I totally understand having to hunt for geocaches in places where
there are few letterboxes. However, I find that most geocaches are
filled with trash. They lack the finesse of letterboxes. i.e. here
are the coordinates find the cache. -- so folks end up tramping over
the landscape looking at their GPS instead of following clues and
looking at their surroundings.
I admit that when I have visited cities that have few letterboxes I
go over to the geocache website and see if there are any hybrid
caches that might have a stamp in them. But even then I have been
disappointed by caches where the stamp was missing (taken by a cacher
who thought it was just another thing in the cache to trade??)
I am anti-geocache and I don't think I can be converted.
--Amanda from Seattle
geocaches
12 messages in this thread |
Started on 2003-01-09
geocaches
From: Amanda Arkebauer (samanark@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2003-01-09 04:57:37 UTC
Re: geocaches
From: Kathy (Btrplc2b@aol.com) |
Date: 2003-01-09 11:57:21 UTC
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Arkebauer
" wrote:
> I am anti-geocache and I don't think I can be converted.
> --Amanda from Seattle
Good to see your post this morning, Amanda, considering your
itinerary had you in Charlotte this week.
My Jayne's Hill Box on Long Island was confused with a geocache and
some nasty stuff left in it....and, I believe my "Troubadour HH" was
mistaken for a geocacher's prize. It's disappointing and, I believe
with just a little more care and attention to the details of the
difference between letterbox and geocache clues, this unfortunate
confusion could be avoided.
Safe travels, Amanda
Ladybug
> I am anti-geocache and I don't think I can be converted.
> --Amanda from Seattle
Good to see your post this morning, Amanda, considering your
itinerary had you in Charlotte this week.
My Jayne's Hill Box on Long Island was confused with a geocache and
some nasty stuff left in it....and, I believe my "Troubadour HH" was
mistaken for a geocacher's prize. It's disappointing and, I believe
with just a little more care and attention to the details of the
difference between letterbox and geocache clues, this unfortunate
confusion could be avoided.
Safe travels, Amanda
Ladybug
Re: geocaches
From: Matt (ratpatrolhq@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2003-01-09 16:40:08 UTC
Has anyone making a hybrid letterbox/geocache tried tying the stamp to the logbook with a string or
chain to make sure it doesn't get taken? Just put a screw-eye into the wooden block of the stamp and
drill a small hole in the cover of the book if there isn't one already. Maybe this would be a good idea
for a hitchhiker stamp, too, so that it doesn't get separated from its logbook.
Matt the Rat
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Arkebauer" wrote:
> I admit that when I have visited cities that have few letterboxes I
> go over to the geocache website and see if there are any hybrid
> caches that might have a stamp in them. But even then I have been
> disappointed by caches where the stamp was missing (taken by a cacher
> who thought it was just another thing in the cache to trade??)
>
> --Amanda from Seattle
chain to make sure it doesn't get taken? Just put a screw-eye into the wooden block of the stamp and
drill a small hole in the cover of the book if there isn't one already. Maybe this would be a good idea
for a hitchhiker stamp, too, so that it doesn't get separated from its logbook.
Matt the Rat
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Arkebauer
> I admit that when I have visited cities that have few letterboxes I
> go over to the geocache website and see if there are any hybrid
> caches that might have a stamp in them. But even then I have been
> disappointed by caches where the stamp was missing (taken by a cacher
> who thought it was just another thing in the cache to trade??)
>
> --Amanda from Seattle
Re: geocaches
From: rscarpen (RiskyNil@hotmail.com) |
Date: 2003-01-09 17:13:04 UTC
Regarding the subject of combining letterboxes and geocaches:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letterbox-usa/surveys?id=991636
As of now, 39 people have voted for this poll. A full 72% would
never combine the two. Only 13% would always combine the two "if
possible". Based on that, it seems most letterboxers do NOT want the
two combined, and anyone that combines the two will be creating
letterboxes that few people will enjoy.
And it makes sense when you think about it. Why would a letterboxer
want to find a geocache? If a letterboxer can't find the box so
resorts to using the geocache clue, it kind of defeats the point.
A couple of other considerations:
Geocaches tend to be much larger to hold all the junk they need to be
called a geocache, which makes them much more difficult to hide than
a letterbox.
Sometimes you hear about a letterbox being pulled by the
authorities. Well, geocaches are too, and your doubling your chances
of getting it pulled by authorities if it's listed as both.
On my webpage about creating great letterboxes, the first thing it is
says is to select your audience. The reason being if you focus on
them, you can create a fantastic box they'll absolutely love. If you
can't even focus your letterbox for JUST letterboxers, there's no
chance it's going to be a well-loved letterbox. And who wants to
hide a letterbox everybody hates?
And finally, there are so many more geocaches than letterboxes to
begin with, why do they even need more caches in the first place?!
Good grief!
There's really no good justification for combining the two, which is
a good reason NOT to combine the two.
If you've got a favorite place that you want EVERYONE to go to, hide
a geocache. Then hide a letterbox far enough away where geocachers
aren't likely to discover it. Then both geocachers and letterboxers
can enjoy your favorite little place without stepping on each other's
toes.
There aren't many 'rules' to letterboxing, but combining them with
geocaches ought to be one.
-- Ryan
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letterbox-usa/surveys?id=991636
As of now, 39 people have voted for this poll. A full 72% would
never combine the two. Only 13% would always combine the two "if
possible". Based on that, it seems most letterboxers do NOT want the
two combined, and anyone that combines the two will be creating
letterboxes that few people will enjoy.
And it makes sense when you think about it. Why would a letterboxer
want to find a geocache? If a letterboxer can't find the box so
resorts to using the geocache clue, it kind of defeats the point.
A couple of other considerations:
Geocaches tend to be much larger to hold all the junk they need to be
called a geocache, which makes them much more difficult to hide than
a letterbox.
Sometimes you hear about a letterbox being pulled by the
authorities. Well, geocaches are too, and your doubling your chances
of getting it pulled by authorities if it's listed as both.
On my webpage about creating great letterboxes, the first thing it is
says is to select your audience. The reason being if you focus on
them, you can create a fantastic box they'll absolutely love. If you
can't even focus your letterbox for JUST letterboxers, there's no
chance it's going to be a well-loved letterbox. And who wants to
hide a letterbox everybody hates?
And finally, there are so many more geocaches than letterboxes to
begin with, why do they even need more caches in the first place?!
Good grief!
There's really no good justification for combining the two, which is
a good reason NOT to combine the two.
If you've got a favorite place that you want EVERYONE to go to, hide
a geocache. Then hide a letterbox far enough away where geocachers
aren't likely to discover it. Then both geocachers and letterboxers
can enjoy your favorite little place without stepping on each other's
toes.
There aren't many 'rules' to letterboxing, but combining them with
geocaches ought to be one.
-- Ryan
Re: geocaches
From: (mohmers@aol.com) |
Date: 2003-01-09 13:52:11 UTC-05:00
In a message dated 1/9/03 9:14:32 AM Pacific Standard Time, RiskyNil@hotmail.com writes:
Hi Ryan, I know you mean well.
I choose to hide combination geocache/letterboxes because there are so few letterboxers in my area. If I don't count my family and the people I have actually brought with me in order to introduce to letterboxing then I can count the area letterboxers on less than one hand . It has been fun to find the occassional out of state letterbox stamp in our log books .... really enjoyed the Nancy Drew & the St. George stamps as well as the stamp with the covered bridge from Cincinatti.
Most of the boxes we hide are letterboxes ... we have just doubled them as a geocache in order to get more visitors. Most of our boxes do not have room for a cache ... though some do, like my daughter's powerpuff girl boxes.
I enjoy the clues, the hunt and the stamp but also the gps is a neat little device.
My children love the cache idea but also love to collect the stamp images ... My children prefer geocache/letterbox combinations. They enjoy following clues and following the gps signals.
My husband really doesn't care much about logging in or the stamp or following the clues but does enjoy hiking with the kids and using his handy dandy gps ... he is into the cache thing also.
SO, atleast for this midwest family, we are able to justify our "lettercaches".
If some letterboxers choose to not visit those, that's okay ... we have non-hybrids hidden around also.
That said, if you choose to geocache be aware that some areas have self-appointed geocache police who can be a little bit of a pain. Some dislike letterboxers as much as some letterboxers dislike them.
To each his own. :o)
Happy Hunting,
Mohmers
There's really no good justification for combining the two, which is
a good reason NOT to combine the two.
Hi Ryan, I know you mean well.
I choose to hide combination geocache/letterboxes because there are so few letterboxers in my area. If I don't count my family and the people I have actually brought with me in order to introduce to letterboxing then I can count the area letterboxers on less than one hand . It has been fun to find the occassional out of state letterbox stamp in our log books .... really enjoyed the Nancy Drew & the St. George stamps as well as the stamp with the covered bridge from Cincinatti.
Most of the boxes we hide are letterboxes ... we have just doubled them as a geocache in order to get more visitors. Most of our boxes do not have room for a cache ... though some do, like my daughter's powerpuff girl boxes.
I enjoy the clues, the hunt and the stamp but also the gps is a neat little device.
My children love the cache idea but also love to collect the stamp images ... My children prefer geocache/letterbox combinations. They enjoy following clues and following the gps signals.
My husband really doesn't care much about logging in or the stamp or following the clues but does enjoy hiking with the kids and using his handy dandy gps ... he is into the cache thing also.
SO, atleast for this midwest family, we are able to justify our "lettercaches".
If some letterboxers choose to not visit those, that's okay ... we have non-hybrids hidden around also.
That said, if you choose to geocache be aware that some areas have self-appointed geocache police who can be a little bit of a pain. Some dislike letterboxers as much as some letterboxers dislike them.
To each his own. :o)
Happy Hunting,
Mohmers
Re: geocaches
From: pmcq_wyman (pmcq_wyman@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2003-01-09 18:53:45 UTC
Given the acrimony and rudeness I have seen in letterbox-usa posts
over the past few weeks, it would seem that lack of finesse,
thoughtlessness, and inconsidate behavior is not limited to
geocachers!.
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Arkebauer
" wrote:
> I totally understand having to hunt for geocaches in places where
> there are few letterboxes. However, I find that most geocaches are
> filled with trash. They lack the finesse of letterboxes. i.e. here
> are the coordinates find the cache. -- so folks end up tramping
over
> the landscape looking at their GPS instead of following clues and
> looking at their surroundings.
>
> I admit that when I have visited cities that have few letterboxes
I
> go over to the geocache website and see if there are any hybrid
> caches that might have a stamp in them. But even then I have been
> disappointed by caches where the stamp was missing (taken by a
cacher
> who thought it was just another thing in the cache to trade??)
>
> I am anti-geocache and I don't think I can be converted.
> --Amanda from Seattle
over the past few weeks, it would seem that lack of finesse,
thoughtlessness, and inconsidate behavior is not limited to
geocachers!.
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Arkebauer
> I totally understand having to hunt for geocaches in places where
> there are few letterboxes. However, I find that most geocaches are
> filled with trash. They lack the finesse of letterboxes. i.e. here
> are the coordinates find the cache. -- so folks end up tramping
over
> the landscape looking at their GPS instead of following clues and
> looking at their surroundings.
>
> I admit that when I have visited cities that have few letterboxes
I
> go over to the geocache website and see if there are any hybrid
> caches that might have a stamp in them. But even then I have been
> disappointed by caches where the stamp was missing (taken by a
cacher
> who thought it was just another thing in the cache to trade??)
>
> I am anti-geocache and I don't think I can be converted.
> --Amanda from Seattle
Re: [LbNA] geocaches
From: (mindizney@aol.com) |
Date: 2003-01-09 17:18:05 UTC-05:00
Given the acrimony and rudeness I have seen in letterbox-usa posts
over the past few weeks, it would seem that lack of finesse,
thoughtlessness, and inconsidate behavior is not limited to
geocachers!.
Most of us (I would say 95%) are not rude. I personally don't really enjoy geocaching, since the stuff in them many times are junk. (I have found two geocaches so far). I would much rather find a rubber stamp and logbook in a tupperware. That way, I can take an impression of it, and look back at it fondly and remember my hike to that particular spot.
Concerning the hybrid issue, I can understand the issue that many letterboxers would not want a hybrid. It makes it all too easy for someone to take the stamp. The whole idea of geocaching is leaving something, and taking something (once you found it) right? I would find it really annoying to have to keep carving a stamp or keep putting stamp pads etc... into a hybrid because people keep taking them.
Just my two cents
Music Woman
over the past few weeks, it would seem that lack of finesse,
thoughtlessness, and inconsidate behavior is not limited to
geocachers!.
Most of us (I would say 95%) are not rude. I personally don't really enjoy geocaching, since the stuff in them many times are junk. (I have found two geocaches so far). I would much rather find a rubber stamp and logbook in a tupperware. That way, I can take an impression of it, and look back at it fondly and remember my hike to that particular spot.
Concerning the hybrid issue, I can understand the issue that many letterboxers would not want a hybrid. It makes it all too easy for someone to take the stamp. The whole idea of geocaching is leaving something, and taking something (once you found it) right? I would find it really annoying to have to keep carving a stamp or keep putting stamp pads etc... into a hybrid because people keep taking them.
Just my two cents
Music Woman
Re: [LbNA] Re: geocaches
From: (R2D2ZDW@aol.com) |
Date: 2003-01-10 03:12:20 UTC-05:00
Hey geogaching and letter go together, sometimes they are hidden toghter!
Re: [LbNA] geocaches
From: Team Jedi (teamjedi@hotmail.com) |
Date: 2003-01-15 02:53:29 UTC-05:00
I can understand your View BUT I have to Disagree about your Statment
Note before I start:
(I am Pro Letterbox and Pro Geocaching as I enjoy them both the same)
Your Wrote:
>I find that most geocaches are filled with trash
>so folks end up tramping over
>the landscape looking at their GPS instead of following clues and >looking
>at their surroundings.
First of all, Yes some can be filled with worthless trash, BUT then again,
We have placed over 30 Geocaches, Most have about $10 worth of stuff in
them. We Also use Clear Ammo Size Containers because after 911 finding a
stray Ammo box in the woods (Well, You can guess) and the price is about a
5th of what a ammo box cost. (More money for More Stuff Inside)
We have place to date, 200+ letterboxes in 5 states. I have seen just as
much damage and in some cases much more damage by letterboxers.
Geocachers have a good Idea where the cache is and more or less because of
it's size (I.E. Ammo Box Size), It's out in the open off of the trail behind
a tree with a few limbs on top of it.
Letterboxing have stamps in containers as small as a 35mm File container
and most are in a Sandwich Container (Which is not that big) so it very rare
to ahve a big cintainer because all you are hiding is a small stamp and a
note pad and for that you don't need anything bigger.
Now you have to hide this small item or passers by would find it easy.
Because of this, Leterboxers; Kick, Move Logs, Move Stones, Root though
plants because you can hide something "that" small just about anywhere.
Also, Letterboxing "because you are trying to give clues", The boxes are
mostly on or very near the path, Which make the damage to the park "Maybe or
maybe not as bad" BUT alot more noticable.
On the other hand, I am not going to Surar Coat Geocaching as you can also
hide small things and run into the same type of park damage.
-----
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cachelog_details.asp?ID=157988&L=914577
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cachelog_details.asp?ID=126611&L=728518
These are just two pictures while out Geocaching just to show that you are
not just tramping around looking at the GPS. You can spend days on the
Geocaching Website just looking at pictures peope have uploaded of
Landscapes to and from Geocache boxes.
-----
We also have been placing Stamps in our Geocaches that we have been able
to turn into Hybrids. (9 Boxes so far not counting Sith Impossible) I put
them in a Plastic container and mark all over the box that this is a
Letterbox and not to remove (And so far they are all still in the Caches)
Below is a (link) to our Game that we started last year that is a
Geo/Letterboxing Hybrid. It's gone so well that Sith II is on it's way next
month...
It's like everything in Life. You have Good People and Bad People
so you Have Good Letterboxers and Good Geocachers and Bad letterboxers and
Geocachers.
Life goes on and on and on
Doc
Team Jedi
Sith Impossible (Hybrid Lettercache)
HTTP://Home.Fuse.Net/docman/sithimpossible.html
>From: "Amanda Arkebauer
>Reply-To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
>To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [LbNA] geocaches
>Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 04:57:37 -0000
>
>I totally understand having to hunt for geocaches in places where
>there are few letterboxes. However, I find that most geocaches are
>filled with trash. They lack the finesse of letterboxes. i.e. here
>are the coordinates find the cache. -- so folks end up tramping over
>the landscape looking at their GPS instead of following clues and
>looking at their surroundings.
>
>I admit that when I have visited cities that have few letterboxes I
>go over to the geocache website and see if there are any hybrid
>caches that might have a stamp in them. But even then I have been
>disappointed by caches where the stamp was missing (taken by a cacher
>who thought it was just another thing in the cache to trade??)
>
>I am anti-geocache and I don't think I can be converted.
>--Amanda from Seattle
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
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Re: [LbNA] geocaches
From: ontario_cacher (ontario_cacher@yahoo.ca) |
Date: 2003-01-15 21:04:05 UTC
My letterboxes are separate from (but connected to) my geocaches.
For geocachers that visit the geocache portion of my letterbox
hybrids, they'll find a take-away card (or illustrated booklet) with
low-tech instructions (no lat/long coords) to my nearby letterbox.
All my letterboxes are also posted on the letterboxing.org site (and
wesgarrison.us), pure letterboxers do not need to find the geocache to
get to the letterbox, the online instructions take them to the
letterbox only.
I've planted 3 letterboxes in the Fall and have had great feedback
from geocachers. So far I haven't had any letterboxers visit but I
hold out great hope for the future. I really enjoy both geocaching and
letterboxing for the adventure, exploration and discovery experiences.
Letterboxing adds a creative dimension, it fulfills the wannabe artist
in me.
For geocachers that visit the geocache portion of my letterbox
hybrids, they'll find a take-away card (or illustrated booklet) with
low-tech instructions (no lat/long coords) to my nearby letterbox.
All my letterboxes are also posted on the letterboxing.org site (and
wesgarrison.us), pure letterboxers do not need to find the geocache to
get to the letterbox, the online instructions take them to the
letterbox only.
I've planted 3 letterboxes in the Fall and have had great feedback
from geocachers. So far I haven't had any letterboxers visit but I
hold out great hope for the future. I really enjoy both geocaching and
letterboxing for the adventure, exploration and discovery experiences.
Letterboxing adds a creative dimension, it fulfills the wannabe artist
in me.
Re: [LbNA] geocaches
From: Suzanne Coe (wilmcoe@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2006-08-16 02:53:13 UTC-07:00
www.Geocaching.com
Candace Wied wrote: Sorry to ask if it has already been stated, but can you give a geocaches website?
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Re: [LbNA] geocaches
From: Kat Alexander (morgpie7@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2006-08-16 06:06:46 UTC-07:00
I occasionally find geocaches accidentally. I had started as a geocacher but was disappointed when most of my first boxes had no "trinkets" or even nice paper. Just some note paper rolled up with a pen. Letterboxing is way more my cup of tea but as a nice gesture I always carry around little trinkets with me. Usually nice shells or sea glass so when I find a geocache I log in and leave something for the next finder.
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