Letter Boxing in BRC?

[Scrofulous]

Just curious if anybody is interested in setting up letter boxes in BRC? If you don't know what letter boxing is I suggest you check out this:
http://www.letterboxing.org
or
http://www.atlasquest.com/
It doesn't look like there are any at Burny Man but I find that hard to believe.
It would be fun if a large number of camps set up letter boxes and then registered them at the artery.

Anyone Interested?

[theCryptofishist]

There is geocaching. Are the two related?

[Scrofulous]

It's sort of an artsy fartsy version. The box contains a stamp, a stamp pad and a pad of paper, usually nothing more than a little memo pad. People look for the box, find it. They carry there own stamp and pad of paper, sometimes even their own ink pad. They stamp their personal book with the box's stamp and stamp their own mark in the box's book. So it's basically a little art exchange. Oftentimes the box is placed in a hidden and interesting location. People find directions online or through news letters etc. Some directions are riddles others right to the point. It's a really cool, simple little art project that brings people together, anyone can do it. And some of the stamps are AMAZING. beautiful little prints.

Just seems to lend it self to the setting and wondered if anyone else was doing/interested in it.

[gyre]

You're already bored at burning man?

Try delivering mail at night.

[Volund]

geocatching (from my experience anyway) requires GPS units and coordinate setup.

[Fire_Moose]

Lame. I dont need MORE stuff to carry around with me out there that i wont even use.

[theCryptofishist]

Come on. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I can't seem to work up the emotion to go for "lame."

[Ugly Dougly]

Heavyweight championship letters?
Is this like full-contact scrabble?

[Teo del Fuego]

It might work....in 2005 a Colorado artist made these cool plaque-like "fossils" which she placed all around the playa. When you found one, you simply uncovered it and took it home as a cool souvenir. You were asked to e-mail a photo of yourself in your home state holding the fossil and all finder's photos were then posted on a website for the fossil project.

I say all this because it was really fun keeping an eye out for the partially hidden fossils while roaming around during the day. Actually found one. It was fun. So maybe with some modification to the book and stamp thing (bacon?) it may work.

[Scrofulous]

Well, I do love of the bacon. Especially the ones with the little faces.

[Scrofulous]

There was a time when any art project no matter how small or trivial was embraced by the participants or BRC. As BM Grows I suppose it becomes diluted by all the tourists who are just there to party and see the spectacle. How tedious.

Still as this thread proves there are also a lot of interesting creative people around too. So a Letterbox is going in at Carbon Dioxide Camp this year and those who want to participate can and those who don't, can do whatever they they want.

It may be BRC's 1st? Goto:
http://letterboxing.org/ 2 learn how it works. Bring your Stamps and Pads!

[gyre]

The idea doesn't matter as much as the experience that results from it.

[Finnegan]

I think it sounds pretty cool. You'll find one at the Booby Bar. (Maybe. I'll hide it.)

Where would I post a clue to its location?

[Nickel]

This is awesome. I am going to get a stamp made before I get out there and hopefully have some local SF stamps in my journal before hand. I hope I can find the box at the Booby Bar! *snicker*

[Scrofulous]

So I'm not sure where clues will go yet but I'll report back here when I've got that part of the plan squared away. I'm thinking multiple locations/sources for the same info.
Later.

[Absolut Jeenyus]

This idea sounds really cool to me. I think I'd participate in this. Good on ya.

[Janet Planet]

I found one Letterbox from 2006 at atlasquest.com.
The Time Machine letterbox at Carbon Dioxide camp has already been posted on both Atlasquest and letterboxing.org, as well as a letterboxing gathering at Carbon Dioxide camp on September 3.
I hope there will be a letterboxing renaissance in Black Rock City this year. I bet Burners make some glorious stamps.
Yes please do hide one at the Booby Bar!
If hiding places can be determined before you leave for BRC, they can be posted on Atlasquest or Letterboxing.org.
But it would be good to have a place to go in BRC for clues to boxes that are spontaneously made and hidden during the week. Certainly bring clues for such boxes to the gathering, or drop them off at CO2 camp.

[gyre]

Leave clues at playa info.


For letterboxing, hit the picture formatting button on the remote until you have the letterbox ratio you want.

[Finnegan]

is there an Aspect Ratio camp?

[OnceTheDustClears]

Simple enough.
Could be fun.
I'll give it a whirl...

*crafting my stamp now*

[ThePaperLeaf]

my granddaughter carved her first stamp and placed a letterbox on my property at Lake Tahoe. We back up to a busy road and there is no fence. We've had several visitors already.

That said, I think it would be a good thing if any boxes placed at BRC would include a stamp pad. That would mean that those looking for the boxes would not have to carry one around. Their stamp could be small. We could also stamp ourselves instead of a book!
"Sam"

[BitterDan]

I like this idea.

[C.f.M.]

We had letterboxing at Transformus this past weekend, a lot of people really enjoyed it - not just making their own stamp and letterbook, but the fun of wandering around trying to figure out clues and such.

I say go for it!

[littleflower]

this sounds very cool ... i think i'll make a barbarian stamp.

but how do we leave clues? maybe if we make it easy this year, it'll pick up some steam for next year...?

[littleflower]

ooops ... ignore the clue question ... it's above ...

[Scrofulous]

The response to letterboxing at burning man has been phenomenal. Lots of boxes going in, lots of stamps being made!

If you decide to participate by hosting a letterbox your letter box should contain:

A stamp for that particular letterbox
An ink pad
Some form of blank note book (little Mead Memo pad, small sketchbook, etc...)

And of course you should have a stamp to carry with you when you go letterboxing.

[Scrofulous]

Post the clues to your letterbox at:
www.atlasquest.com
www.letterbox.org
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY
Playa Info

Carbon Dioxide Camp will keep a clues listing for all you letterboxers and would be letterboxers. C02 will be located near Adapt and 4:30. The Clues list will be kept in our shade structure. Bring your clues and we'll add them to the book (3 ring binder). We'll also try to collect the clues posted to the URLs listed above before the event and put them into a format that will be portable.

[ThePaperLeaf]

I listed my letterbox at AtlasQuest.com...using Black Rock City, NV as the general address. I used a pretty generic clue for the specific site in the camp since I can't place it until I'm actually there...and there's an actual there there.

I decided to use name-tag sized labels instead of a big book & I can just slap them in my book later. I'm doing the same thing for the letterboxes I find - I'll have a pre-stamped label with my info & will just stick it in the books I find.

Also - I labeled my box & my camp "family friendly". Since this could be a nice kid activity, I thought we should acknowledge that some of them might not be suitable.

Let's see some more boxes listed! Soon!
"Sam"

[Janet Planet]

Letterboxing Gathering: "Boxing Burners, Burning Boxers"
Neverbies, newbies and sweaty old boxers are invited. Thursday September 3 from 1-2:30 PM at Carbon Dioxide Camp (Adapt and 4:30). We'll have extra stamp carving stuff if you need that to get started. A special stamp for the gathering.

[Scrofulous]

Here are the three letter boxes that will be living in Black Rock City for 2009. If you wish to place a Letterbox (yes please) you should post a clue on http://atlasquest.com under "Black Rock City". If you still don't know what Letterboxing is, atlasquest.com is a good place to start.

_____________________________________________________________

1) Attracted to Shiny Things.

Clue:
If you happen to be wandering around the playa kicking up dust between August 31 and September 7 during the Burning Man Festival of 2009,
you will see many amazing and interesting things that will catch your eye. Pack plenty of water and prepare for a surprise around every turn.
As you bike or meander through the spokes of the desert wheel, somewhere around 3-ish & G-ish you will notice a cluster of very large, shiny, silver objects.
Next to one of the smallest of these silver twinkie shapes, you will see a motley flock of odd looking guard birds.
The lone buzzard stands near an "X" that will signal the location of what you seek. Bam! You have found it.

_____________________________________________________________

2) Snowflake Village

Clue:
Like Bali-high, this city of 50,000 appears out of the playa dust but once a year for a week in August and disappears on Labor Day. To be worthy of entry you must have your golden ticket and a week's worth of food, water, clothes, and ear plugs. If you are going to be at Burning Man 2009, do come by & visit this short-time box.

Within the Nevada desert is Black Rock City. And on that city's main esplanade is an oddly named Village of Snowflake. And within that Village is an unlisted camp called "Shack of Sit" with it's 1,000sf of shade. Have a sit on one of their couches, partake of some ice water from the natives while looking around for a suspicious lump in the carpet or sand under a chair or table.

I hope the snowflake stamp will remind you of these kind people in the desert offering shade & water.

This camp & letterbox are family-friendly.

____________________________________________________________

3) The Time Machine

Clue:

"I am afraid I cannot convey the peculiar sensations of time travelling. They are excessively unpleasant. There is a feeling exactly like that one has upon a switchback–of helpless headlong motion! I felt the same horrible anticipation, too, of an imminent smash. As I put on pace, night followed day like the flapping of a black wing. The twinkling succession of darkness and light was excessively painful to the eye. Then, in the intermittent darknesses, I saw the moon spinning swiftly through her quarters from new to full, and had a faint glimpse of the circling stars. Presently, as I went on, still gaining velocity, the palpitation of night and day merged into one continuous greyness; the sky took on a wonderful deepness of blue, a splendid luminous color like that of early twilight; the jerking sun became a streak of fire, a brilliant arch, in space; the moon a fainter fluctuating band; and I could see nothing of the stars, save now and then a brighter circle flickering in the blue.â€