CNN's Anderson Cooper Goes Back To Nature

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A century old hobby combining history, puzzle-solving, navigating, scavenger hunting, natural scenery, musicians and Tv journalists is all component of the fun.

When the term letterboxing was initially brought to my attention I thought it was a sport involving jabs, gloves, a referee, and a boxing ring. To my surprise I located out that letterboxing is a rapidly growing and intriguing hobby amongst hikers and nature enthusiasts. It began over 1 hundred and fifty years ago in Dartmoor, England and was introduced in North America by a 1998 write-up published in Smithsonian Magazine. The write-up sparked an interest and a group called Letterboxing North America (LBNA) was produced. It is an activity passed on by word of mouth and growing in recognition.

To play the game someone hides a waterproof container in a natural setting. It could be a park, recreation area, historic region or anyplace accessible to the public. Inside the container is a log book and rubber stamp with an ink pad, a letter explaining what letterboxing is about, and other goodies. They then write clues or riddles to the location of the box and post them on the LBNA web web page at . The hider can write the clues in cryptic or clear-cut and might put in compass points and landmarks.

Letterboxers, or ‘boxers’ as they refer to themselves, set out to acquire the hidden boxes with the clues in hand. Also in their possession need to be a compass, maps, pen or pencil, logbook, and a personal rubber stamp with an inkpad. When the letterbox is identified, they then stamp the logbook inside the box with their private stamp and then stamps their personal logbook with the stamp discovered inside the box. This keeps a record of any person who found the box. The hider will occasionally go back to the box to replace the logbook when it fills up or just to check on it and make certain it’s still there. The rules are hassle-free: Rewrap the log and the box precisely the way you identified it or much better and replace it in the very same hiding spot.

Sound like enjoyable? Most letterboxers will tell you it is addictive. The LBNA internet website shows clues to box locations all over the globe. During a 1 week vacation in August I had a planned trip to Philadelphia. I identified myself browsing the list of clues from the LBNA web-site for Tyler State Park. Some clues told stories and others had themes. This just adds to the fun. There was the battle of the bands featuring The Beatles and other bands, Elvis themed clues, clues depicting landmarks and history and 1 that I located of interest: Anderson Cooper is hidden in Tyler State Park. The clue situated at [http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/clue/index.html?gBoxId=20249] depicts a story of CNN’s renowned anchorman losing his way in the park and the hiker must locate him. There are dozens of letterboxes camouflaged and properly hidden in Tyler State park which is located in Bucks County, PA, a suburb north of Philadelphia. So I gathered my equipment and clues and headed South on I-95 to Newtown, PA.

My hike began at the Boat Home parking lot which is a couple of minutes from the Newtown Rd entrance. I crossed the bridge and identified the narrow dirt path titled Nature Trail Start out. This quiet path is not far from the crowded paved trail and provides some of nature’s finest landscape.

I followed the third clue by way of the crunching and crackling leaves and branches. The peaceful sound of the birds whistling blended in with the trickling of water over the rocks in the tiny creek. Soon after passing by a few big boulders and quite a few fallen trees, I identified the wooden bridge which offered picture great views of the creek.

When across the bridge, the log actions were in place and helped with the steep upward incline. The substantial downed tree was simply noticeable but not as very easy to get to. Good hiking shoes and a steady balance is a necessity to reach the tree that was laying on a downward slant.

The tree was huge and with a stick I poked around the roots only to find nothing. On the side facing the log steps, there was an open cavity and there lying inside was the plastic bag filled with a waterproof container, not properly camouflaged but hidden from public view. Inside I discovered various items one of which was the log book with an Anderson Cooper photo.

Letterboxing is an exciting and enjoyable activity. The letterboxer should certainly have an understanding of the locations terrain, plant life and hazards prior to setting out for the hunt. Getting able to identify poison ivy and other poisonous plants along with a fantastic insect repellent will save you from scratching later on. Always respect the wildlife and never ever disturb nature is the rule of thumb.

Letterboxing is evolving and a high-tech variation referred to as Geocaching is rapidly emerging. Geocaching utilizes a portable Global Positioning Method (GPS) to seek out containers filled with affordable trinkets and a logbook. In addition to clues, Geocachers use GPS coordinates to uncover containers. When identified they will take a trinket out of the box and put one more trinket of equal value inside before re-wrapping and replacing the box. Portable GPS’s can be pricey and for those on a spending budget, letterboxing is a enjoyable and educational hobby for people, couples and families.