According to "Letterboxing in America" (www.letterboxing.org), 'Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring interesting, scenic, and sometimes remote places. It takes the ancient custom of placing a rock on a cairn upon reaching the summit of a mountain, to an artform. It started when a gentleman simply left his calling card in a bottle by a remote pool on the moors of Dartmoor, England.

Here's the basic idea; someone hides a waterproof box (in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location) containing at least a logbook and a carved rubber stamp and perhaps other goodies. The hider usually writes directions to the box (called "clues" or the "map", which can be straightforward, cryptic, or any degree in between. Often the clues involve map coordinates or compass bearings from landmarks, but they don't have to. Selecting a location and writing the clues is one aspect of the art.

Hunters in possession of the clues attempt to find the box. In addition to the clues, the hunter should carry a map, compass, pencil, his personal rubber stamp and ink pad, and her/his personal logbook. When the hunter finds the box, she/he stamps the logbook in the box with her/his personal stamp, and stamps her/his personal logbook with the stamp that is in the box.'

If you go to the website mentioned above, you will find a number of sites in and around Asheville or, you can go just about anywhere in the world depending on your travels.

Craven Gap

I am excited to inform you that once I finish this website and finish preparations for my March show, I plan on setting up some sites which will be located in areas where I hike and collect my materials. One will definitely be on Spivey Mountain and at least one other will be in Pisgah National Forest.  Check back sometime in March if you're interested.