Welcome, Oak of the Golden Dream
Sometimes boxes just decided to go their own way. Sometimes even being
sure you are right there, you might miss the spot. I did one this
summer and upon realize it was in a flood plain and looking around for
it, I did email the placer that I thought it was gone and her comment
back was "sometimes logs will keep something hidden" - sure enough the
next time I was there, the prize was under a log I had been standing on
to look "above the floodline". Don't give up.

The first box I went after, I walked 1.5 miles too far. Why? just
missed a simple turn and then the rest "looked right". Also, I usually
only find 8 in 10 boxes I go looking for. Some are gone and some I just
have to return and look more carefully.

I have so much fun with letterboxing and hope you do, too. I even
recruit kids to go with me.

LindaFay

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Carol Ring"
wrote:


Hi Carol
Welcome to Letterboxing. I have sliced up your post and hopefully
can give you some answers. First, since you are looking for a
letterbox in Santa Clarita, I'm assuming that you live somewhat
nearby. There are two chatlists for California, which I've listed at
the end, along with a newletterboxer chat list. Sometimes local
knowledge can help out in your searches.
>
> Hello,
> I am knew to letterboxing. My family and I went on our first hunt
and are
> pretty sure we found the site. We did not find the letterbox
however.

This letterbox "Oak of a Golden Dream" was planted over one year ago
by a fairly new planter. Gwen & I found it last July after others
listed a few attempts with not much success. When we found it we
realized that we had taken the opposite trail and just figured out
the clues backward.The clues seemed a little off and not really well
defined. The real problems you had with the clues are; #1 it was
planted by a new letterboxer and #2 It was attempted to be found by
a new letterboxer(you). I'm not being critical it is just that many
times new letterboxers have difficulty in planting as well as
finding.

My
> children were very disappointed.

That is part of letterboxing. As in life you will not be 100%
successful in letterboxing and this can be truly great learning
experiences for children. Your next find will be ever so much
sweeter.

I tried to contact the placer but have not
> heard back (3 weeks ago). Since this letterbox was placed a year
ago could
> it be inactive or missing? How do you know the last time someone
found it?

There is a little green flag on the right hand side of the listing
for clues in LA. Click on that and you should have the listed
history.


> I spoke to a park ranger and they said the let the letterboxes
stay there a
> little while and then they clean up the trails.

Please, please do not talk to park rangers about letterboxes. While
there probably was a request made to the contolling agency by the
letterboxer, this ranger may not have been aware of the box,or the
permission and may decide to take it upon themselves to remove the
letterbox.

Does someone monitor these
> placements from time to time to see if they are still there and
active?

The Placer should, but sometimes placers drop out of letterboxing.

Are
> old or inactive placements taken off the letterboxing.org site?

Unfortunately there is no real mechanism to do so, and just because
a letterbox has not been found recently or ever for that matter,
that doesn't necessarily mean that it is missing.
Here is my suggestion for your future searches. Look over the
listing of clues in your area and try to pick a letterbox that has
been planted by someone that has a few plants under their belt. In
the LA area you will find some great boxes by Buzzard,Q,
Geishagirl,and several others that have quite a few plants. We keep
all of ours(Don & Gwen)pretty much up to date, but most of them
require a trip to Kernville or Seal Beach.

Here are the listings for the various chatlists I previously
mentioned. Good luck in your new found hobby.

Don

newboxers' group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/newboxers/
Where there is no dumb question, and is "the" place for many
newletterboxers.

California Chat Lists
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LbNCA

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letterboxing-socal

--- LindaFay wrote:

> The first box I went after, I walked 1.5 miles too
> far. Why? just missed a simple turn and then the
rest "looked
> right". Also, I usually only find 8 in 10 boxes I
go looking > for. Some are gone and some I just have
to return and look > more carefully.



*****Isn't it funny how often things really, really
seem like they fit the clues, and yet they are dead
wrong? When I can't find a box, I try to backtrack
and wipe out what I "think" the clues are telling me
and relook around me to see if I could be overlooking
the real clues - or jumping the gun and
misinterpreting the clues.

Still though, sometimes a box is just missing - but I
have found that I was wrong more often than the box
was really missing.

Lucy



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This was my first letterbox back in May of this year. I read an
article about letterboxing, and the activity seemed like it would be
a lot of fun. So I used this box as a test run while I had some free
time during a business trip to the area. Little did I know how much
fun. I am nearing 300 finds and only the snow has been able to slow
me down (I am from Massachusetts).

The "Oak of the Golden Dream" took me two attempts. Placerita Canyon
was subject to the wild fires a couple years ago and worst yet, the
rains you had in Dec 04 and Jan 05 that caused all of the mudslides,
caused significant damage to this area. Some of the trails were
washed out. In addition to what Don said about new placers and new
boxers, the damage made it a little difficult following the clues as
well.

Try one of the others in the Santa Clatita area. "Central Park" is a
nice area but one of the two boxes may be missing. "Outdoor Ed" has
been verified recently and "It's All About the Kids" is new so you
may end up being the first finders.

In any case, I will be back in the area in mid January and if I get
a chance I will go to Placerita Canyon to check on the Oak of the
Golden Dream. Once you know where it is a return trip is very easy.

Happy Hunting,
Lundy and Vickster

Hello Carol... it looks like you are getting some excellent advice
re your question! I wanted to add my Welcome to Letterboxing and
share my first experiences. I think it took me about four outings
before I finally found my first letterbox. That first find was a
real thrill made even more so by my early difficulty. There are lots
of them missing... this is true... but also after you start finding
a few you develop a knack for the conventions... and it gets easier
to find them... of course some people are better at placing them and
writing clues then others.... don't get discouraged... follow the
advice of the letterboxers in your area... go after the boxes that
have recently been confirmed as "active"... there are more active
letterboxes then you can ever find... because as soon as you "clear"
an area... someone will come along and plant another great series!



--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Carol Ring"
wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I am knew to letterboxing. My family and I went on our first hunt
and are
> pretty sure we found the site. We did not find the letterbox
however. My
> children were very disappointed. I tried to contact the placer but
have not
> heard back (3 weeks ago). Since this letterbox was placed a year
ago could
> it be inactive or missing? How do you know the last time someone
found it?
> I spoke to a park ranger and they said the let the letterboxes
stay there a
> little while and then they clean up the trails. Does someone
monitor these
> placements from time to time to see if they are still there and
active? Are
> old or inactive placements taken off the letterboxing.org site?
Thanks for
> your help. This is what we tried to find. Great clues and lots of
fun
> though!
>
> Oak of the Golden Dream
> Placed by: Parrrot Head jmo (Contact the Placer) Placement date:
Jan 22 2005
> State: California County: Los Angeles Nearest city: Santa Clarita
Number of
> boxes: 1
>