Treasure Hunters

This morning Julie and her four year old daughter Taylor met up with me and August at Mayfield Park for our first letterboxing adventure together.  Letterboxing or geocaching as it is also known, is basically a treasure hunt. People post maps on the internet of where they've hidden 'treasure'. In it's most basic form you would find a log book to sign for the hider once you've found it and the hider in return provides an artful stamp (mostly homemade) which you can then stamp into your own book. Sometimes there are treasure prizes, sometimes there are not, sometimes they are easy to find, sometimes it's like Raiders of the Lost Ark (and if you're with me, bring a sandwich because it could take awhile).

The one we found today was about as easy as it gets, a short quarter mile walk into the woods (a half mile if you're relying on me and my map skills...ah hem, sorry Julie) and the box was hidden under some rocks right off the traveled foot path. It's a wonderful way to take in nature and especially thrilling for kids to find treasure. You end up seeing places you would have never known about otherwise and be a part of a whole subculture that's magically hidden in plain sight.

We all had such a good time just enjoying the morning together - and that's what's so fun about it. You can get a GPS and go Tomb Raider or just put on your mucklucks and find a reason to take a long walk in a place you haven't visited in a while. Either way you'll have fun with a friend or your family.  The first one I ever went on, actually the first time I ever even heard of it, was from my friends in Vermont. I went up to visit them and we ended up going on an impromptu treasure hunt through the hills with his wife and three kids. Not bad a bad way to spend a chilly autumn afternoon catching up with old friends.

These letterboxes can be found anywhere all over the world. Some places are more densely populated than others, but you can also join in by planting your own treasures for other people to find. We used Atlas Quest today for our map, but there tons of other sites you can check out. 

Have you ever been letterboxing?