SOME HISTORY:
The origin of letterboxing can be traced to Dartmoor, Devon,
England in 1854. William Crossing in his Guide to Dartmoor
states that a well known Dartmoor guide (James Perrott) placed a
bottle for visiting cards at Cranmere Pool on the northern moor in
1854. From this hikers on the moors began to leave a letter or
postcard inside a box along the trail (sometimes addressed to
themselves, sometimes a friend or relative)-- hence the name
"letterboxing". The next person to discover the site would collect
the postcards and post them. In 1938 a plaque and letterbox in
Crossing's memory were placed at Duck's Pool on southern
Dartmoor.
The first Dartmoor letterboxes were so remote and well-hidden
that only the most determined walkers would find them, allowing
weeks to pass before the letter made its way home. Until the 1970s
there were no more than a dozen such sites around the moor, usually
in the most inaccessible locations. Increasingly, however,
letterboxes have been located in relatively accessible sites and
today there are thousands of letterboxes, many within easy walking
distance of the road. As a result, the tradition of leaving a
letter or postcard in the box has been forgotten. (Wikipedia)
PRESENT DAY:
Today, letterboxing is a fascinating hobby, which is ever
increasing in popularity, and combines navigational skills and
rubber stamp artistry in a charming "treasure hunt" style outdoor
quest. Sound familiar? In the
spirit of this ancient tradition, geocaching.com allows for the
placement of letterbox-hybrid caches with the only requirements
being that it can be found with a GPS (not merely by using a set of
clues and a compass) and the cache contains a rubber stamp.
You do not need to own a personal stamp and letterboxing
logbook to log this type of cache as found, but bringing a stamp
along with you can be a fun way to log your unique signature in the
logbook. And, by stamping your own logbook with the stamp provided,
you'll have record of the letterbox-hybrid caches you have visited
in the past.
This cache is located northeast of Lake Afton in what
Droid61 refers to as Fangorn
Forest. Easiest access is to park at the parking coordinates
provided and make your way to the Trailhead (coords also provided)
and hike along the lake to the northern edge. The trail ends near
the entrance to "Fangorn Forest" to the east. Light bushwhacking
and creek crossing from there, just under 1 mile round trip. There
is a pretty view of what is known as Super Lake from GZ and I came
across a family of curious deer while placing this cache, so you
are likely to see some wildlife if you are stealthy enough. PLEASE
take care to re-hide it as or better than you find it. There is
plenty of natural cammo lying around to improve the hide from the
last finder if needed!
PLEASE NOTE: Boating and campfires are prohibited at this
part of the lake.
Original contents include: Mini mag-lite, frogs, small stamps to
trade, a rubber snake, parachute man, a small pin, logbook and pen,
and a frog stamp and ink pad to stay in the cache.
Have fun and stamp it
up!
