In the past two weekends I have been to two gathering, my own at
Knoebels and the Pirate gathering in CT, and both times I have seen
something that has distressed me, or at least confused me.
I have been carrying a traveling event box that is basically a mystery
box that I set up on site. You hunt for several boxes with clues that
in the end lead to the stamp. It takes boxers several hours to figure
it all out as each clue in encrypted in a different way.
What I observed was Pete at both gatherings hovering over the box as
people had finally finished the last clues and figured the box out.
Yesterday he even went so far as to follow Team Safari, who had been
working out the clues for hours, and then smoozing them into giving him
the stamp.
My wondering is, has the stamp become so important that it negates the
challenge in the hunt? Further, is it worth what comes down to stealing
other's work to get?
I don't know about others, but I find great satisfaction in actually
figuring things out. That moment when you get into the mind of the
box's creator and think what he is thinking is exciting and thrilling.
As a planter, it is also a joy to see when someone realizes what you
were thinking, and figures their way through. Where is the point in
getting a box if you are not going to get to that moment first?
And working with someone to figure out a clue is one thing, but to
simply follow with no contribution in order to get the stamp is
something completely different, and I think, is wrong.
Is it just the stamp, adding one more to the "F" count, that is
important? I think the hunt is just as important, and just as enjoyable.
--
Nathan Brown
AKA Cyclonic
Penncoasters.com
Now blogging (scary thought, huh?):
http://www.penncoasters.com/tales.htm
The insensitivity rolls on...
The Challenge of the Hunt
8 messages in this thread |
Started on 2006-09-17
The Challenge of the Hunt
From: Nathan Brown (Cyclonic07@aol.com) |
Date: 2006-09-17 08:20:55 UTC-04:00
Re: [LbNA] The Challenge of the Hunt
From: (davyschris@aol.com) |
Date: 2006-09-17 08:42:42 UTC-04:00
Nathan,
As you know, I started trying to figure this one out kind of late, since I
worked the event table for the first three hours or so of the morning. I solved
a couple of the clues but then I must admit that I was frustrated that I
didn't think I could figure it out before you were planning to leave, so I gave up
for a bit. I was willing to forgo the find since I didn't think I could
crack it, but I finally did! I have to say that victory was very sweet because I
managed to follow the clues to the end, especially since I didn't intially
think that I could.
As I was stamping in, Mike from the Pointer Party came and sat next to me. I
said, "Oh, are you stamping in too?" thinking he'd solved it as well. He
said no, he hadn't actually solved it, so he wasn't going to piggyback the find.
He just wanted to see what the stamp looked like. I thought that was
downright classy of him. :)
Chrissy
As you know, I started trying to figure this one out kind of late, since I
worked the event table for the first three hours or so of the morning. I solved
a couple of the clues but then I must admit that I was frustrated that I
didn't think I could figure it out before you were planning to leave, so I gave up
for a bit. I was willing to forgo the find since I didn't think I could
crack it, but I finally did! I have to say that victory was very sweet because I
managed to follow the clues to the end, especially since I didn't intially
think that I could.
As I was stamping in, Mike from the Pointer Party came and sat next to me. I
said, "Oh, are you stamping in too?" thinking he'd solved it as well. He
said no, he hadn't actually solved it, so he wasn't going to piggyback the find.
He just wanted to see what the stamp looked like. I thought that was
downright classy of him. :)
Chrissy
Re: [LbNA] The Challenge of the Hunt
From: Team Safari (TeamSafari@msn.com) |
Date: 2006-09-17 19:52:45 UTC-04:00
Hi, Cyclonic,
This half of Team Safari helped Dan decode clues and Pete helped also. He
teamed up with us while I was still involved. I couldn't spend any more
time and energy on it because we had not actually boxed at all out of the
immediate event area and I wanted to actually get out on a trail with my
friend (who had been waiting patiently for a very long time).
Dan and Donutz were very intent on working this set of clues out, but not
me, so I went out to get a few boxes. If you are a purist and want only
those who really solved all the clues to have credit for it, you can note in
your book that only Safari Man Dan, and not me, deserves credit next to our
stamp (with Donutz'). Had we not split up, neither of us would have found
any planted boxes on the trails. That's how time consuming your clues were
for us.
Please don't be offended, but I passed on spending any more time with your
clues. I felt that I was missing way too much. The trouble with big
gatherings is that there is so much to do that you can never do everything.
It's a trade-off. I had solved PTs and wanted to find the people, but
couldn't, or they were busy, or I got involved with event boxes and missed
people, or they were involved with other things and I really try not to be a
boar. I wish we could have gone back for all the stamps we missed, but we
couldn't. I'm glad I at least got to box a while and got the kids' series!!
I like the people, the boxes, the easy stamps, the challenges. If I'd had a
few days I may have done it all.
I like the challenge of the hunt and I enjoy working out hard clues, but not
to the exclusion of all else. One of the toughest PTs I had to figure out
was just a map and a cryptogram. Dan saw me trying it and helped me work it
out, and his dad got in on it because he was intrigued. I'd share the credit
with them equally.
If I find a box by myself or with a team, mystery or otherwise, and someone
comes up and asks to stamp in next, I never ask if they went to the same
trouble I did to find it. All that matters to me is what I have done and
how I feel about my find. I would never be a letterbox cop and deny another
boxer the chance to log in. It's not my place. And if I'm at a gathering,
I have a hard enough time keeping my head and my stuff straight, never mind
policing others. I think my husband feels the same way, but if you want to
talk to him about it, I'll send you his email off list. He never reads the
groups, or looks up info on event or clues to print, but does his share of
solving and hiking with me... we are one team. We used to sign in with
separate stamps and kept separate logs but it was just a pain. We now only
use one stamp, a team stamp, when we box together, even if we split up at a
gathering. If I go off alone or box with other friends, I use an old sig
stamp and try to leave a spot next to mine for Dan to log in if he gets that
box. But that's just my way of looking at it and doing things. If other
couples or groups signed in for each other, I couldn't care less.
I can't say anything about what happened in the end when Dan finished your
box. I would like to ask you to please take it up with whomever you are
upset and not with the entire board. It's potentially hurtful and causes bad
feelings spreading out like water ripples and it makes some people
uncomfortable enough to not even read this list anymore. I hope you can
resolve any confusion or personal issues with this, and continue to be a
contributing member of the letterboxing community. Please contact me (us)
off list if you want to discuss this further.
Yours in 'boxing,
Mary
Team Safari
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nathan Brown"
To:
Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2006 8:20 AM
Subject: [LbNA] The Challenge of the Hunt
> In the past two weekends I have been to two gathering, my own at
> Knoebels and the Pirate gathering in CT, and both times I have seen
> something that has distressed me, or at least confused me.
This half of Team Safari helped Dan decode clues and Pete helped also. He
teamed up with us while I was still involved. I couldn't spend any more
time and energy on it because we had not actually boxed at all out of the
immediate event area and I wanted to actually get out on a trail with my
friend (who had been waiting patiently for a very long time).
Dan and Donutz were very intent on working this set of clues out, but not
me, so I went out to get a few boxes. If you are a purist and want only
those who really solved all the clues to have credit for it, you can note in
your book that only Safari Man Dan, and not me, deserves credit next to our
stamp (with Donutz'). Had we not split up, neither of us would have found
any planted boxes on the trails. That's how time consuming your clues were
for us.
Please don't be offended, but I passed on spending any more time with your
clues. I felt that I was missing way too much. The trouble with big
gatherings is that there is so much to do that you can never do everything.
It's a trade-off. I had solved PTs and wanted to find the people, but
couldn't, or they were busy, or I got involved with event boxes and missed
people, or they were involved with other things and I really try not to be a
boar. I wish we could have gone back for all the stamps we missed, but we
couldn't. I'm glad I at least got to box a while and got the kids' series!!
I like the people, the boxes, the easy stamps, the challenges. If I'd had a
few days I may have done it all.
I like the challenge of the hunt and I enjoy working out hard clues, but not
to the exclusion of all else. One of the toughest PTs I had to figure out
was just a map and a cryptogram. Dan saw me trying it and helped me work it
out, and his dad got in on it because he was intrigued. I'd share the credit
with them equally.
If I find a box by myself or with a team, mystery or otherwise, and someone
comes up and asks to stamp in next, I never ask if they went to the same
trouble I did to find it. All that matters to me is what I have done and
how I feel about my find. I would never be a letterbox cop and deny another
boxer the chance to log in. It's not my place. And if I'm at a gathering,
I have a hard enough time keeping my head and my stuff straight, never mind
policing others. I think my husband feels the same way, but if you want to
talk to him about it, I'll send you his email off list. He never reads the
groups, or looks up info on event or clues to print, but does his share of
solving and hiking with me... we are one team. We used to sign in with
separate stamps and kept separate logs but it was just a pain. We now only
use one stamp, a team stamp, when we box together, even if we split up at a
gathering. If I go off alone or box with other friends, I use an old sig
stamp and try to leave a spot next to mine for Dan to log in if he gets that
box. But that's just my way of looking at it and doing things. If other
couples or groups signed in for each other, I couldn't care less.
I can't say anything about what happened in the end when Dan finished your
box. I would like to ask you to please take it up with whomever you are
upset and not with the entire board. It's potentially hurtful and causes bad
feelings spreading out like water ripples and it makes some people
uncomfortable enough to not even read this list anymore. I hope you can
resolve any confusion or personal issues with this, and continue to be a
contributing member of the letterboxing community. Please contact me (us)
off list if you want to discuss this further.
Yours in 'boxing,
Mary
Team Safari
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nathan Brown"
To:
Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2006 8:20 AM
Subject: [LbNA] The Challenge of the Hunt
> In the past two weekends I have been to two gathering, my own at
> Knoebels and the Pirate gathering in CT, and both times I have seen
> something that has distressed me, or at least confused me.
Re: [LbNA] The Challenge of the Hunt
From: Poison Ivy (poizniv@gmail.com) |
Date: 2006-09-19 00:21:08 UTC
>My wondering is, has the stamp become so important that it negates the
challenge in the hunt?<
It's all about the kill, baby.
You can't stuff and hang the hunt
on the wall in the drawing room.
challenge in the hunt?<
It's all about the kill, baby.
You can't stuff and hang the hunt
on the wall in the drawing room.
Re: The Challenge of the Hunt
From: matthewsabin (matthew@sabin.com) |
Date: 2006-09-19 00:36:47 UTC
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Poison Ivy" wrote:
>
> ...
> It's all about the kill, baby.
> You can't stuff and hang the hunt
> on the wall in the drawing room.
>
Sure you can. My daughter and I have several great photos of each
other from hunts which never resulted in finds -- sometimes we
misunderstood the clues, sometimes the box had been vandalized or just
gone.
(I hope you were being toung-in-cheek, but we're having so much fun
just hunting, the prize seems almost immaterial)
--Matthew [gaffer of gaffer and citsy]
>
> ...
> It's all about the kill, baby.
> You can't stuff and hang the hunt
> on the wall in the drawing room.
>
Sure you can. My daughter and I have several great photos of each
other from hunts which never resulted in finds -- sometimes we
misunderstood the clues, sometimes the box had been vandalized or just
gone.
(I hope you were being toung-in-cheek, but we're having so much fun
just hunting, the prize seems almost immaterial)
--Matthew [gaffer of gaffer and citsy]
Re: [LbNA] The Challenge of the Hunt
From: John Chapman (john@johnsblog.com) |
Date: 2006-09-18 21:13:34 UTC-04:00
IMO, the hunt is the cake and the find is the icing. Both are sweet!
Choi
----- Original Message -----
From: Poison Ivy
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 20:21
Subject: Re: [LbNA] The Challenge of the Hunt
>My wondering is, has the stamp become so important that it negates the
challenge in the hunt?<
It's all about the kill, baby.
You can't stuff and hang the hunt
on the wall in the drawing room.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Choi
----- Original Message -----
From: Poison Ivy
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 20:21
Subject: Re: [LbNA] The Challenge of the Hunt
>My wondering is, has the stamp become so important that it negates the
challenge in the hunt?<
It's all about the kill, baby.
You can't stuff and hang the hunt
on the wall in the drawing room.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: The Challenge of the Hunt
From: mizscarlet731 (mizscarlet731@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2006-09-19 12:35:39 UTC
-
A box is like a gift you give, we can only put so many srings on the gift. Some will choose
to honor our wishes and some will ignore them.
Images are very important to me and I have images of boxes I haven't found. I don't claim
them as finds, most of these I hope to find and then move to find catagory, others I have
no hope of. I also don't advertise my count. I've also tagged along on hunts that I had no
chance of finding the box myself, a certain Mapsurfer box comes to mind.
It an individual game and we all play a little differently. People who don't play with
integreity are only cheating themselves.
> Is it just the stamp, adding one more to the "F" count, that is
> important? I think the hunt is just as important, and just as enjoyable.
> --
> Nathan Brown
>
> AKA Cyclonic
> Penncoasters.com
>
> Now blogging (scary thought, huh?):
> http://www.penncoasters.com/tales.htm
>
> The insensitivity rolls on...
>
A box is like a gift you give, we can only put so many srings on the gift. Some will choose
to honor our wishes and some will ignore them.
Images are very important to me and I have images of boxes I haven't found. I don't claim
them as finds, most of these I hope to find and then move to find catagory, others I have
no hope of. I also don't advertise my count. I've also tagged along on hunts that I had no
chance of finding the box myself, a certain Mapsurfer box comes to mind.
It an individual game and we all play a little differently. People who don't play with
integreity are only cheating themselves.
> Is it just the stamp, adding one more to the "F" count, that is
> important? I think the hunt is just as important, and just as enjoyable.
> --
> Nathan Brown
>
> AKA Cyclonic
> Penncoasters.com
>
> Now blogging (scary thought, huh?):
> http://www.penncoasters.com/tales.htm
>
> The insensitivity rolls on...
>
Re: [LbNA] The Challenge of the Hunt
From: Susan Johnson (susan@kuku.org) |
Date: 2006-09-19 17:43:15 UTC
"if I'm at a gathering, I have a hard enough time keeping my head and
my stuff straight"
Amen to that! How many of us can say, having been at a gathering and
doing exchanges, that we have never accidentally stamped our signature
stamp in our book? I haven't yet, but have almost done so.
Course, I use a spiral journal, so I can rip on the page and you'll
never know. . .
KuKu
my stuff straight"
Amen to that! How many of us can say, having been at a gathering and
doing exchanges, that we have never accidentally stamped our signature
stamp in our book? I haven't yet, but have almost done so.
Course, I use a spiral journal, so I can rip on the page and you'll
never know. . .
KuKu