This adventured happened the morning of December 29th, 2007, as posted to the Atlas Quest SC board:
Ok well, I have been on a bad streak lately – gone out on hikes and coming home empty handed. Even went to get these 2 boxes the other day with my nephew and ran close on time so had to head back and I was SOOOOOO close. I love t's boxes and just had to have these 2. Mr Sun and Bloodroot from her Woodland Wildflowers series. So this morning, since my “calf” is at my Mom's, I announce that I am getting dressed and going up to the GAP.
The muggle/bear/troll is already in grump mode but insists that I am not going alone, “Holly it rained all day yesterday, you will twist an ankle and then we will be on the news tonight with search teams looking for you !, How far are these things anyway” I think quick and LIE and say only a mile “darling” just right by the falls and that is only a mile in. So I get dressed still planning on going alone or with my one dog, and the troll gets ready too. Off we go up the mountain, the trails are VERY wet and all the little streams that have not been an issue to get across are a little challenging. We get to the falls across the new bridge (while this bridge is nice, I love the old wooden bridge better). The troll does not like to try and understand clues he just starts looking. We look for Mr Sun for a little while – I keep telling him “this is not the place – t's clues are very good and if she says a CUBE she means a cube.” We are wet, dirty and looking everywhere until I finally convince him that we are not in the right spot and need to keep going. We trudge on, wet and dirty. I read him the clues again, things click and my bad luck streak has been crushed and I find the SUN. Go to the river edge and get a wet bottom stamping in but AHHHHHHH what a great feeling, I am back on my game ! Now I have to figure out a way to LIE again and get him to go for the bloodroot. PLEASE I beg, it is only a little further up to the next trail. He agrees and we trudge on. We get to the Coldspring connection and he asks again HOW FAR ? I LIE yet again, only a ¼ of a mile! We cross the small wooden floating bridge which was a pretty good challenge due to the water this morning. Then cross the big bridge and face a large stream with really no way to cross. The troll announces WE ARE GOING BACK. I AM NOT HIKING BACK 2 miles with wet feet and socks HOLLY !! I try and think fast I see a log that we can use to cross – I don't even say anything and I attempt it and YEEEHAAAA I am across. I look back, with “that” look on his face he follows. GIVE ME THAT CLUE he yells. I am busted now, totally busted because it says that it is ½ mile not a ¼ of a mile. I say come on “darling” we have nothing pressing to do, we are this CLOSE, PLEASE. On we hike – Now like I said t's clues are very good – and she AINT kidding that this is a steep incline. I keep in front of the troll and just keep going. He is mad, he is laboring up this STEEP INCLINE and he yells to me YOU LIED HOLLY – YOU LIED! I apologize and keep climbing. It flatten just like t says and low and behold I am standing at the river edge. I can see that huge log on the other side. The water is roaring and the stepping stones that normally are used to get across are under water. The troll tells me – “come back another time when the water has gone down Holly – you can not hike back with your shoes and socks wet.” I almost died. There was NO WAY I was not going to have this box when I was standing this close – I can see the large log and all that is stopping me is a roaring river. I look at him, sit down and take my shoes and socks off. He announces that I have totally LOST MY MIND – IT IS DECEMBER he informs me. I am getting this box! I roll my jeans up to my knees and wade across the river. I run up the trail to the log – OH NO – he has my clue, so I yell to him to read it to me – He laughs like the troll he is and says WHAT IS IT WORTH TO YA !!!!!!! Finally after he has his little fun with me, SUCCESS – the Bloodroot is MINE ! I am only the 3rd person to venture for it. I stamp in, hide the box, wade back across the river as my darling troll is laughing and asking me if the water is WARM. Sit on my already wet bottom to get my socks and hiking boots back on. I look at the troll and say “did you really expect me to not get that box when I was standing here this close ?” He laughed and said “NO I knew we were not going anywhere until you had it but I was not getting any wetter !” So we venture back and he again reminds me that I LIED. Well the steep incline is now a STEEP decline and all the leaves covering the trail are wet and slick and I almost bust my bottom several times on the way back down, all to the troll's amusement. We have a very nice walk back, wet, dirty but feeling very fulfilled as my bad streak is over (I hope). As we get back to the car, the troll announces that my little 1 mile hike has taken us 4 hours ! We get home, I heat up homemade soup for lunch, and thank the troll again for going with me. He announces to me that he is hurting a little and reclines back and as I type this I can hear the sounds of a muggle/grumpy bear/troll snoring.
THANKS 't'
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Going to the extreme
October 27th 2007 started like most of my Saturday mornings, like I have already said we do our errands and letterboxing is now on the list of errands. :O)
In Travelers Rest this Saturday morning we (Sean and I) found the cutest Wiggle Worm and had a great visit with owner. We then ventured to the park to find a panda bear. We were satisfied with our boxing, finished our errands and headed back to our beloved valley.
When we got home, we learned that my sister-in-laws, Pattie & Myra, and Pattie's 3 boys (Seth, Parker and Levi) had come home to visit for the weekend. I was requested out at my mother-in-laws to help cook. :O) I love to cook, and normally everyone requests me to "help". We were cooking, and I really don't remember how the subject of letterboxing came up, but it did. Pattie and Parker were really interested, Myra thought and still thinks I am off my rocker. :) Parker asked if we could go after dinner. I said SURE TWIST MY ARM !! There is a 'brown trout' that I have to go back for at Jones Gap and it is not too far off the parking area. My first attempt at the brown trout was unsuccessful, to which I later learned he had to swim to another spot - (THANKS Bubba!) So we eat, everyone else offers to clean up so we can go. We "load up" - Pattie, Parker (17) and I. We will be RIGHT BACK I promise everyone this won't take long. Off we go up the mountain. I hand Parker the new and improved clue, and off we go to catch a trout. I stamp in and now they understand how it works.
We make our way back to the car ....................... and .................................Parker looks at me and asks " can we do another one" MUSIC to my ears, I knew I loved this KID ! I said well there is this one, BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT ....................................
it is labeled extreme and while it is not too far up the trail it is kinda getting dark and I did not throw a flashlight in my pack because we were just coming for this trout. I look at my sister-in-law, she says OK with me, I look at Parker - he says come on I have my cell phone, we can use that as light if we need it ! I am in heaven, but also concerned, it is getting dusk. I open the car, feverishly ripping through my book looking for the Carolina Woollybooger clue. GOT IT I yell ! We read it several times just in case it gets dark before we get to the spot. We hustle down the trail, across the bridges, and down the trail. Great ! - campsite 8 has campers (doesn't it always ?). It is dusk but just enough light that we can see, so we read the clue again and see what we have to DO. Now I understand why the threespoiledboxers labeled it extreme. I look at the two of them - Parker says "I will go first and help you both". Parker leaps ! Pattie leaps and Parker grabs her arm. WHEW safe. I tell him to catch my pack NO MATTER WHAT my log book is in it ! I toss it, he catches it. He reaches his hand out tells me to jump - I jump and land safely on the boulder ! The rest is easy. We scramble across and go in search of this Carolina Woollybogger. Pattie announces "we are NOT leaving with out this thing!" How easy it is to get hooked HUH ? We find the box, but it is dark, I can hardly see. Parker grabs his cell phone and by cell phone light, we stamp in! I included them under my trail name since they deserved it as much as I do. We were also the 4th finders and were awarded a shrinky dink with the woolleybogger on it. (THANKS threespoiledboxers!). We rehide the box, and turn to face the river. There is NO WAY we are getting back across, it is dark and the leap from this side of the river is not for the faint of heart. We try and look around to see if there is another way. All 3 of us were scared. We took a few steps up river and down river and there was no use, we were gonna have to leap that same spot to get back. IN THE DARK, well the only saving grace was a full moon so there was a little light ! Parker again says, "I will go first and help you both across". I was scared, he is an excellent wrestler and all I could think was he was gonna hurt himself and not be able to wrestle his senior year in HS and it would be Aunt Holly's fault with this crazy letterboxing stuff she does! He leaps and it was so hard to see where he was. "I'M FINE", he yells, Pattie goes next, she inches to the edge of the boulder, Parker reaches for her, she JUMPS. She turns and yells back to me - it is OK Holly, come on, it is not that bad. I again toss my precious letterboxing gear over to them. OK NOW YOU they say, with both of them reaching for me - I jump. AHHHHHHH solid ground, well as solid as a boulder can be :O) We return to the trail and high tail it back to the car. LAUGHING like a bunch of nutty kids the whole way back. Pattie and Parker thought this was the greatest thing EVER. This is a blast they tell me and with one of my favorite replies, I say "I told you SO!"
We get back in the car and head back down the mountain to the house. On the way back, they ask me about MORE ! We are having a blast, BUT it is DARK with only a full moon. Parker suggests we go home, grab a flashlight and go back out. Ok well I am having a great time and why not? So, I try to think of what we could do, **LIGHT BULB**, what better under a full moon then a cemetery box ! YEAH I yell - there is one in the cemetery in Travelers Rest. LETS GO THEY AGREE. We get to the house, now remember I told everyone we would be RIGHT BACK. We are laughing and acting like a band of drunks as we barge back into the house. "WHERE WERE YOU?" came from several directions! "PAPA", Parker yells, " get us a flashlight we are going back out" My mother-in-law looks at us like we have totally lost our minds , "where have you BEEN ?", she asks. We were laughing and trying to explain to her what we did. She had the DEER in HEADLIGHT look and could not believe what she was hearing! Parker yells" come on I have the flashlight " Everyone looking horrified asks, "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" We inform them we are going to the cemetery in TR to get another box. Now everyone thinks we have lost it, we run outside jump in the car and we are off flashlight in hand.
We were in search of the Angels on Assignment. We pull in, follow the clues and YEEHAAA, Parker grabs the box and we dash to the car. I open the box and find a Bed Bug hitching a ride. I explain the HH to them, log in and Parker returns the box. We decide our evening adventure should be over before the rest of the family calls MP (the local mental hospital) and reserves us all a room. On the way home though Parker asks if we could go out in the morning. :O) Like I said I knew I loved this KID !
In Travelers Rest this Saturday morning we (Sean and I) found the cutest Wiggle Worm and had a great visit with owner. We then ventured to the park to find a panda bear. We were satisfied with our boxing, finished our errands and headed back to our beloved valley.
When we got home, we learned that my sister-in-laws, Pattie & Myra, and Pattie's 3 boys (Seth, Parker and Levi) had come home to visit for the weekend. I was requested out at my mother-in-laws to help cook. :O) I love to cook, and normally everyone requests me to "help". We were cooking, and I really don't remember how the subject of letterboxing came up, but it did. Pattie and Parker were really interested, Myra thought and still thinks I am off my rocker. :) Parker asked if we could go after dinner. I said SURE TWIST MY ARM !! There is a 'brown trout' that I have to go back for at Jones Gap and it is not too far off the parking area. My first attempt at the brown trout was unsuccessful, to which I later learned he had to swim to another spot - (THANKS Bubba!) So we eat, everyone else offers to clean up so we can go. We "load up" - Pattie, Parker (17) and I. We will be RIGHT BACK I promise everyone this won't take long. Off we go up the mountain. I hand Parker the new and improved clue, and off we go to catch a trout. I stamp in and now they understand how it works.
We make our way back to the car ....................... and .................................Parker looks at me and asks " can we do another one" MUSIC to my ears, I knew I loved this KID ! I said well there is this one, BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT ....................................
it is labeled extreme and while it is not too far up the trail it is kinda getting dark and I did not throw a flashlight in my pack because we were just coming for this trout. I look at my sister-in-law, she says OK with me, I look at Parker - he says come on I have my cell phone, we can use that as light if we need it ! I am in heaven, but also concerned, it is getting dusk. I open the car, feverishly ripping through my book looking for the Carolina Woollybooger clue. GOT IT I yell ! We read it several times just in case it gets dark before we get to the spot. We hustle down the trail, across the bridges, and down the trail. Great ! - campsite 8 has campers (doesn't it always ?). It is dusk but just enough light that we can see, so we read the clue again and see what we have to DO. Now I understand why the threespoiledboxers labeled it extreme. I look at the two of them - Parker says "I will go first and help you both". Parker leaps ! Pattie leaps and Parker grabs her arm. WHEW safe. I tell him to catch my pack NO MATTER WHAT my log book is in it ! I toss it, he catches it. He reaches his hand out tells me to jump - I jump and land safely on the boulder ! The rest is easy. We scramble across and go in search of this Carolina Woollybogger. Pattie announces "we are NOT leaving with out this thing!" How easy it is to get hooked HUH ? We find the box, but it is dark, I can hardly see. Parker grabs his cell phone and by cell phone light, we stamp in! I included them under my trail name since they deserved it as much as I do. We were also the 4th finders and were awarded a shrinky dink with the woolleybogger on it. (THANKS threespoiledboxers!). We rehide the box, and turn to face the river. There is NO WAY we are getting back across, it is dark and the leap from this side of the river is not for the faint of heart. We try and look around to see if there is another way. All 3 of us were scared. We took a few steps up river and down river and there was no use, we were gonna have to leap that same spot to get back. IN THE DARK, well the only saving grace was a full moon so there was a little light ! Parker again says, "I will go first and help you both across". I was scared, he is an excellent wrestler and all I could think was he was gonna hurt himself and not be able to wrestle his senior year in HS and it would be Aunt Holly's fault with this crazy letterboxing stuff she does! He leaps and it was so hard to see where he was. "I'M FINE", he yells, Pattie goes next, she inches to the edge of the boulder, Parker reaches for her, she JUMPS. She turns and yells back to me - it is OK Holly, come on, it is not that bad. I again toss my precious letterboxing gear over to them. OK NOW YOU they say, with both of them reaching for me - I jump. AHHHHHHH solid ground, well as solid as a boulder can be :O) We return to the trail and high tail it back to the car. LAUGHING like a bunch of nutty kids the whole way back. Pattie and Parker thought this was the greatest thing EVER. This is a blast they tell me and with one of my favorite replies, I say "I told you SO!"
We get back in the car and head back down the mountain to the house. On the way back, they ask me about MORE ! We are having a blast, BUT it is DARK with only a full moon. Parker suggests we go home, grab a flashlight and go back out. Ok well I am having a great time and why not? So, I try to think of what we could do, **LIGHT BULB**, what better under a full moon then a cemetery box ! YEAH I yell - there is one in the cemetery in Travelers Rest. LETS GO THEY AGREE. We get to the house, now remember I told everyone we would be RIGHT BACK. We are laughing and acting like a band of drunks as we barge back into the house. "WHERE WERE YOU?" came from several directions! "PAPA", Parker yells, " get us a flashlight we are going back out" My mother-in-law looks at us like we have totally lost our minds , "where have you BEEN ?", she asks. We were laughing and trying to explain to her what we did. She had the DEER in HEADLIGHT look and could not believe what she was hearing! Parker yells" come on I have the flashlight " Everyone looking horrified asks, "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" We inform them we are going to the cemetery in TR to get another box. Now everyone thinks we have lost it, we run outside jump in the car and we are off flashlight in hand.
We were in search of the Angels on Assignment. We pull in, follow the clues and YEEHAAA, Parker grabs the box and we dash to the car. I open the box and find a Bed Bug hitching a ride. I explain the HH to them, log in and Parker returns the box. We decide our evening adventure should be over before the rest of the family calls MP (the local mental hospital) and reserves us all a room. On the way home though Parker asks if we could go out in the morning. :O) Like I said I knew I loved this KID !
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Our First Boxing Adventure
Saturday mornings are reserved normally for errands. We live on a farm in a very rural area. There is no just running out to the store. Our normal stops include the feed store, the library, the grocery, the bank, and what ever else has made it's way on my list on this day and since my list includes letterboxing. :O)
Saturday, July 7, 2007 (07-07-07) was the day we went in search of our first box. I remember the day like this:
We made our weekly appearance at Travelers Rest Feed and Seed, had our weekly visit and got our supplies. Then we ventured over to our favorite coffee shop, Leopard Forest, one of the best treasures of Travelers Rest ! There was a box here called Leopards in the Forest, planted by dtandfambly and it had a blue diamond. Ok, well I thought, this should be a good way to start.
I parked the car, very surprised that it was not very crowded for a Saturday morning. We read the clue (5 more times) in the car, preparing ourselves for our first adventure. Excited, scared and not sure what to expect, Sean (5 years old at the time) and I went in. I got a coffee and he a hot chocolate and a cookie. On the way outside to the back porch, we stopped at the bookshelf and OMG there it was, just like the clue said!!!! Quite honestly I never expected it to be there. Sean grabbed it, looked at me with this HUGE smile on his face and RAN outside. We sat at a table, SOOOOOOO excited, HUGE smiles on our faces. We opened the box. There in lied a beautiful hand carved stamp of Leopard Forest's logo, a log book, AND another clue. We were beside ourselves, not only had we found our first BOX but there was ANOTHER CLUE ! We high fived each other (now that I think of it that was not exactly very discrete.... HUH ?) . We stamped in to the log book with our little initial stamps and made the first entry into our log book with that beautiful Leopard Forest stamp. We read the bonus clue what seemed like 100 times, placed it back into the box and headed back inside. We looked around, hid the box back on the shelf and headed back to the coffee section. At first we did not exactly get it and we were looking on the shelf where the flavored coffee beans are. Finally it clicked and we found it. Outside we scooted. WHAT FUN and what a uplifting start to our adventure.
I remember thinking THIS IS GREAT. We went back to the car and I pulled out the other Travelers Rest clues I had printed. Sunrift, hummm, that is doable, I thought. Right down the road and on the way to our next stop, the Library. Sean said, "LETS DO IT MOM!" We parked and went into Sunrift, again to our amazement there was the box, just like the clue said. This time we walked outside sat on the bench and logged in.
We finished our errands and headed home, I was right THIS WAS FOR ME, I was hooked instantly hooked. I logged onto Atlas Quest logged my finds and finally I could call myself a letterboxer !
Saturday, July 7, 2007 (07-07-07) was the day we went in search of our first box. I remember the day like this:
We made our weekly appearance at Travelers Rest Feed and Seed, had our weekly visit and got our supplies. Then we ventured over to our favorite coffee shop, Leopard Forest, one of the best treasures of Travelers Rest ! There was a box here called Leopards in the Forest, planted by dtandfambly and it had a blue diamond. Ok, well I thought, this should be a good way to start.
I parked the car, very surprised that it was not very crowded for a Saturday morning. We read the clue (5 more times) in the car, preparing ourselves for our first adventure. Excited, scared and not sure what to expect, Sean (5 years old at the time) and I went in. I got a coffee and he a hot chocolate and a cookie. On the way outside to the back porch, we stopped at the bookshelf and OMG there it was, just like the clue said!!!! Quite honestly I never expected it to be there. Sean grabbed it, looked at me with this HUGE smile on his face and RAN outside. We sat at a table, SOOOOOOO excited, HUGE smiles on our faces. We opened the box. There in lied a beautiful hand carved stamp of Leopard Forest's logo, a log book, AND another clue. We were beside ourselves, not only had we found our first BOX but there was ANOTHER CLUE ! We high fived each other (now that I think of it that was not exactly very discrete.... HUH ?) . We stamped in to the log book with our little initial stamps and made the first entry into our log book with that beautiful Leopard Forest stamp. We read the bonus clue what seemed like 100 times, placed it back into the box and headed back inside. We looked around, hid the box back on the shelf and headed back to the coffee section. At first we did not exactly get it and we were looking on the shelf where the flavored coffee beans are. Finally it clicked and we found it. Outside we scooted. WHAT FUN and what a uplifting start to our adventure.
I remember thinking THIS IS GREAT. We went back to the car and I pulled out the other Travelers Rest clues I had printed. Sunrift, hummm, that is doable, I thought. Right down the road and on the way to our next stop, the Library. Sean said, "LETS DO IT MOM!" We parked and went into Sunrift, again to our amazement there was the box, just like the clue said. This time we walked outside sat on the bench and logged in.
We finished our errands and headed home, I was right THIS WAS FOR ME, I was hooked instantly hooked. I logged onto Atlas Quest logged my finds and finally I could call myself a letterboxer !
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Letterboxing, WOW, this is perfect for me !
The Greenville Library System does a wonderful Summer Program for the kids every year, and in their newsletter and on their website they talked about this thing called Letterboxing. I followed the links and read all I could and decided that THIS WAS FOR ME. I did what I always do and researched it as much as possible, got a log book, decided on a trail name, Talley Valley Farm Clan, decided that we would use initial stamps and log each person in under the trail name, and printed out clues. WOW, there were so many boxes all around us.
This my friends as I remember it 6 months later was the beginning of the end ! I am hopeless, hopelessly addicted!
Our first signature stamps were just our initials (Holly, Sean and Glen)
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