r/Letterboxing • u/tyspruce6 • 21d ago
Field Reports Finally found a box that's been missing since 2019, clue writer must be thrilled
Spent most of Saturday chasing down a series in the state park near my in-laws, five boxes total, planted back in 2018 by someone with the handle Wandering Heron. Found four of them without much trouble, but the fifth one had a note online from another letterboxer saying they'd searched twice and come up empty. Figured I'd give it a shot anyway since I was already out there.
Clue mentioned a "leaning sentinel with three knots" which I read as a specific tree, but it turned out to mean an old fence post that had warped over the years. Took me almost forty minutes of poking around the wrong side of the trail before I noticed the post at all. Box was tucked under a flat rock at the base, stamp and logbook both intact, a little damp but totally usable. Signed in, stamped my personal book, and left a note for the next person about the fence post thing since I have a feeling I won't be the last one confused by it.
What I like about this hobby is how much it makes you actually look at a landscape instead of just walking through it. I've hiked that same park a dozen times over the years and never once noticed that fence post existed until I had a reason to hunt for it. Carving my own stamp has been slower going, I'm still not happy with the one I did last month of a compass rose, the lines keep coming out uneven no matter how careful I am with the linoleum.
Anyone else keep a running list of boxes they want to track down eventually? Mine's gotten long enough that I started organizing it by state just to feel like I'm making progress.
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u/Vegetable_Athlete924 Boneyard Boxer 21d ago
Yes! Do you use clue tracker app? It’s the best for saving lists of boxes you want to find!
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u/Affectionate-Ad5594 21d ago
Way to go!!! That must feel so good!