My Valley Forge letterbox has been vandalized. I have moved
the box to a less-likely-to-be-stumbled-upon location and
have made minor changes to the map, which are below. This
replaces the old Valley Forge letterbox map (Dan, if you could
update when you get a chance).
In other news, happy new year to all :-)
Randy "the mapsurfer"
------------------------------------------------------------------
BOX: Valley Forge #1
LOCATION: Valley Forge Nat'l Historical Park, Chester
County, PA.
DIFFICULTY: **
DATE/NUMBER: 29-Aug-98/1
MAP: Look for a pointer about 3333 feet north of the
memorial arch. It doesn't point to the Box, unfortunately,
but man, you should at least find water. With soldiers
behind you, look for the right pines, which are taller yet
much more difficult to see than the wrong pines. From the
center of this grove, go to the small presidents' abode,
by following a bearing of 260 degrees from magnetic north.
>From the basement door, follow continue on 260 degree bearing
to the tip of the woods. Thence, 22 degrees for 22 paces will
lead you to the box under a pile of deadwood.
DISCLAIMER: HUNT THIS LETTERBOX AT YOUR OWN RISK. Hunting this
and any letterbox involves general risks and risks specific to
letterboxing; hiking outdoors involves various risks, and there
are unsafe areas of Valley Forge Nat'l Historical Park. These
risks are compounded by the possibility of getting lost,
misinterpreting clues, or making bad route choices. Consider
consulting a park ranger or a map at the visitor's center before
hunting. Do not hunt this letterbox without reading and agreeing
to the Letterboxing USA waiver first. Children, do not hunt this
or any letterbox without the supervision of an adult.
NOTE 1: Off-trail walking is involved, although it is possible to
do most of it on mowed trails and paved roads. Proficiency with a
compass is needed.
NOTE 2: There is an wooded area north of the arch where a maintenance
area is. Do not attempt to go through the woods in this area. There
is a paved road/parking lot that runs right east of the maintenance
building, indicated by a "Maint. Area" sign.
NOTE 3: Valley Forge park is a great place to spend the day walking,
biking, or picnicking. Also, there are many deer in the park, best
viewing is sunrise, sunset, and on dreary days.
NOTE 4: Please re-hide the thing well were you found it. This area of
the park gets alot of visitors.
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changes to valley forge letterbox map
6 messages in this thread |
Started on 1998-12-29
[L-USA] changes to valley forge letterbox map
From: Randy Hall (malenkai@bee.net) |
Date: 1998-12-29 21:53:12 UTC-04:00
[L-USA] Re: changes to valley forge letterbox map
From: Marty Chamberlain (martyc@cyberdude.com) |
Date: 1998-12-30 12:27:59 UTC-05:00
At 09:53 PM 12/29/98 -0400, Randy wrote:
>My Valley Forge letterbox has been vandalized.
The scum! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
>I have moved
>the box to a less-likely-to-be-stumbled-upon location and
>have made minor changes to the map, which are below.
I'm still trying to get down to search for the Valley Forge box. Thanks
for replacing/moving the box. I stall have a "local" box to find!
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>My Valley Forge letterbox has been vandalized.
The scum! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
>I have moved
>the box to a less-likely-to-be-stumbled-upon location and
>have made minor changes to the map, which are below.
I'm still trying to get down to search for the Valley Forge box. Thanks
for replacing/moving the box. I stall have a "local" box to find!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[L-USA] Re: changes to valley forge letterbox map
From: erik/susan davis (davisarc@wcvt.com) |
Date: 1998-12-30 18:21:20 UTC-08:00
Randy -
Bummer -
Was the box destroyed totally, including stamp?
Lets' hope this is a random act of lunacy and not somethng larger.
Erik D.
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Bummer -
Was the box destroyed totally, including stamp?
Lets' hope this is a random act of lunacy and not somethng larger.
Erik D.
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[L-USA] Re: changes to valley forge letterbox map
From: Randy Hall (randy@mapsurfer.com) |
Date: 1998-12-30 22:22:20 UTC-04:00
erik/susan davis wrote:
> Was the box destroyed totally, including stamp?
The stamp was gone and the box was left in the open.
Fortunately it was a rather simple stamp and I had
the original pencil drawing still, so I was
able to make another one (if you call what I do making
stamps :-)).
> Lets' hope this is a random act of lunacy and not somethng larger.
Well, the park is pretty heavily visited, so I imagine that it
was random. Lesson learned: hide it better :) I'll definitely
be making the hiding places more remote, and the clues harder
(because I personally have a preference for challenging clues anyway).
The problem is that the parks in this area are small and heavily
visited, but this can be worked around with a little creativity
and a little travel. Also, Valley Forge is such a beautiful place,
even though a bit crowded, so I had to try one there. It was also
an appealing place because its a 10 minute drive from where I work,
so I could check on it at lunch, it being the first one and all...
later,
Randy "the mapsurfer"
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> Was the box destroyed totally, including stamp?
The stamp was gone and the box was left in the open.
Fortunately it was a rather simple stamp and I had
the original pencil drawing still, so I was
able to make another one (if you call what I do making
stamps :-)).
> Lets' hope this is a random act of lunacy and not somethng larger.
Well, the park is pretty heavily visited, so I imagine that it
was random. Lesson learned: hide it better :) I'll definitely
be making the hiding places more remote, and the clues harder
(because I personally have a preference for challenging clues anyway).
The problem is that the parks in this area are small and heavily
visited, but this can be worked around with a little creativity
and a little travel. Also, Valley Forge is such a beautiful place,
even though a bit crowded, so I had to try one there. It was also
an appealing place because its a 10 minute drive from where I work,
so I could check on it at lunch, it being the first one and all...
later,
Randy "the mapsurfer"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[L-USA] Re: changes to valley forge letterbox map
From: Thom Cheney (tcgrafx@imagina.com) |
Date: 1998-12-30 19:53:51 UTC-08:00
Randy Hall wrote:
>
> Well, the park is pretty heavily visited, so I imagine that it
> was random. Lesson learned: hide it better :) I'll definitely
> be making the hiding places more remote, and the clues harder
> (because I personally have a preference for challenging clues anyway).
Randy... sorry to hear about your l-box. I was worried about Rock Creek
#1 for the longest time because of the heavy use the area sees. Since I
moved it (the old location is at present under 4' of water), I am more
confident that it will stay where it is even though it is RIGHT next to
the main trail. (NOTE: IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO HUNT FOR ROCK CREEK #1
STOP READING HERE!!!)
The spot I chose is in a hollow tree. The hollow was so deep that I
didn't think I could drop the box into it and be able to retrieve it
later. I solved this by drilling a small hole in the rim of the
tupperware container (not the lid nor through the body of the
container). I tied a 2' length of 20# fishing monofilament with a good
blood knot. At the other end of the line I attached (using a similar
knot) a wood plug I whittled from a twig. It doesn't have to be
anything fancy, but it should blend in with the background & have some
kind of groove so the fishing line won't slip off. On location, I drop
the letterbox into the hole and hook the plug over a small branch
growing nearby. You might want to scout your intended spot before
snipping your fishing line to any length. Anyway, my box is suspended
in the hole of this tree below eye level. The line is noticeable only
by close scrutiny & there is enough understory growing up around it that
actually getting to the letterbox is more of a challenge than the clues.
This is how I solved my problem.... good luck with yours!!!
--
Thom Cheney
tcgrafx... among other things
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>
> Well, the park is pretty heavily visited, so I imagine that it
> was random. Lesson learned: hide it better :) I'll definitely
> be making the hiding places more remote, and the clues harder
> (because I personally have a preference for challenging clues anyway).
Randy... sorry to hear about your l-box. I was worried about Rock Creek
#1 for the longest time because of the heavy use the area sees. Since I
moved it (the old location is at present under 4' of water), I am more
confident that it will stay where it is even though it is RIGHT next to
the main trail. (NOTE: IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO HUNT FOR ROCK CREEK #1
STOP READING HERE!!!)
The spot I chose is in a hollow tree. The hollow was so deep that I
didn't think I could drop the box into it and be able to retrieve it
later. I solved this by drilling a small hole in the rim of the
tupperware container (not the lid nor through the body of the
container). I tied a 2' length of 20# fishing monofilament with a good
blood knot. At the other end of the line I attached (using a similar
knot) a wood plug I whittled from a twig. It doesn't have to be
anything fancy, but it should blend in with the background & have some
kind of groove so the fishing line won't slip off. On location, I drop
the letterbox into the hole and hook the plug over a small branch
growing nearby. You might want to scout your intended spot before
snipping your fishing line to any length. Anyway, my box is suspended
in the hole of this tree below eye level. The line is noticeable only
by close scrutiny & there is enough understory growing up around it that
actually getting to the letterbox is more of a challenge than the clues.
This is how I solved my problem.... good luck with yours!!!
--
Thom Cheney
tcgrafx... among other things
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[L-USA] Re: changes to valley forge letterbox map
From: Daniel Servatius (elf@pclink.com) |
Date: 1999-01-01 22:30:27 UTC-06:00
Randy Hall wrote:
> My Valley Forge letterbox has been vandalized. I have moved
> the box to a less-likely-to-be-stumbled-upon location and
> have made minor changes to the map, which are below. This
> replaces the old Valley Forge letterbox map (Dan, if you could
> update when you get a chance).
>
> In other news, happy new year to all :-)
These changes have been posted to the site Randy (and all potential
PA letterbox searchers).
- Dan
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> My Valley Forge letterbox has been vandalized. I have moved
> the box to a less-likely-to-be-stumbled-upon location and
> have made minor changes to the map, which are below. This
> replaces the old Valley Forge letterbox map (Dan, if you could
> update when you get a chance).
>
> In other news, happy new year to all :-)
These changes have been posted to the site Randy (and all potential
PA letterbox searchers).
- Dan
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