Letterbox Spot: Treaty Oak

Until this past weekend, I had never been to Clemson.  Clemson is known for Clemson University, home of the Tigers.  College ball is a big deal down here, and the two main contending forces in this part of the state are the Clemson Tigers versus the USC Gamecocks.  Whole families have been known to disown members over this...

You think I'm kidding?  I am not.

Well, maybe wholly 'disown' is a stretch.  But they make license plates that say "A House Divided" for families that have both types of fans in them.

Anyway...

Mom looked up some of the best letterboxes out in Clemson (home of Figureeight, the gentleman who organized and ran the Paris Mountain letterboxing event we attended in September).  She compiled a list of clues, and off we drove!

Clemson University is a large, sprawling campus, covering acres including an extensive botanical garden, a golf course, and several historical markers.

Mom and I visited the historic marker for Fort Rutledge, strolled out along the dike of Lake Hartwell, and then out to the site where Andrew Pickens' house used to stand.  (He was one of the people Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson's character) in the movie The Patriot was based upon.)

We ended out letterboxing foray with a quick hike up to the Treaty Oak Monument, honoring Hopewell and the Indian treaties signed there.

We parked by the historical marker.

The beginning of the trail was nearby, and we were glad we came in the off-season; the beaches are said to be pretty popular with the college kids in warmer weather.

The other side of the sign, detailing the location

of the actual monument, where we were headed.

The local Boy Scout chapter had done a lot of work to clean up the path; the hike was beautiful and we had perfect weather.

The unearthed plaque in memory of the Hopewell estate.

This is the actual site known as the Treaty Oak Monument.  It has four of these unique structures, and the clue referred to them as "the four points".  In the middle is the carefully-protected Treaty Oak sapling.

But enough sightseeing!  We had a letterbox to find!  I had my compass out (some of the clue depended on general directions, and I am no good at naturally knowing that kind of thing) and Mom went off to find the appropriate beech tree.

The beech tree in question was said to have "Tim & Sabrina" carved into it; the age of the carving has eliminated half of the names.

Let's hope they're still doing well, whoever they are.

Some Muggle kids came up for about five minutes, so we tried to look tourist-y and "read" the sign at the location a few more times.  As soon as they were gone, I dashed back to the tree and went on with the search (no spoilers!).

We then hiked back the way we came in search of a Bonus Box!

A bonus box is a letterbox who's clue is located inside another letterbox, and usually gives directions from the first letterbox to the bonus box.  In this case, there were small, laminated cards.  We took one, and off we went!

If you're thinking about letterboxing down in my neck of the woods, definitely check out the amazing carves and plants Figureeight has done.  Well worth your time!  Mom and I have never been disappointed.

Later!

Letterbox Spot: St. John in the Wilderness

And now, a break in crochet news for some letterboxing!

Mom came down to visit after spending time with my brother, sister-in-law, and baby nephew in Kentucky.

Because my Virginia plans fell through this weekend, we were able to drive up to North Carolina and visit with Grandma Dottie!  On the way, though, despite the drizzling rain and fog on the mountain highways, we stopped for a couple of drive-by letterboxes in Flat Rock.

Days Gone By was planted by Tiggermama, and her clue said very specifically to bring a camera.  I did, and I was not disappointed!

(Please keep in mind that I will never quit my day job to be a photographer.)

St. John in the Wilderness is a beautiful church with a simple, elegant terraced cemetery surrounding.  Every plot was draped in ivy and moss, with the old gravemarkers darkened by rain.  The gray, misty weather gave a silent serenity to the entire small graveyard.

The entrance; driveway to the left.

The letterbox clues were fairly straight-forward, but I spent more time tourist-ing than following clues...I turned around a lot and retraced my steps quite a bit.

The paths were so well-kept, even in spite of the autumn leaves. 

I've always been intrigued by unique gravestones.

Following the clue, the path turned right, and I followed, finally getting a look at the church itself.

The terraced plots were so simple and lovely.

I paused for a picture of a leaf on one of the paving stones.

If I were given to haiku, perhaps I would write one about this leaf.

At last, I found the key grave of note in the cemetery: Christopher Memminger and his family.  Memminger was the first Secretary of the Treasury of the Confederate States of America.  This plot acted as the beginning of the true letterbox hunt.

Someone has kept the Confederate flag flying in memoriam.

Of course, I got distracted by the Narnia-esque lamppost I found:

Mr. Tumnus, where are you when I need you?

I headed towards the back of the graveyard, and came upon the stone-cut roses mentioned in the clue:

Trying to capture the intricacy of the carving.

My close-ups need work...

I had a hard time tracking down the last part of the clue, because I am unfamiliar with stonemasonry and other carving techniques.  I was sure I had to look for a particular type of cross...not the name on the cross.

Coming upon my final marker in the clue.

I was so fortunate the rain hadn't washed out the name.

Close-up of the detail on the center of the cross.

I successfully obtained the letterbox at this point (no spoilers!), and headed back towards the car, where Mom was waiting, safe and dry.  I took the driveway back, and paused to click a few more pictures on the way.

Twin mossy crosses.

The unique cross from the other side, heading back toward the beginning.

There are more letterbox escapades, but not as many pictures with such a serene quality.  I'll do a separate post later this week, to keep up my "blog every day in December" goal!

Thanks for reading!

Your Introduction to Letterboxing!

Special Announcement:  I love to letterbox!

And now that you're all looking at me like I'm crazy...

Letterboxing is sort of like geocaching, but without the technical expertise of being able to use a GPS.  I started letterboxing with my mom last year in November.

Not ringing a bell?  

Okay, letterboxing is real world treasure hunting, using unique stamps and logbooks to track your finds.

How to Start Letterboxing

It starts out on AtlasQuest.com or LBNA.com.  These places house a database full of clues you can print out according to a multitude of search criteria.  Creating a "trailname" (your username) is completely free.

Yes, my personal AtlasQuest theme is from 'Talk Like A Pirate Day'.

Up in the Location-Based Search, put in your postal code and start searching for hidden boxes near you!

Fun Fact!

The first letterbox ever created

is in Dartmoor, England.

From there, sort through your results.  For first-time finders, I recommend checking the dates the boxes were last found, and that the boxes are marked active.  We'd hate for  you to go on a quest where the prize has been stolen by a bear or little kids with sticky fingers.

The symbols next to the name of the letterbox indicate attributes.

A car means that it's a drive-by--no hiking required.

A hand means that the stamp is hand-carved--usually the best type!

What to Bring Letterboxing

1. You!
2. Your clues.  I recommend enough copies for everyone in your party.
3. A logbook.  A blank artist sketchbook is best; they're unlined.
4. A stamp pad.  Take a 40% off coupon to Michael's, A.C. Moore, or Hobby Lobby.  And don't get the cheapest ink pad, either--it won't last.  
5. (Optional) A hand-carved signature stamp of your very own.

A what now?

A signature stamp is a stamp you use to "sign" in the logbooks left inside letterboxes.  Most letterboxers ('boxers) make it something to do with their chosen trailname.

My trailname is VelvetKey.  My signature stamp:

This was my very first stamp carve.

Don't worry if you don't want to carve your own or even buy a store-bought stamp.  The most basic form of 'stamping in' to a logbook is to use your fingerprint and perhaps embellish it.

So you have your supplies:

This is my second stamp pad and second logbook.

I filled my first logbook up at the Paris Mountain Letterboxing Event!

It's time to set out on your letterboxing adventure!

Now, I am assuming your clues require no extra equipment, such as a compass.  (The need for a compass should be indicated by those symbols next to the name of the letterbox, but not always.)

And if you're embarking on a longer hike, of course take into account water bottles, snacks, etc.

The wonderful thing about letterboxing is that it can take you to places in your town/city/state you've never heard of, that others have found interesting.

My mother and I went out to a place called Hagood Mill, thirty minutes from my house.  It's a historical farm where Indian petroglyphs were discovered.  I would never have known this place was there!

  

This is the back of the mill, which I saw

when I was hunting for Box #1 in this series of 4.

There's a letterbox hidden in this picture!

Finding A Box

Boxes are supposed to be hidden well, where the prying eyes and sticky hands of Muggles can't easily find them.  This means that frequently you might need to leave the path, and reach your hand into places all the while hoping a snake isn't sharing space with what you seek.

But huzzah when you finally find it!

This letterbox was #4 in the aforementioned series.

The stamp was concealed inside a felt pouch, and

the logbook was inside a zippered baggie.

Get out your own logbook and stamp pad, and get to it!  It's always cautioned that you try to "stamp in" before others see you (the Muggles I mentioned before).  Non-boxing folk are sometimes too nosy for their own good, and it's another way that boxes can go missing.

This is my mom, Sherercrew, stamping the Petroglyph

stamp into her own logbook.  On the opposite page

are some of the other stamps we had already found.

Sometimes, if you're the first finder on a new letterbox, the "planter" (the letterboxer who created and hid the new box) will include a 'First Finder's' prize!  My mom claimed the one we found in Petroglyph:

She keeps hers taped inside the pages of her logbook

near the stamp she collected the prize from.

Next, stamp your own signature stamp into the logbook you found inside the letterbox, and you're done!  Some people write their trailname out, along with the city they're from, and the date, so the owner of the box can see how many different adventurers have come along in search of their treasure.

Now, to rehide what you found.

One of the most crucial parts of ensuring a letterbox's longevity is making sure you reseal all the baggies and pouches you find inside.  Water is the number one thing you will find inside boxes, due to condensation, rainfall, and sometimes flooding.

Also, make sure you put the box back exactly where you found it, including any objects that may have been piled on top, such as sticks, bark, or stones.

And who knows?  Now you may want to carve and hide letterboxes of your very own:

These are Mainstay brand four-tab food containers

from Wal*Mart; they come in a 16-piece pack.

Cover well with disguising paint or duct tape.

Most large craft stores sell the gouge tools and

pink rubber for carving stamps.

Using Google images to search for stencils cuts down

on the guesswork of what to carve and not carve in a pattern.

(This is my mom's personal traveler.

When you meet other letterboxers on the trail,

you can do 'exchanges'--stamping your signature

stamp in each others' logbooks.  And sometimes,

they'll have additional stamps with clues to how to

obtain the stamp.  Common clues include "ask me 

about ____" or "tell me your favorite _____".)

If you've found this brief tutorial to be helpful, I encourage you to give AtlasQuest a visit, and see what treasures may be hiding in your hometown!

See you on the trails!