Hiding a Letterbox

Previously, I posted about letterboxing and how to get started. 
This post is about a letterbox that we hid.

Stamps can be expensive, but we found this whole package of stamps at a local craft store and used a 1/2 price coupon to purchase it.  The price came out to be $5.

We made our own booklets using cardboard for the front and back covers and blank paper for the pages.  The kids stamped some designs onto the covers, and chose pictures for collage.

"In wilderness I sense the miracle of life and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia." 

~Charles A. Lindbergh

The tupperware container is the box we use to put everything in, and the felt and stapler are for creating a little pouch to put the box's stamp in.

We secured the cardboard cover and blank pages together with string.  We put the booklet, the stamp (in its pouch), and a printed page about letterboxing into the container.  We also wrote "congratulations, you found a letterbox!" on an index card and secured this to the inside of the lid.  Then we put the letterbox into a large ziploc bag.

We selected a location to hide our letterbox and went for a walk there with friends.  The perfect rock to hide it under was discovered, and the letterbox was placed.

Some large rocks were placed in front of it to camoflauge the box even better.

This is the perfect rock for a letterbox!

The notes I scribbled down while we were walking included clues that my kids pointed out along the way, and guiding points for those who'd seek to find the box we hid.

We've also created a couple "HitchHiker"/"Traveler" stamps.  So far we've hid one in a letterbox we found locally.  Hitchhiker stamps are picked up by whoever finds them next, and travel from box to box by those who discover them.  It is fun to track their travels on the website, which is updated with their new location by those who find and replace them elsewhere.

Another letterbox we created but have not yet placed has this quote on the cover:

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts." 

~Rachel Carson

Here is another site that is all about letterboxing, and is set up in a fun, visual way: AtlasQuest.

We hope we've inspired you to enjoy the adventures of letterboxing!