Although I haven't been letterboxing very long I look at finding HH as an
extra prize.
Happy Stamping
-----Original Message-----
From: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com [SMTP:letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 5:42 AM
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [LbNA] Digest Number 1303
There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: Randy Hall
2. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "bcostley
3. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers???
From: Silent Doug
4. Re: Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "BB"
5. Re: Digest Number 1302
From: "The Breedens (Sue,Rich,Kai and Chloe)"
6. WA: Save Soap Lake!
From: "rscarpen
7. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "dvn2rckr
8. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "dvn2rckr
9. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: Mike Schneider
10. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "rscarpen
11. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "az89a
12. Hitchhikers- Too Many? A suggestion...
From: Alafair
13. Re: Hitchhikers- Too Many? A suggestion...
From: "Nail Family
14. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "bcostley
15. Re: Hitchhikers- Too Many? A suggestion...
From: "bcostley
16. Re: It would make a cool stamp...
From: bastiality@aol.com
17. Re: geocaches
From: "Team Jedi"
18. Too Many Hitchhikers
From: paisleyorca@webtv.net
19. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers to Amanda
From: mindizney@aol.com
20. Re: DC area gathering
From: "Kristoffer J Buquet"
21. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers to Amanda
From: "Beth Houghtaling"
22. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "mothermoo2001
23. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "Janet
24. Re: another MA winter gathering update
From: "mulbie
25. Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
From: "Janet
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 22:03:15 -0500
From: Randy Hall
Subject: Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
> I know that you can just leave the hitchhiker for someone else to
> deal with, but I find that hitchhikers are the Lazy Man's letterboxes.
Which is a good point. I've always thought the world (or at least
letterboxing) would be better off if we all just ignored what we didn't
like. I mean, I ignore the "geojunk" I find in geocaches and letterboxes
(that I believe geocachers leave in them) and that seems to work out
(sorry, I just love that word, and had to find a way to use it ... I
really have nothing against geocaching, but ain't that a pretty word ...)
Of course, onto the specific point -- I wish everyone was as "lazy"
as to create something like the Hatbox Caper and the 9 hitchhikers
that are part of the bargain. It took me alot of effort to do that,
and I never considered it lazy. I really think its kinda cool, and an
example of a way to turn the putative ubiquitous hitchhiker lemons into
lemonade (putative, ubiquitous, or otherwise). As with all things,
there is the good, the bad, and the ugly (the sentence before being an
example of the "ugly"), and sometimes "in moderation" makes sense,
sometimes geojunk dilutes the beauty, but we all agree that unagi is
the best sushi.
So, thats my final answer in this thread. Can't wait to download my
mail on the morrow ;-)
Cheers
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 03:00:23 -0000
From: "bcostley
Subject: Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
I can see how if your are finding one in almost every box
then "mystic" is gone. I hear complaints of too few also. I've only
found a few but it doesn't bother me. I wonder if there is a third
group who think the number of HHs is just right. Perhaps only
Goldilocks and the bears know.
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Arkebauer
> Are there too many hitchhikers out there...I have been having
> discussions with other letterboxers (off of the board) and that
has
> been a major topic.
>
> It seems like every box we find has a hitchhiker in it.
>
> I know that you can just leave the hitchhiker for someone else to
> deal with, but I find that hitchhikers are the Lazy Man's
letterboxes.
>
> All someone has to do is get the stamp (often not even a hand
carved
> stamp!) and put it in some zip-locks with a logbook. No clues to
> write, no box to buy. Very Lazy.
>
> Forget about trashing the geocachers, let's address the flood of
> hitchhikers out there! Do we really need more???
>
> --Amanda from Seattle
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 21:59:42 -0500
From: Silent Doug
Subject: Re: Too Many Hitchhikers???
Amanda Arkebauer
>Are there too many hitchhikers out there...I have been having
>discussions with other letterboxers (off of the board) and that has
>been a major topic.
>
>It seems like every box we find has a hitchhiker in it.
I think what you're seeing is a case of geographic displacement. I did some
writing on hitchhikers on my site recently
(http://www.letterboxing.info/articles/00000010.shtml) and I figured that
as of November 2002, there were approximately 280 hitchhikers in
circulation in the United States. With more than 2,500 letterboxes in the
U.S., you ought to find a hitchhiker in every ten letterboxes you find (on
average). I expect that the average is actually lower since a number of
those hitchhikers are often in someone's backpack or sitting on their desk
for stretches of time between letterboxing excursions, and another number
are almost certainly lost since there's no way of knowing for sure if
they're still in existent. (Of course, there may also be more hitchhikers
that have never been announced publicly, as well.)
Personally, I've found 4 hitchhikers and 81 letterboxes, or half of what
you'd expect from the raw numbers. When I was in Nebraska, I found 8 boxes
(just about all of the boxes in existence in the greater Omaha/Lincoln area
at the time) and no hitchhikers; I've found 17 boxes in PA and no
hitchhikers; 12 boxes in Michigan and no hitchhikers; but 20 boxes in New
Jersey and 2 hitchhikers.
Judging from the talk on the LBNA list, lots of people have never found
hitchhikers, and they get very excited when they finally do. From that, and
from the numbers themselves, I'd
But if your neck of the woods is oversaturated with hitchhikers, then I'd
agree that it's the right thing to do for 'boxers in that area to hold off
on planting new hitchhikers, and to make an effort to move the hitchhikers
outwards, away from the epicenter of 'contamination'
of 'boxers out there who would be thrilled to find just one!
|-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-|
Silent Doug, P21 F85 X04
silentdoug@douglasgerlach.com
http://www.letterboxing.info
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 19:07:20 -0800
From: "BB"
Subject: Re: Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
Maybe we need a Hitchhiker Transport Service (HTS) to move them from West
to
East and East to West, not to mention the overseas and downunder cycle.
Are there any UPS or FedEx couriers out there?
Trial n Error
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 7:00 PM
Subject: [LbNA] Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
> I can see how if your are finding one in almost every box
> then "mystic" is gone. I hear complaints of too few also. I've only
> found a few but it doesn't bother me. I wonder if there is a third
> group who think the number of HHs is just right. Perhaps only
> Goldilocks and the bears know.
>
>
> --- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Arkebauer
>
> > Are there too many hitchhikers out there...I have been having
> > discussions with other letterboxers (off of the board) and that
> has
> > been a major topic.
> >
> > It seems like every box we find has a hitchhiker in it.
> >
> > I know that you can just leave the hitchhiker for someone else to
> > deal with, but I find that hitchhikers are the Lazy Man's
> letterboxes.
> >
> > All someone has to do is get the stamp (often not even a hand
> carved
> > stamp!) and put it in some zip-locks with a logbook. No clues to
> > write, no box to buy. Very Lazy.
> >
> > Forget about trashing the geocachers, let's address the flood of
> > hitchhikers out there! Do we really need more???
> >
> > --Amanda from Seattle
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
>
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 22:07:39 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
From: "The Breedens (Sue,Rich,Kai and Chloe)"
Subject: Re: Digest Number 1302
I'd like to address Amanda's comments about too many hitchhikers and
calling
them lazy man's boxes. I've only planted two.....of which to my knowledge
have yet to be found a single time since August. I'll admit that it was
easier to put them in a ready made box.....but the stamps I carved were
labor intensive and are well done in my opinion. I also haven't found a
single hh, maybe it is a more regional thing? Sue
[This message contained attachments]
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 04:20:05 -0000
From: "rscarpen
Subject: WA: Save Soap Lake!
I found this amusing article on the web at
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&ncid=573&e=6&cid=573&u=/nm/20030114/od_nm/lavalamp_dc
Basically, it says some folks are interested in building a 60 foot
high lava lamp in the center of downtown to help draw tourists
and 'save' the slowly diminishing town. I have to admit, I'd be a
sucker for it to. If there was a 60 foot tall lava lamp within a
hundred miles of me, I'd be on it in a heartbeat! =)
But you've got to wonder--why don't the residents hide a few dozen
letterboxes? It's a heck of a lot cheaper, and that would get me out
there as well! But you got to give them credit, they definitely
think big!
-- Ryan
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Message: 7
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 04:51:55 -0000
From: "dvn2rckr
Subject: Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
> Are there too many hitchhikers out there...
>
> It seems like every box we find has a hitchhiker in it.
I must be looking in all of the wrong boxes!!! :(
Haven't found a hitchhiker in ages...I found "Traveling Man" HH 60
letterboxes and a month and a half ago!
dvn2r ckr
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Message: 8
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 05:01:09 -0000
From: "dvn2rckr
Subject: Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "dvn2rckr
> > Are there too many hitchhikers out there...
> >
> > It seems like every box we find has a hitchhiker in it.
>
> I must be looking in all of the wrong boxes!!! :(
>
> Haven't found a hitchhiker in ages...I found "Traveling Man" HH 60
> letterboxes and a month and a half ago!
>
> dvn2r ckr
Oops--I totally forgot, I found one of my own HHs on a recent
letterboxing trip (My Favorite Things) last week. I only took it so
I could fix it at home (maintenance reasons--another reason to NOT
use Speedball's white carving medium from Michaels--it falls apart
almost instantly!!!) otherwise it would have stayed there for the
next lucky finder instead. Still need more sleep...but still
looking forward to finding other folks' hitchhikers, too! ;)
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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 21:04:27 -0800 (PST)
From: Mike Schneider
Subject: Re: Too Many Hitchhikers
Greetings,
--- "Amanda Arkebauer
> Are there too many hitchhikers out there...
I'm going to offer some help on this. The next time
you find a HH, send me an email, I'll send you my
snail mail address, and we'll turn it loose here in
New England! :-)
In about 125 finds, we've only got four hitchhikers.