to clean.

That just took me back to typing class in high school.

If you are refering to the colored backgrounds on the clue lists for found, attempted, and planted then yes, it is still there. I was not logged in the AQ thru the app at the time. As soon as I logged back in the colors were there.