Ryan makes the very important point that Letterboxing
can be deadly...

But I just checked the statistics about places people
get killed or injured...and he's right, hikers do die
in the wild..sure...

BUT.... THE most deadly place for Americans is in
their bathroom !

THE place that most accidents occur by far !! is IN
THE BATHROOM...

Seems to me the solution is obvious..for safety sake
...Heck I'm not gonna wash no more !

Oh and the first item on my "what to take on a
letterboxing trip" ... I borrow my neighbours luxury
equipped "2006 Itasca Horizon Winnebego"...with
Jacuzzi hot tub(I'll risk it!) , plasma TV, 5+1
channel surround sound and fully stocked wet
bar...makes the stresses of Letterboxing just that
"little" more bearable!

Sigh....we adventurers all !

Heartland

PS.."cutting off my arm" !!! peeeuuuuuu ... "Not
me Jose !"

...............................................

Ryan Writes:

Got your attention, didn't I? =)

But seriously.... Silent Doug's comment about "These
are all
heartbreaking stories, and I'd be very happy to not
hear another one
in my lifetime...." I think we can all agree with that
sentiment, but
there is a particularly scary slant to consider:

Someone will eventually die while letterboxing. Not
BECAUSE of
letterboxing, but while letterboxing.

Yes, it will happen. Not if, but when.

Anything you do that has more than a non-zero chance
of death (which,
let's face it, is anything you do--including doing
nothing!) will
EVENTUALLY cause a death. It's a number game,
essentially. Hikers die
every year out in the wild. So far, it's never
happened to a
letterboxer, but there are FAR more hikers than
letterboxers in the
general public. The numbers just haven't caught up
with us--yet.

So look at what does kill or seriously injure people
in the wild who
aren't letterboxing, because those are the same issues
letterboxers
face. Even if you're an urban boxer, there are still
risks--car
accidents, muggings, drive-by shootings, etc. Just
sitting at home and
knitting puts you at risk of a meteorite shooting
through your roof
and killing you.

There's not much you can do about meteors falling
through your roof
short of living in an underground bunker (which has
its own risks
anyhow!), but here's the thing: Most of those
incidents you hear about
on the news--lost hikers, hypothermia, drownings, and
such are
preventable. Pay attention to your surroundings, use a
little common
sense, don't push yourself past your abilities, and
don't take silly,
unnecessary risks. Nothing is more important than your
own safety, so
remember that first and formost. No letterbox is worth
endangering
yourself.

Be safe--don't become a statistic.

-- Ryan



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