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Like nature? Like treasure hunts or stories about them? Combine the two and try letterboxing. It’s an extremely low cost, unless fuel prices go sky-high, form of fun and exercise, both mental and physical.
I put together a basic letterboxing kit which consists of: a rubber
stamp, a black ink pad, a pen, and some small index cards, where others might use a tablet or
small journal.
There are two free letterboxing websites that I know of and use to find clues, they are located toward the bottom of my website. Pick any state in our country and see if a letterbox is near you or in the direction of a journey or vacation that you are planning. Print out, write, or screenshot a copy of the letterbox clues, cell service may not be available, and have fun.
I suggest for safety’s sake to take someone with you. Follow the clues to find the letterbox, being mindful of any people that might be around. Just because “box” is in the word, doesn’t mean it will be a box. Please keep your mind open. Once you find your “treasure,” move off to the side a bit to open it. I stamp the “found” stamp on an index card and date it and put its letterbox number on it. Then, I stamp my stamp in the letterbox’s journal or whatever is provided and add the date and my letterbox name. Before repacking the letterbox, I take a few minutes to peruse the journal and see who all had previously stamped in it.
The variety of stamp designs can be awesome as well as the diversity of the home locations of those who have found the letterbox. Once repacked, put the “box” back where you found it without anyone watching. A major objective of this activity is not to let others know what you’re doing, to keep the letterbox’s location secret. Depending on the clues, one can learn a lot about history, nature, movies, or books.
I really enjoy letterboxing. Sometimes the letterbox has been damaged or is missing, or
maybe I just need to double-check that I’m following the clues correctly. The other year, I found a box that no one had stamped in, so perhaps had not found, in twelve years!
The two sites I trust are AtlasQuest.com and LetterBoxing.org