I think it's still very active in this area!
Welcome back!

...put a piece of foam below/underneath the paper you are stamping onto.

This is another idea you'll eventually find does more harm than good. When the substrate is too soft you'll start picking up stray marks in the stamp, and even if you don't you'll tend to widen inked areas because the paper wraps around the corners of the raised areas of the image as you stamp. You do need a bit of cushion, but the ideal amount is somewhere around two or three sheets of paper! If you're stamping into a log book it's probably too soft to begin with, so you'll get better images if you carry a clipboard and slip it into the log book about three pages behind where you're stamping.

I think it's what we make of it. When I was brand new, I could only find a few. So I planted a bunch! :-) then people started coming around to find them. Then more boxes were planted. I could go find them now :-) I also asked folks to let me know if they planted a hitchhiker. I wouldn't move it. But I would go stamp in.

Then of course getting involved with letterbox trading cards opened up a whole new door. My carving got better. My passion got stronger. :-) I've been doing small maintenance lately on boxes. I haven't been boxing due to other commitments. However, people are definitely still finding my boxes :-) Sometimes I get a notification that a new one has been planted in my area. ♡♡♡
Every once in awhile I make a box. I have a few on hand if I happen to see an irresistible planting spot. :-)

Here in Maine, Letterboxing is alive and well. Even here in Maine during the winter, there is a lot of boxing with events. The next major event is coming up with an over night event at the popular LL Bean store. Over 150 people signed up to get stamps in temperatures hovering around zero....

Come to LL Bean for a fun time getting inky with friends!!

Ray
Happydaze

but as with a lot of hobbies that the younger generation don't adopt, it seems to have tapered off.

I don't think it's a generational thing, but a "stage of life" thing. If you're busy with school, career, kids, etc., your hobby/me time is limited. I know that 10 years ago I would not have had the time to do what I am doing now.

We started boxing a few years ago, as new empty-nesters. Now that I am retired, I have more time to carve, plant, and look up clues. I've introduced boxing to a friend, who also has introduced boxing to a friend. But, since they are still both working and there are other things taking priority, their free time is limited. They would love to spend more time boxing.

I wonder what is the age mode of letterboxers?

I wonder what is the age mode of letterboxers?

I don't know, but I think it's skewing older and older with each passing year. I started letterboxing when I was 26 and now I'm 42!

-- Ryan

It would be great to see some statistics from the organizers. I'm also in SW WA/NW Oregon. However, with the time crunch, I don't box as much as I'd like to here at home. Ironically, I mostly look or plant when I'm on vacation elsewhere in the world. There are a lot boxes here in this area, so I need to get out here and get looking. Welcome back to LB - it can be a great thing to get back in to after so many life changes.

I think the state of the hobby is fine, just different. And as always it differs from state to state, area to area. Some places have tapered off or been boxed out and some are still going strong.

I don't think you can make a general statement that the younger generation hasn't adopted the hobby. I see some young couples with children at events. I think there are parents out there who are looking for things to do with their kids that get them outside and moving instead of sitting and looking at screens.

There are 397 people signed up for ... https://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?eventId=3784

And though this not the official and final list of people who will attend, I think it's pretty close.

Over 150 are signed up for the annual LLBean event in the dead of winter in Maine.

There are many local events listed over the next year or so.

One aspect of boxing never changes. It's what you make it.

There are two boxes in the Ross Bay Cemetery, one I planted. There was one near Fisherman's Wharf but I'm not sure of its status. My daughter-in-law planted one in the garden at Government House but again I'm not sure of its status. Hope this helps. Spirit Bear

It would be great to see some statistics from the organizers.

I found these: https://www.atlasquest.com/aboutus/stats/plants.html?typeId=traditional

Okay, I just checked my box and it was last found in 2016. It's called Dragon Tattoos-green dragon and my daughter-in-law's was found this past summer and is called Craigdarroch Castle. Both are about a 45 minute walk from the port.

I started letterboxing in the summer of 2002 after the death of my only daughter. Just as a way of burning energy and getting away from daily reminders. I'm 86 now and have gotten to the point where maintaining my boxes is becoming a challenge and I may have to ask someone to take them over. It's a great way to introduce young people to the outdoors, and it offers challenges to people who've hiked all the local trails already but can't take off from work to do the Appalachian Trail. It also introduces young people to compass reading (don't let them bring their SmartPhones). It's fun for anyone who enjoys being outside.

Waterbird

which pretty clearly indicates the zenith was eight or nine years ago.

In Massachusetts, boxing is fairly active, though not to the point when I started my six year hiatus (right around the zenith).

I would personally love to see another "Live and Breathe" type article to hopefully shift our hobby up to the next gear.

Finds......

https://www.atlasquest.com/aboutus/stats/finds.html?typeId=traditional

Although I'd like to see people less interested in numbers and more interested in quality of boxes and just enjoying the hobby for what it gives each individual.

Although I'd like to see people less interested in numbers and more interested in quality of boxes and just enjoying the hobby for what it gives each individual.

While "average quality" wouldn't necessarily have much bearing on any given community, I wonder what metrics could go into such a calculation. And if we were to assume that the percent of high quality planted boxes has remained fairly constant, then more overall planted boxes would indeed lead to more high quality boxes (as well as more thoughtless plants.) In certain communities, though, obsession with numbers seems to have pushed out some of the more creative, risk-taking planters, cycling into an expected standard of so-so boxes which aren't necessarily going to be the memorable experiences that will inspire new people to join the hobby.

On a more qualitative level, there are certainly many brilliant and creative boxers from the #s "peak" who have since fallen out or become less active in the hobby, but there's still a high volume of creative and clever content being produced, just in different forms and at different rates. Active engagement with, rather than isolation from, outside artistic, puzzle, and hiking communities could prove to further invigorate letterboxing in new ways.

~µ

Some similarities with Wherigo, but Cluekeeper is primarily meant as a tracker for puzzle hunts, with added AR capabilities through Zappar. It doesn't have to be location based whatsoever and could allow for image recognition of and interaction with printed components or household items (check out the free Gnome Invasion hunt for an example of this.)

As with any real or paper escape room available to a popular market, the variation in reviews largely is the result of different people's puzzle experience. I've played 50+ real life escape rooms, so when I review a new room, I can compare against all the highs and lows of past rooms I've played, whereas escape room newbies will either love the adventure, regardless of the quality of the room, or get frustrated and hate it, even if it's a brilliantly designed room. Thus, finding puzzlers' blogs that review such things is usually your best bet, rather than Amazon reviews.

Many possible directions to go with making the letterboxes themselves the escape "room" - and I'd love to hear about or find whatever you create if you go that direction!!

~µ

I agree that letterboxing isn't generational as much as it's where you are in your life. I haven't retired yet, but the kids are gone and it's just me and my honey. Lots more time to carve and do research and travel around finding good places, with hidey holes, waiting for a box.
My husband and I have introduced our kids to this hobby and also friends and their children. I really believe that you don't catch the bug until you've hunted your first box. My husband reluctantly accompanied me on a hunt ten years ago, mostly to "protect" me from wild things (critters and human). I had been reading the clue aloud and when we got to the site and parked, he immediately got out of the car and said "I know where it is! That's the tree!" And he ran to it, so excited, and when he found it he was so happy and pleased with himself. He is usually such a big hunk of macho that I laughed at his childlike excitement. And, after all these years, he is still as excited about the hunt. I research and carve and plant. We both hunt. We both love it and will continue to be even more active in letterboxing as we "retire" in a few years.
But, we talk about letterboxing to anyone who will listen.

I refuse to do the math on how many years I've been boxing. ;)

Yes what everybody else said :) it was such a fun day!
Thanks Bali!!

And, after all these years, he is still as excited about the hunt.

Dbare tried to give up after the first year.....I reminded him of a promise to exercise with me as we aged and told him it was Square Dancing or this......he took this........

Admittedly I have to allow him to use different sig stamps (we have more than a dozen that we've won as event prizes, etc over the years) to keep him going, but in the long run, we hunt as a pack.

I have just learned about boxing this past January. I am 37 and my partner is 30 and we love it. Now I have over 50 plants and 250 finds and went to my first event two weeks ago. I tell many of my friends about it and they seem interested but I am not aware of any of them actually going out to box. I even spoke with a professional linocut artist in Newfoundland who also seemed interested. I to would like to find high quality boxes, I feel mine are of average to very good but I am still working on carving technique, so I try to find interesting places to plant them. I am also now he most prolific planter in PEI and Newfoundland, neither of these places have many boxes or boxers but maybe, just maybe more people will get into because of them. I try to spread the letterboxing gospel, hopefully it will pick up more, I think the key would be to get younger folks like Millenials and younger into it, maybe convert geocachers over as well. That’s my two cents.

I refuse to do the math on how many years I've been boxing. ;)

I stopped counting once I hit the "Half my life" mark!

now I'm 42!

Yes, but what is the question?

I knew this was you and your mom the minute I saw the title on the board. Praying for you and her. ♡♡

Clue 3 Arizona

travel around finding good places, with hidey holes, waiting for a box.

Earlier this week I was picking up a travel bug from one of my geocaches. On my way back to my car I found a few little hidey holes right next to the trail. They will only hold small boxes, but they are at places along the trail where people are unlikely to linger let along to see the boxes.

However, I need to figure out what image to carve. Then I'll select the container, sizing the stamp and log book to the container.

Nothing really jumps out from the location as to what to carve. Once I figure that out it shouldn't be long thereafter until i plant it. And the stamps that I've carved for LTCs are too big for the containers that would fit.

I am also now he most prolific planter in PEI and Newfoundland

Then I hope that at least one of those plants is Anne of Green Gables.

I try to spread the letterboxing gospel, hopefully it will pick up more, I think the key would be to get younger folks like Millenials and younger into it, maybe convert geocachers over as well.

I spread the good word too. I came to letterboxing through geocaching. I saw the letterbox hybrids (geocache and letterbox) so I wanted to know what a non-hybrid letterbox was. 23 Jun 2006 I found my first letterbox. I looked for it because it was in a park when I went to maintain two of my geocaches in that park. It was listed on letterboxing.org.

When I finally planted my first geocaching letterbox hybrid on 3/14/2011 I also carved my personal stamp. That letterbox was the first one (besides my own) that stamped with my personal stamp on March 25, 2011. By then Atlas Quest was around.

I've been trying to bring other geocachers to letterboxing. I've got a few nibbles, but not bites yet. However, I've got a geocacher that has signed up for an account here just to log my letterboxes that I've listed on both sites. Thanks to another local boxer we may be able to bring that geocacher fully into letterboxing.

Bringing people over can be a slow process.

I've played 50+ real life escape rooms [....] Many possible directions to go with making the letterboxes themselves the escape "room" - and I'd love to hear about or find whatever you create if you go that direction!!

I've played one room, watched videos and played some escape room apps. I'll have to play with making some for myself before I venture into making one into a letterbox series. I'll have to post here when I've planted it.

The Winter Blahs 2018 is still seeking donations of Game of Thrones related stamps!

If you have any GoT stamps that you have carved for Postals or LTCs would you consider lending to Winter is Coming - Blahs 2018? They can be returned after the event in January, or if you want, we can plant them permanently in the spring as part of a GoT series.

Please let me know if you would be interested. We would need the stamps by Christmas week for planting in the first week of January.

Thank you!!!
Lynn

The Winter Blahs 2018 is still seeking donations of Game of Thrones related stamps!

If you have any GoT stamps that you have carved for Postals or LTCs would you consider lending to Winter is Coming - Blahs 2018? They can be returned after the event in January, or if you want, we can plant them permanently in the spring as part of a GoT series.

Please let me know if you would be interested. We would need the stamps by Christmas week for planting in the first week of January.

Thank you!!!
Lynn