Hobby encourages exploration
Get a clue and then take a hike — that's exactly what letterboxing enthusiasts have been doing for the past few years in Butler County.
As part of this outdoor pastime, boxes containing a decorative rubber stamp and a log book are hidden in various spots around the region. Clues to their location are passed word-of-mouth or posted on special Internet sites.
The seekers, who carry their own personal stamps, ink pads and journals, use the clues or a compass to find the box. Once a box is found, the personal stamp is recorded in the box's log and the box's stamp is used to mark the seeker's personal journal. The box is then replaced for the next seeker.
"It is addicting," said Sue Mallen of Zelienople, who found her first box when her nephew visited a year ago. "He was coming to town and asked if we could try it — so we got a couple store-bought stamps and the rest is history."
Mallen maintains 30 boxes and currently has more than 60 finds in several states. Her boxes vary in difficulty but often include the history of the area and now include hand- carved stamps she has created.
History comes into play in other aspects of letterboxing.
According to legend, letterboxing began in England on the moors of Darmoor in 1854 when James Perrott hid his business card in a jar in a remote area. He was a moor guide and encouraged his clients to leave their cards in the jar as well.
One thing led to another and the jars were replaced by tin ammunition boxes. By the 1970s there were 15 boxes on the moor.
Today, more than 3,000 letterboxes are located in the 365 square miles of Darmoor National Park.
According to some Web sites devoted to letterboxing, the North American version of letterboxing began in 1989, but an article in Smithsonian Magazine in April 1998 probably triggered more recent interest.
According to www.atlasquest.com, 66 boxes are registered with 50 miles of New Castle, Lawrence County, alone. However, that site is just one of many that publicize letterbox locations.
"Letterboxing is something that takes you to places you might not normally go, and I like to learn things as I go," said Mallen, whose placements in Harmony and Zelienople address the history of the Harmonists, the story of the Passavant family who settled the area, and many other fascinating tidbits about Butler County. Mallen also has planted boxes in her home state of New York.Like many enthusiasts, Mallen is reticent to tell too much about letterboxes and their locations because sometimes publicity leads to vandalism of the boxes or worse."We like to spread the news about letterboxing by word-of- mouth, because the person who introduces it to you can also mentor you in how to do it properly," she explained.She said people should research letterboxing before they start so that care is given during the finds.Etiquette includes replacing letterboxes as they were found — making sure to conceal them to avoid vandalism or tampering. Letterbox users also are encouraged to respect the environment by taking care to keep the area clean and free of litter.If a box is missing or in disrepair, hobbyists are urged to notify the planter via the Internet.Once schooled in letterbox locations and rules of the trail, seekers of all ages can begin to fill their journals.The boxes, which consist of all types of locking waterproof containers, can be found in businesses, on private land, in public parks or along roadways. They are never in plain view.Level of difficulty and distance from parking area are listed on letterboxing Web sites, which also note whether the letterboxes are child, pet or handicapped accessible and whether stamps are hand-carved.Some of the stamps reflect information about their locations; other designs are based on whimsy."It is an activity that gets people off the couch and out into the woods with their families," Mallen said."It is like a treasure hunt that yields benefits other than monetary treasure. It isn't all in the find either," she admonished. "Hiking on trails or driving to places in the county you've never been — the whole process can be an adventure."The journal is a great record of your finds but also of memories you made along the way."
Complete with trail names, events and functions, the letterboxing community has become more than just a cyber community."There are a variety of events and activities for letterboxers all over the country," said Mallen, whose trail name is Larva Lady to reflect her signature butterfly stamp.Brandy Elford, an art teacher at Slippery Rock High School, learned about letterboxing from a Time Magazine article in 2004.As well as connecting with fellow stampers, Elford uses the activity to bond with family."I really like to go looking for the boxes. There were not very many in my area, so I thought if I started planting them and telling everyone about how much fun it is, they would plant boxes and there would be more to find," she explained.She is eager to spread the news of letterboxing and has had people from as far away as California visit the boxes she maintains."I thought it would be a great activity to get my family out of the house. It is nearly free, no fees, just a stamp and a book — and who doesn't like a treasure hunt," said Elford."Setting out into the woods looking for the boxes is a great way to get to new places and enjoy nature," she added.
Kim Baker of Patterson County, also letterboxes with her children."I read an article in an early summer issue of a magazine where they discussed family-friendly ways of getting kids outdoors and hiking and walking without complaining," Baker said."I love that it got my family outdoors and united us in a quest. Before, any outdoor hiking or walking activities were punctuated with much whining and complaining," said Baker, whose kids were 7 and 4 when she started."When we were looking for boxes, being outdoors was a much more positive experience," she explained.Baker, a chemistry teacher in Beaver County, is taken with the educational aspect of letterboxing, and that is one of the reasons she likes Mallen's boxes."I see many educational opportunities for letterboxing," said Baker, who recently introduced letterboxing to her daughter's third grade teacher."Kids can learn to appreciate the outdoors and learn about proper care of our environment," she said."It can be a great lesson in paying attention to detail and following verbal directions or compass bearings."As a teacher, I see potential in the clues I could give when I hide boxes. Last year we planted a box that unfortunately got burned up a month later in the ethanol explosion in New Brighton," Baker explained."I hope to replace the box using chemistry clues ... such as how many carbons are in an ethanol molecule."
To make the pastime more interesting, some letterboxes will contain "hitchhikers," or additional portable letterboxes meant to be transported to the hobbyist's next destination.In those cases, written instructions will sometimes request the hitchhiker be relocated within a designated timeframe.Hitchhiker hostels are sites designed to facilitate the exchange of hitchhikers. In order to take a hitchhiker from a designated hostel site, stampers must leave one in its place.In addition to outdoor letterboxing, Mallen participates in postal boxing, which she enjoys during inclement weather.Postal letterboxes are letterboxes that are sent by mail from person to person, with recipients sometimes planned in advance online."The stamps are more intricately carved and the log book a bit more personal since it is being sent specifically and not left in a box somewhere," Mallen explained."I have a friend in Alaska where there are few boxes. Postal boxing enables everyone to participate."
Mallen, who returned from vacation to find 19 packages ready to be explored and sent on to the next person, noted postal boxing can be costly, but the hobby is worth the effort."Letterboxing is for anyone young or old able-bodied or not. It is really an extension of yourself that you leave for others to find and then they leave part of themselves when they interact with your box," Mallen said."With boxes in the mail and all over the world and even one on a cruise ship, letterboxing can provide fun for a lifetime."For more information on letterboxing, visit the Web sites, www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com, or read "The Letterboxer's Companion" by Randy Hall.<br></br><br></br>
