While I'm also in the "don't-give-a-damn-about-numbers" camp, I certainly understand how this can be an intriguing aspect of the hobby for some people. Somewhere in the early history of this hobby, one of us said something to the effect of "there are no rules". This statement has come back to haunt us all, but I believe the original intention was to make the point that we hoped the hobby would mean many different things to different people. And, for some people, the goal of the hobby is to find as many boxes in as little time as possible. If that's what "trips your trigger" then I salute you and wish you the best in your endeavors. Personally, it's not my style of letterboxing, but that's just me.

In the past week, I have enjoyed some of the best days of my life. Raqs and I were able, at the last minute, to make a trip to West Dover, Vermont for the "Back to Our Roots" event. I spent most of Friday and Saturday making new friends and finally getting a chance to meet some of the people I've known for many years, albeit only through online communications. It was a weekend I will never forget!On Saturday afternoon, we did finally manage to hit the trail with a group of friends and successfully located 12 absolutely amazing letterboxes!

On Sunday, Raqs and I drove to Killington, Vermont. This is the place where the first full-fledged letterboxing gathering took place, so I've always wanted to explore the area. There were several letterboxes there, but we picked one, in particular, that we wanted to visit. It turned into a grand adventure involving a torrential downpour. We found shelter in the shadow of an overhanging boulder, only to realize that we were practically standing on top of the letterbox. While the storm raged around us, we stamped in under the protective cover of Mother Nature. That was the only letterbox we even attempted to find that day, but it was an experience I will remember forever.

Monday was also a one-box day for us. We drove into Bristol, VT, to find the infamous Prayer Rock letterbox. This box has been a lifetime goal for me, so it was a thrill to finally go there. While we were there, we went shopping in Bristol, got to see a nearby waterfall area, and made our way to the top of the Lincoln Gap. We also had a chance encounter with a long-time friend, which was a moment I will treasure all my life!

I realize there is a lot of controversy surrounding Prayer Rock. Some people, myself included, claim that this is the first American letterbox, but not all agree. My friend Erik, who planted the box, didn't want it to be controversial, so he openly conceded to allow another letterbox to be listed as the first letterbox. And, for the most part, I have respected his wishes and kept my mouth shut since his death.

But, you know, I've been in the loop for a long time. I was letterboxing and communicating with fellow letterboxers before any other active letterboxer in America. When I read statements that reduce the significance of Prayer Rock down to the level of a simple drive-by, I have a hard time keeping quiet, because I know for a fact that Prayer Rock predated any other US letterbox (unless you count the Valley Quest boxes). I also know that there were some glitches in the clue-writing process, and that the date listed as the planting date for Prayer Rock is actually the date that the clues were ironed out, not the actual date that the box was planted (which was almost a month earlier).

But, who cares? The point is that it's a place I respect and a place I was honored to visit. Prayer Rock is one of several boxes that helped start this hobby and I wanted to go there... just as I hope to someday visit the sites of such treasures as Tom Cooch's Rolling Rock Letterbox, Mapsurfer's Eastern Shore Treasure Map, the Max Patch box and many others.

So, while I respect anyone's desire to find the most letterboxes ever and make a name for themselves in that manner, I hope newcomers to the hobby can see that's not the ONLY way to enjoy the hobby. Some of my best letterboxing adventures have involved no more than one find per day.

It's not that I move all that slow or have difficulty finding the boxes. It's just that I like to take my time and enjoy the places where my travels have taken me. To each his or her own, but I would much rather spend an entire day taking in the full experience of a special place, capping the day off with a single letterbox find, rather than running from place to place trying to get as many boxes as I can as quickly as possible.

I don't know how many boxes I've visited, or even exactly how many I've planted. I just know that my life has been enriched because of letterboxing. Thank you all for your contributions to the hobby! And, special congratulations to Wanda for her amazing accomplishment.

Enjoy life... it will be over before you're ready.
--Der Mad Stamper