Letterboxing

Every since I read an article in Family Fun magazine about letterboxing(letterboxing.org) I have thought it was cool but didn't think we had anything like that in our area. Then my email friend Kaye told me they did it on a camping trip. She directed me to the correct websites (see also atlasquest.com) where you can search your city and it will show all the letterboxes that are hidden near you! I was so excited to see some at Callaway Gardens and even in nearby towns!

Here is a brief explanation of what we did:

Letterboxing is an intriguing pastime combining artistic ability with "treasure-hunts" in parks, forests, and cities around the world. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by cracking codes and following clues. The prize: a miniature piece of art known as a rubber stamp—usually a unique, hand-carved creation.
Letterboxers stamp their discoveries in a personal journal, then use their own rubber stamp, called a signature stamp, by stamping it into the logbook found with the letterbox, perhaps writing a note about the weather or their adventures in finding the letterbox.

Here is also a great "getting started" article.

So this morning when I found out none of my daycare children were coming I got out the scrapbook supplies to make our own logbooks. i just cut paper into 4s then bound them together with ribbon. (I will have to take a picture of them and post it later....) We decided our trail name would be "MkNSV"-Fia's creation using our initials, and used some letter stamps I had for stamping the letterboxing log books. After seeing some of the other stamps people have used and made we are going to come up with a better one for next time!

I had already printed off some clues for letterboxes located in Callaway Gardens and one in Troup County so we grabbed our books, stamps, ink pads, some snacks and headed out!

This is the trail to the first clue....such cute kids!!

Fia is pointing to the bridge from the clue

This clue was titled "Moonlight Through the Pines"....it read:

You'll begin your search at the Pioneer Log Cabin near the Butterfly Center. After touring the Troup County cabin (circa 1830) find the Wildflower Trail on the NW side. You'll travel along it for a short while, then bear right at the fork and cross a bridge. Eventually the trail will hairpin and turn downhill. Beside the little brook you'll come to 3 large Hollis Quartzite sitting-stones. Have a seat on the northenmost stone. Reach behind and under the back corner closest to the hairpin AFTER FIRST CHEKING IN EVERY DIRECTION to make sure no one is in sight!

It took us a while to locate the box because I was a little leary of sticking my hand under a rock that might have been some animal's home! So we got some sticks and started poking around under and around the rock (these were all suggestions/warnings I found on the "getting started" article). After poking around for a few minutes we hit something that wasn't pinestraw or dirt. It was so exciting to find our first letterbox! From the sites I researched the "planter"(the person who comes up with the clue and puts out the letterbox) will have hand-carve the stamp that goes along with the clue/title. This stamp was a pinecone. It looked like it was carved from an eraser. Next time I will take pictures of the stamps!

Here I am after finding the box! VERY excited:)

Fia is added our stamp to the logbook

Nate is adding the pinecone stamp to his book.

After stamping we carefully put everything back in the container-making sure it was sealed to keep out the elements--and then hid it back under the rock for the next treasure hunter! Now off to the find the next letterbox!

Fia spotted this treasure hunter as well....we tried to tell him where the letterbox was located but he wasn't interested!

We tried locating this letterbox but had no luck. You can email the "planter" about their letterbox so that is what I did. I hope he can give us more clues as to where it is located.

Next we drove to the chapel to find this letterbox. I was a little worried we would have a hard time finding this :

Look for a pine tree stump about 10 feet off the trail on your left. There are two large fallen logs behind the stump.
I mean....aren't there hundreds of stumps and fallen logs in the woods??? But as we were walking I looked for a stump off to my left and sure enough tucked behind it we found this!

Sophia suggested we sit on the logs behind it to stamp our books....what a great idea!! She is becoming a great treasure hunter!!

After this clue was found and properly re-hidden we set out for our last hunt of the day. It was located by the Gardens Resturant. Halfway to this one I realized we had forgot the camera but we didn't want to go back to get it. This letterbox behind a bench on a very quiet and peaceful trail. Nice and shady...which was very needed on this hot day!

Everytime we go to Callaway Gardens we pass through downtown Pine Mountain with all their and their antique/speciality shops. I always say, "i want to come back and walk through these stores" but we are usually too tired from a fun day at the Gardens that we put that off for the next trip. Well I decided to do it today with the kids. The shops weren't as cool as I thought but this one was the coolest. "Sage's Soda Fountain". We went inside for ice cream and sat right at the counter. I felt like I was back in the 1950s! The man who served our ice cream said the place was opened in April but it looked like it had been there for 50 years! Full of antiques and even original milkshake machines. It was a fun experience.