Don't Be Creepy! Ask for Permission to hide caches!

[+briansnat]

I've heard of clearly labeled Tupperware and film canisters blown up. I've heard of caches blown up that had the permission of the property owner. You can cut down on the chances by asking permission and using a container that won't be mistaken for a pipe bomb, but that isn't going to be a cure all for the problem.

 

People need to think before hiding a cache. If we keep hiding caches in high traffic areas where searchers can be easily observed this is going to keep happening.

[+L0ne.R]

I'm suprised to see that kind of container used for a letterbox. Most of the letterboxes I've seen tend to use low quality cheap containers.

 

Agreed. A lock-n-lock, if your lucky. Often Gladware! And I've seen a bunch wrapped in plastic garbage or big box store bags. Worst idea ever, they attract, rather than repel moisture.

 

That's true for letterbox hybrids (posted only on gc.com) in our area. Lots are in cheap containers.

 

The letterbox hides that are posted on AQ, at least near me, are almost all in real lock n locks. Serious letterbox owners want to protect the logbook. Authentic Lock n Locks (not the dollar store kind) are probably the best plastic container on the market for outdoor use.

 

In my area I've never found a LB in a pipe container, I have found lamp post lbs - the small lock n lock easily fits under a LP skirt. It's also easy to carve a stamp small enough to fit into a match stick container. People can carve tiny stamp images into pencil erasers:

[+wildchld97]

 

That's true for letterbox hybrids (posted only on gc.com) in our area. Lots are in cheap containers.

 

The letterbox hides that are posted on AQ, at least near me, are almost all in real lock n locks. Serious letterbox owners want to protect the logbook. Authentic Lock n Locks (not the dollar store kind) are probably the best plastic container on the market for outdoor use.

 

In my area I've never found a LB in a pipe container, I have found lamp post lbs - the small lock n lock easily fits under a LP skirt. It's also easy to carve a stamp small enough to fit into a match stick container. People can carve tiny stamp images into pencil erasers:

 

That picture is sooo cool. I never had the nerve to try something as small as a pencil eraser. I'd cut my thumbs off for sure.

[+wimseyguy]

Like for writing anti-micro poems based on Dr. Seuss and stuff.

 

Seriously? That sounds like standard OT fare.

 

I'm not going there. The poem can be found.

 

start here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=59513&hl=

 

Ah yes, what could very well be the first ever "lame micro" thread, started way back in November 2003, like 3 months after I started. This is some seriously historical stuff here.

It was fun seeing all of those old-timer names. It's a shame that so many have dropped out.

And those who objected to the micro explosion of caches placed without much thought in them were onto something. Then again, sometimes a snackwell cookie kind of find is all you need or have time for when the caching sweet tooth hits.

 

And just to bring this thread waaay back on topic-this follow up note from the local PD was posted to our local FB group.

 

Kill Devil Hills police followup statement

 

After further investigation, Kill Devil Hills Police have determined that the suspicious object found at Kill Devil Custard was a “letterbox,” the object of a treasure-hunting type of game called “Letterboxing.”

 

According to one letterboxing website:

 

“Letterboxing is an intriguing pastime combining artistic ability with ‘treasure-hunts’ in parks, forests and cities around the world. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by cracking codes and following clues. The prize: an image from a miniature piece of art known as a rubber stamp — usually a unique, hand-carved creation. Letterboxers stamp their discoveries in a personal journal, then use their own rubber stamp, called a signature stamp, to stamp into the letterbox’s logbook.”

 

The object found in Kill Devil Hills was a 7-inch plastic cylinder with end caps and what appeared to be a pressure trigger on one end. Authorities did consider that the item could have been a “geocache” container, but no corresponding GPS coordinates for the item could be found on the geocache web site. The U.S. Marine Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team from Cherry Point was consulted and expressed a concern that the object was some kind of improvised explosive device or a pipe bomb. The EOD team responded and removed the container, detonating it in an empty lot.

 

Portions of a small sheaf of papers about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide were recovered from the remains of the container. Some pages were blank, others had stamps, dates and messages on them. The first page of the sheaf indicated the letterbox was placed by “Ellbee” on Sept. 25, 2010. It is possible that this particular letterbox had been at the Kill Devil Custard location, undetected, since that time.

 

According to the www.atlasquest.com web site (one of the letterboxing community web sites) “Ellbee” is a profile for “Lee and Bill” from Petersburg, Virginia. The last individual to stamp the letterbox was “Ralph Spoilsport”; the atlasquest.com site profile for this individual is a male from Campbelltown, Pa.

 

Investigators now believe “Ralph” retrieved the letterbox and marked the notepad inside and returned the container to the hidden space under the lamppost. Part of “letterboxing” includes recovering and replacing the letterboxes in a manner so as not to be detected, and his furtive movements raised the suspicions of the restaurant owners.

 

The “Security” section of the letterboxing “Code of Conduct” notes:

 

“If you are planting a letterbox, paying attention to security concerns is even more important. ‘Suspicious boxes’ have been reported to the authorities and met their demise after being blown up by the bomb squad. While the authorities might be relieved to discover the box was not a bomb, they may not have been amused at the time and expense required to deal with the ‘suspicious’ box. Take measures to ensure your letterbox is not mistaken for something more sinister. Use small containers such as film-canisters that are less likely to be mistaken for bombs. Or use clear containers so people can see the contents from the outside and be assured there is nothing suspicious inside. Label the outside of your letterbox explaining what it is and provide contact information.

 

There are no criminal violations to pursue in this incident, however, the Kill Devil Hills Police Department strongly encourages participants in letterboxing (and geocaching) to heed the above warning.

Edited September 17, 2011 by wimseyguy

[+luvvinbird]

Like for writing anti-micro poems based on Dr. Seuss and stuff.

 

Seriously? That sounds like standard OT fare.

 

I'm not going there. The poem can be found.

 

start here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=59513&hl=

 

Ah yes, what could very well be the first ever "lame micro" thread, started way back in November 2003, like 3 months after I started. This is some seriously historical stuff here.

It was fun seeing all of those old-timer names. It's a shame that so many have dropped out.

And those who objected to the micro explosion of caches placed without much thought in them were onto something. Then again, sometimes a snackwell cookie kind of find is all you need or have time for when the caching sweet tooth hits.

 

And just to bring this thread waaay back on topic-this follow up note from the local PD was posted to our local FB group.

 

Kill Devil Hills police followup statement

 

After further investigation, Kill Devil Hills Police have determined that the suspicious object found at Kill Devil Custard was a “letterbox,” the object of a treasure-hunting type of game called “Letterboxing.”

 

According to one letterboxing website:

 

“Letterboxing is an intriguing pastime combining artistic ability with ‘treasure-hunts’ in parks, forests and cities around the world. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by cracking codes and following clues. The prize: an image from a miniature piece of art known as a rubber stamp — usually a unique, hand-carved creation. Letterboxers stamp their discoveries in a personal journal, then use their own rubber stamp, called a signature stamp, to stamp into the letterbox’s logbook.”

 

The object found in Kill Devil Hills was a 7-inch plastic cylinder with end caps and what appeared to be a pressure trigger on one end. Authorities did consider that the item could have been a “geocache” container, but no corresponding GPS coordinates for the item could be found on the geocache web site. The U.S. Marine Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team from Cherry Point was consulted and expressed a concern that the object was some kind of improvised explosive device or a pipe bomb. The EOD team responded and removed the container, detonating it in an empty lot.

 

Portions of a small sheaf of papers about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide were recovered from the remains of the container. Some pages were blank, others had stamps, dates and messages on them. The first page of the sheaf indicated the letterbox was placed by “Ellbee” on Sept. 25, 2010. It is possible that this particular letterbox had been at the Kill Devil Custard location, undetected, since that time.

 

According to the www.atlasquest.com web site (one of the letterboxing community web sites) “Ellbee” is a profile for “Lee and Bill” from Petersburg, Virginia. The last individual to stamp the letterbox was “Ralph Spoilsport”; the atlasquest.com site profile for this individual is a male from Campbelltown, Pa.

 

Investigators now believe “Ralph” retrieved the letterbox and marked the notepad inside and returned the container to the hidden space under the lamppost. Part of “letterboxing” includes recovering and replacing the letterboxes in a manner so as not to be detected, and his furtive movements raised the suspicions of the restaurant owners.

 

The “Security” section of the letterboxing “Code of Conduct” notes:

 

“If you are planting a letterbox, paying attention to security concerns is even more important. ‘Suspicious boxes’ have been reported to the authorities and met their demise after being blown up by the bomb squad. While the authorities might be relieved to discover the box was not a bomb, they may not have been amused at the time and expense required to deal with the ‘suspicious’ box. Take measures to ensure your letterbox is not mistaken for something more sinister. Use small containers such as film-canisters that are less likely to be mistaken for bombs. Or use clear containers so people can see the contents from the outside and be assured there is nothing suspicious inside. Label the outside of your letterbox explaining what it is and provide contact information.

 

There are no criminal violations to pursue in this incident, however, the Kill Devil Hills Police Department strongly encourages participants in letterboxing (and geocaching) to heed the above warning.

Thanks for posting. That's a very interesting read!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

 

And just to bring this thread waaay back on topic-this follow up note from the local PD was posted to our local FB group.

 

Kill Devil Hills police followup statement

 

After further investigation, Kill Devil Hills Police have determined that the suspicious object found at Kill Devil Custard was a “letterbox,” the object of a treasure-hunting type of game called “Letterboxing.”

 

According to one letterboxing website:

 

“Letterboxing is an intriguing pastime combining artistic ability with ‘treasure-hunts’ in parks, forests and cities around the world. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by cracking codes and following clues. The prize: an image from a miniature piece of art known as a rubber stamp — usually a unique, hand-carved creation. Letterboxers stamp their discoveries in a personal journal, then use their own rubber stamp, called a signature stamp, to stamp into the letterbox’s logbook.”

 

The object found in Kill Devil Hills was a 7-inch plastic cylinder with end caps and what appeared to be a pressure trigger on one end. Authorities did consider that the item could have been a “geocache” container, but no corresponding GPS coordinates for the item could be found on the geocache web site. The U.S. Marine Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team from Cherry Point was consulted and expressed a concern that the object was some kind of improvised explosive device or a pipe bomb. The EOD team responded and removed the container, detonating it in an empty lot.

 

Portions of a small sheaf of papers about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide were recovered from the remains of the container. Some pages were blank, others had stamps, dates and messages on them. The first page of the sheaf indicated the letterbox was placed by “Ellbee” on Sept. 25, 2010. It is possible that this particular letterbox had been at the Kill Devil Custard location, undetected, since that time.

 

According to the www.atlasquest.com web site (one of the letterboxing community web sites) “Ellbee” is a profile for “Lee and Bill” from Petersburg, Virginia. The last individual to stamp the letterbox was “Ralph Spoilsport”; the atlasquest.com site profile for this individual is a male from Campbelltown, Pa.

 

Investigators now believe “Ralph” retrieved the letterbox and marked the notepad inside and returned the container to the hidden space under the lamppost. Part of “letterboxing” includes recovering and replacing the letterboxes in a manner so as not to be detected, and his furtive movements raised the suspicions of the restaurant owners.

 

The “Security” section of the letterboxing “Code of Conduct” notes:

 

“If you are planting a letterbox, paying attention to security concerns is even more important. ‘Suspicious boxes’ have been reported to the authorities and met their demise after being blown up by the bomb squad. While the authorities might be relieved to discover the box was not a bomb, they may not have been amused at the time and expense required to deal with the ‘suspicious’ box. Take measures to ensure your letterbox is not mistaken for something more sinister. Use small containers such as film-canisters that are less likely to be mistaken for bombs. Or use clear containers so people can see the contents from the outside and be assured there is nothing suspicious inside. Label the outside of your letterbox explaining what it is and provide contact information.

 

There are no criminal violations to pursue in this incident, however, the Kill Devil Hills Police Department strongly encourages participants in letterboxing (and geocaching) to heed the above warning.

 

Interesting..."Authorities did consider that the item could have been a “geocache” container, but no corresponding GPS coordinates for the item could be found on the geocache web site"

 

Having geocached in that area I know that one of the most active hiders is, or was, a LEO. So apparently, the local authorities already knew about Geocaching but were not familiar with letterboxing.

 

Also, Kill Devil Custard, where the letterbox was found has really, really good frozen custard.

[4wheelin_fool]

it's funny that an LPC turned out to be on the letterboxing site, and not the numberboxing site