Letterboxing is part art, part puzzle, part treasure hunt, part history, part hike—pretty much whatever the box placer can imagine! Begun in Dartmoor, England, back in 1854, Letterboxing really took off in America after Smithsonian Magazine ran an article on the English pasttime in 1999.

Letterboxes are scattered across North America, with numbers estimated over 5000. The artform centers on hand-carved stamps and clue writing. Clues can be simple or complex and can include anagrams, compass coordinates, codes, educational information—whatever the box placer can create. You're welcome to read the Live & Learn Albuquerque clues I wrote to get an idea.

Each letterboxer carves a personal stamp which s/he stamps in the letterbox log book as a record of finding the box. Each letterbox contains a log book, a hand-carved stamp depicting some aspect of the box placement, and occasionally a stamp pad. Letterboxers exchange stamp images, inking their stamp into the log book and the letterbox stamp into their own personal letterboxing journal.

To learn more about this unique pasttime, visit http://letterboxing.org

Boxes Found:
Woodhenge, IL, placed by Mohmers Found 10/9/05
Carderock Letterbox, MD, placed by Wolfpack Found 1/1/05
C & O Canal, Great Falls, MD, placed by Bill and Craig Found 11/18/04
Tannery Hill Bridge, NH, placed by Son of a Sailor Found 7/22/04
Fort Morgan, AL, placed by Jim Dillon Found 4/19/04
Calvert Cliffs, MD, placed by Squirrel Found 2/16/04

Boxes Placed:
Live & Learn Conference Box, Albuquerque, NM 9/7/06
Live & Learn Conference Box, St. Louis, MO 10/10/05