Benchmarks And Letterboxes

[shanni-bugbait-wren]

I'm really not too sure what these are. Ekitt explained what a benchmark is, but letterbox? Not too sure. Was wondering if anyone could point a few of these out in New Jersey, so maybe we can go find one. Thanx a Bunch!!!

[+nikcap]

The GC.com Benchmarks page can be found here. (www.geocaching.com/mark).

 

Benchmarks can be interesting, but in Central Jersey, you have a good chance of getting hit by a truck looking for them.

For some good Benchmark hunting reading, look up local legend mr.magoo or lookup the NEPA legend Zhanna.

 

Letterboxes can be found here. (www.letterboxing.org/)

I like letterboxing a lot. In general, they might be a tad bit more challenging then Geocaching. Letterboxing requires you to be good at following directions and good with a compass, as well as the ability to identify tree, plants and geological structure might help. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there is no method to log your find or adventure on-line. It's all done in the log in the box.

 

Letterboxing is a lot of fun, although, we just sign the logs instead of stamping them, (this tends to tweek some boxers out) but most boxes are of quality in respects to location or hike.

[+briansnat]

Letterboxing is a lot of fun, although, we just sign the logs instead of stamping them, (this tends to tweek some boxers out) but most boxes are of quality in respects to location or hike.

 

They do get miffed if you just sign, so I made a very simple stamp using a rubber block and a $1 carving tool from The Ragg Shop. I'm no artist so it had to be simple.

 

You will find that a lot of letterboxes are placed very close to existing geocaches. In many cases, the letterboxes were there first. I've found a letterbox a few feet from one stage of a multi cache of mine and several within 100-200 feet of a cache. I've also noticed that there were letterboxes near other caches I found...usually after I found the cache. I really must start checking the letterboxing website before going after a cache so I don't have to make two trips.

 

Geocaching.com also provides for a letterbox hybrid cache, which is a geocache that also contains a letterbox stamp and is usually cross-listed on letterboxing.org, or some other place. Which brings up one primary difference. Letterboxing is not as centrailized as geocaching. Though there are websites that contain clues, letterboxing clues can come from anywhere. Word of mouth, left in other letterboxes, passed from letterboxer to letterboxer, etc...

 

Here is a pretty good explanation of letterboxing and its history. Here are some of northern NJ's letterboxes as listed on letterboxing.org.

Edited August 3, 2004 by briansnat

[nikcap]

You will find that a lot of letterboxes are placed very close to existing geocaches. In many cases, the letterboxes were there first.

 

Indeed, Stone LivingRoom, JennyJump, Ten Mile Lock on the D&R and Let the Be light are all caches that come to mind where cachers have found the LetterBox while searching for the GeoCache.

 

... I really must start checking the letterboxing website before going after a cache so I don't have to make two trips.

 

I used Acrobat to harvest the website and DL to my PDA. The only problem is 25-50% of the LBs in NJ a mystery types and the actual location is unknow until you do a little detective work to find the correct town, historic location or park.

 

This is one of the aspects of LBing that I like. You need to do some detective work just to figure out where to start.

 

Which brings up one primary difference. Letterboxing is not as centrailized as geocaching. Though there are websites that contain clues, letterboxing clues can come from anywhere. Word of mouth, left in other letterboxes, passed from letterboxer to letterboxer, etc...

 

Actually, are Geocaches much different? I've heard there are other sites.

What's nice about GC.com in the virtual online community. I always get a kick out of reading seekers logs, and the instant gratification that someone found our cache.

[+CordedTires]

You will find that a lot of letterboxes are placed very close to existing geocaches. In many cases, the letterboxes were there first.

 

Indeed, Stone LivingRoom, JennyJump, Ten Mile Lock on the D&R and Let the Be light are all caches that come to mind where cachers have found the LetterBox while searching for the GeoCache.

Lock it Up is one like that - virtually everybody seems to find the letterbox first.

 

Happened to notice this thread just now after finding the cache this am (on the second attempt after way too much effort, extremely enjoyable in hindsight, of course).

[+iplay]

Letterboxing is a sport I recently discovered because Claude Moore Park, Sterling, VA, has four letterboxes at the park, not to mention the two caches.

 

Here's the website regarding the sport of Letterboxing: http://www.letterboxing.org/

[shanni-bugbait-wren]

Thanx everyone for your input. Now, at leaast I'll know what to look for.