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.

How to Letterbox: Part III Or Stamp Carving Turorial

Yesterday I told you all about how to make a letterbox. An essential part to that letterbox is a handmade stamp. I have tried making my own stamp with some supplies that I had on hand. My results were not that great. I finally succumbed to searching high and low for what the professionals use. This is not a very well known craft, I have to say.

The kit that I found on Ebay (above) is perfect for the beginner. It's less than $10! It includes a carving tool, some directions, and some Speedball Speedy-Carve. I found a 6X12 sheet of this material for around $10 HERE, just so I could have some extra on hand. The carving material is rubber and somewhat like a pink eraser type material. The carving tool slices through it like butter!

So here's what you do: Decide on an image, maybe simple lines are best for a first try. You can draw directly onto the carving material, or you can print some clip art (like I did). Then gently iron the image onto the rubber material if you do it while the ink is still a little wet. If there are words in your stamp, be sure that they are spelled backwards.

Decide which parts of your stamp are going to be carved out, and mark them as such. It sounds silly, but it can be confusing once you start working in reverse.

Use the carving tool to gently outline the image, then gouge out the interior portions. My carving tool came with two blades, a thick one and a thin one. You can purchase a blade kit once you get a little better at carving.

More in my Letterboxing Series tomorrow!

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".

Ever Wonder What it is Like to Be a Member of a Secret Society?

You know, the Masons, the Shriners or others. Some conspiracy believers think that there are secret symbols and meanings everywhere. The dollar bill contains several depictions that some believe are clues or secret messages (the eye at the top of the pyramid, for one). Nicholas Cage did a whole movie about it called National Treasure.

I was at a party the other day and one of the guests let something slip. I was immediately intrigued.

It's called Letterboxing. The practice began in England in the latter part of the 1800's, and it was begun by a Park Ranger. He left his calling card in a bottle, and others who found the bottle would leave theirs. Eventually, people would start leaving postcards, in hopes that the next person to find the postcard would send it back to them. (A Letterbox is an English word for Mailbox). The practice has evolved and now the standard is a notebook and a stamp. Here's how it works: You have a notebook and a stamp (preferably a handmade stamp that makes it distinctive). You search for letterboxes that are hidden in public places using clues that are posted at http://www.letterboxing.org/ . (There may be other sites, I'm a newbie in this area). The Letterbox is a small sealed container that contains a notebook and a stamp. When you have found the Letterbox you leave your stamp and a handwritten note in their Letterbox, and you use the stamp provided to stamp your own book and make a note about where it was found etc.

I found the web site, and searched my area. I was astonished to find one so close. One is hidden at the Sledding Park, a mere 5 minutes away. We grabbed a notebook, and I let my little one select a stamp (store bought, not handmade), and we were off!

The kids gripped the directions like it was a treasure map and ran for the bench behind the pool. We passed soccer fields, full of players, a huge football picnic, a group of boys playing Lacrosse, no one knew what we were up to. It was our secret.

We got the the bench, followed the wood line to the left, found the pine tree, paced off the 7 giant steps, looked under the appropriate rock and moved the sticks, just as the directions said. And there, to my disbelieving eyes, was exactly what they said would be there. A small box that contained a notebook, a stamp pad, and some treasures for the little ones. (The directions said that this was a treasure box, so the rules are: take a treasure, leave a treasure.)


Here are the directions, being clutched by my little guy.

And the Treasure! My little guy picked a Matchbox car, and we left a reflective slap bracelet that my daughter decided to donate.

The box contained a homemade journal, tied with string.

And, here's our first entry!

Unfortunately, the ink pad was very leaky and we all walked away with Shrek hands.

What a fun little discovery. We replaced everythnig just as we had found it, and smugly returned to the car. Feeling a little like we know something that very few others know about.

I've already printed out directions to find a few others. My kids can't wait to find the next one, it's like a mystery and a treasure hunt and a puzzle all rolled into one.