Letterboxing Part IV: How To Make A Hitch Hiker

A Hitch Hiker is just like the term implies. It's a traveller who relies on the courtesy of others to make his way.

In the Letterboxing world, a Hitch Hiker is a small notebook (usually handmade) and a stamp (usually handmade). The HH is placed in a Letterbox. The next finder stamps their log book with the HH stamp, and then takes it with them and leaves it at their next Letterbox.

It's fun to see where these parcels have originated, where they have been on their journey, and how far they have come!

To make one, You'll need: Some Cardstock, a Printer, a Hole Punch, a Paper Cutter, Some Clear Packing Tape and Some String. Plus, a handmade (or store bought) stamp that you don't care if you never see again. (I explained how to carve your own stamp yesterday).

First print a front and back cover for your book. The whole book should be small (about the size of a credit card) so that it can fit into most letterboxes. Print the name of your book on the cover, who planted it, (your trail name) and the date, plus any other instructions that you may want to give the finders. Be sure to tell the finders to log their finds so that you can track the travels of your book from your computer. Maybe your stamp will determine what the name of the HH will be, for example: if you've carved an eagle, the book could be called "The Soaring Eagle".

Use a paper cutter to cut pages to your book, make them about the same size as the covers to the book. Use clear tape to protect both the front and back covers, to make it somewhat water resistant, and to give the covers some stiffness. Then, punch two holes on the binding side of the book. Take your string, or leather cord, or yarn or whatever, to tie the whole book together.

Put the book and the stamp into a zip-lock bag. Your Hitch Hiker is now ready to begin it's journey! Leave your HH in a Letterbox, Log it's existence, and follow it online.

More About Letterboxing

I have to say that Letterboxing has become a place where all of my family has come together this summer. And, that is saying a lot. With 4 kids all headed in different directions, with different friends, and interests, it's such a bonus to find something that we all enjoy and can do together.

I'm including some photos of the things we have seen along the way:

I love how the clouds reflect in the lake, ahead of the colorful kayaks.

The stark white of this purple martin house against the blue of the sky really caught my eye.


Who wouldn't want to walk over this bridge?


Momma bluebird bringing home lunch for her babies.


A woodland flower in blazing orange.


A single orange kayak on a blue lake.

Old military planes flying in formation. There is a small airport nearby and these guys were showing off.

The history of letterboxing is interesting, a park ranger in England started this game in the late 1800's. The process has evolved a lot to become what it is today.

Here's how it works: We have a notebook, a (preferably) handmade stamp that is unique to us, and a "Trail Name" or "Handle".

We then go seeking Letterboxes. (I find trail directions and maps at: Atlas Quest, or Letterboxing.org) The boxes are typically a Tupperware type container that includes a notebook and a custom made stamp. When I find a box, I then stamp their book with my stamp, date it, and leave a brief note including where we are from. I take their stamp and mark my log book, date it and leave a note if I'd like. It's like collecting a log book full of handmade individual works of art. We always make sure that we re-hide the box as we found it. When I return home, I log our finds on the appropriate web site. The people who "Plant" the letterboxes can keep track of their boxes this way, find out if they need repairs, or just get a quick update on who's been visiting.

Letterboxing is very kid friendly. Directions often include such things as: " Find the triple trunked maple, put your back to it, and facing the lake, walk 12 paces". Letterboxes can be just a stop in the road, or they can be elaborate trails with multiple boxes. My favorites are trails that have been put together by generous letterboxers who have included information about the history of the area, or little anecdotes about what happened along the trail. It's one thing to read about an event, and another to be standing in front of a Harmonist Meeting House that was built in 1825. History becomes real.

My husband has always been an outdoorsman. He would often go hunting just so that he could sit in the quiet and still of the woods in the wee hours; watching the forest wake up. I have always loved hiking and being outside.

Searching for Letterboxes has become about the journey for me. Maybe I have found some center on that point this summer. Life is about the journey. The kids, on the other hand, still tear through the woods gripping the printed page, looking for the triple trunked maple! For them,it's about the destination. We all get an adventure. I get some time alone with the kids, talking and walking. The kids get to find treasure! Letterboxing has become a real haven for my famiy.

The things we have discussed along the way are: tree identification, animal tracks, and the all important poison ivy identification. We've also seen beavers, bunnies, hawks and lots more. But we also talk with the kids about their hopes and dreams, their friends, their good days and their bad.
And the kids talk about their "finds".