The Phatkev Letterboxing Website
Letterboxing is the newest craze. Everyone's doing it. Well, not everyone, but there are plenty in the letterboxing circuit. What is letterboxing? It's basically hiking with a purpose. Letterboxes are Tupperware containers that contain a rubber stamp and a small notepad. The letterboxes are hidden throughout parks and you go to www.letterboxing.org to find out how to find them. There are thousands hidden in the USA and many hidden outside the country, too. I've planted a bunch. You can find the directions on the main website, but here's Marji and my boxes. Enjoy
Kevin and Marji's Letterboxing Pages!
Here are some of the letterboxes that we've planted starting on Mother's Day, 5/11/03.
1) Trees of 3 (MDC Reservoir in W. Hartford, CT)
Distance: Not really sure. A few miles.
Time: Around 2 hours, maybe more
Difficulty: Easy except for 2 spots, which I pointed out down below. Those more difficult ones are moderate.
Fun factor: wicked fun
These letterboxes are located at the MDC Reservoir in West Hartford - a gorgeous local spot where we love to hike. This is a beautiful area and we decided to head you on a little hike so you can appreciate all that this site has to offer.
Park in the main parking lot in the back. Start on the main trail in a counterclockwise direction. From the yellow gate, walk 35 paces (1 pace=2steps) along the main path and veer left onto the dirt path heading NE. Keep walking until you see a large tree stump on the right along the path and you can see a little house in front and above you in the distance. As the path becomes a hill upwards, veer to the right and down the hill onto the green grass. Walk to the edge of the stream with a stone fence on the opposite side of the stream directly in front of you. Head south along the stream into the woods. Walk to the end of the fallen tree on your right. Stop, turn right (looking west) and walk to the first tree of 3 (with a buddy in the middle).
Ok, now get back on that dirt path and head upwards towards the little house you originally saw to the grey rock path. Turn left and walk along the path through the 2 blue posts towards the woods. This is the first spot where it gets a little more difficult. Follow the path to the right as it goes upwards into the woods, but follow the trail as it makes an immediate left (you’ll see 2 large trees with a fallen one spanning the 2). Head up the hill, quickly passing the swinging vine on the left side of the trail. Follow the trail as it zags right (you’ve gone too far if you went between the 2 large trees that makes the straight path narrow). After zagging right, you’ll see some mossy rocks on your left (when I saw it, it was dripping with water). Be careful, the rocks may be a little slippery. Continue heading up the hill until you come across a cool place to sit and eat some food. Head onto the dirt path in front of you (look NW) and go straight on the path. Continue straight when the trail gives you 3 options (head west). As you get out of the area that has been chopped down, you’ll see a paved path ahead of you. Make a right onto that trail and go straight for a little while. As the trail starts to slope downhill slightly, you will see a large bolder on your right and some water on your left. Keep walking straight until the first spot where the water meets the land. From there, go 18 paces and look right at the clearing in the woods. Right at the outermost edge of the clearing, stand directly in between the 2 trees that are on the perimeter of the clearing. Head 75 degrees into the woods ~27 paces to the big stump with its freshly lost body lying behind but still attached to it. Look left for the next tree of 3.
On the road again and head in the direction you were heading in. Keep going straight when you’re given the option to go right. But veer left onto the more dirtish trail at the fork after that. You should have water on both sides of you. Follow the trail as it veers around to the right. At the bend to the right in the trail, walk to the Tulip Poplar tree and look left at 255 degrees and head in that direction half way up the hill to the next tree of 3. This is where the difficulty is a little bit harder because it’s a steep hill and the rocks are slippery. BE VERY CAREFUL COMING DOWN and make sure you read the waiver. You think you might be done, having found the third tree of three. But if you’re ready for some more, keep going for the bonus letterbox!
Go back on the trail in the same direction you were heading before going up the hill, and keep walking until you see your first small dirt path head down and to the right. Follow this over the small, narrow bridge across the reservoir until you once again return to the paved path. Follow the path straight so the water is on your left, and walk downhill until you see a cluster of Eastern Hemlocks and Douglas Fur trees on your left. Make a left at them on the trail. Continue on the path until you see a wooden stair case heading down. Walk down the stairs to admire the water and then walk back up the hill on the other side so you’re right back on the trail again which is now made of dirt. Follow the grass hill on your left as it gradually gets smaller and smaller and the water appears. Follow the water and cross over the cement dam. Make a right at the blue drum back onto the paved path. Make a left when the road gives you two options, and you’ll eventually see wires and posts on both sides of the road (like you see on some highways). Walk up this hill until you hit the apex (there is a big tree stump on the right at the apex). Walk ~33 paces from the stump down the other side of hill and walk left into the woods to the huge uprooted tree. Stand right next to the left side of the roots of the uprooted tree and walk 45 paces north to the bonus tree of 3. But your adventure doesn’t end there! Head 20 degrees towards the cliff (you may have to veer around to avoid the trees, but keep heading at 20 degrees). Before you fall off the cliff, look at the thick red tree. Right next to them are 2 seven-foot tall rotted trees that are protecting the treasure. Look behind them for your bonus.
Head back out of the woods to the paved path and head back in the direction you headed in. But instead of going back to the blue drum, you can continue this paved path all the way back staying left when the trail gives you options to go right. Hope you enjoyed our first ever planted letterboxes!
What is this? Check out more on the North American Web site www.letterboxing.org
2) 3 of Hearts
Placed by: MDMT
Placement date: Jun 25 2003
State: Connecticut
County: Hartford
Nearest city: West Hartford
Number of boxes: 3
Clues
The long awaited sequel to the Trees of Three. I love the place so much that I
planted some more. I clarified the directions a little bit more on 5/1/04
3 of Hearts
You must first find all the Trees of Three before finding these boxes. Refer back to those directions for some of these clues, including the specific words in the trees of three's clues. (Especially the words in quotation marks)
1. Go back to the first “difficult spot”, and instead of walking away from the fallen tree, walk up towards its origin and look on the left side.
2. Go back to where the "narrow land bridge" lets you out until you hit the asphalt main path, make a left and walk a little ways on that path until you see a tree of 3 on your right next to 2 trees making an “X”. Walk in between the X tree and walk 20 paces (1 pace=2steps) into the woods to a big tree surrounded by boulders. You will be in between 2 embankments. At the tree's base, look left at the small hill/embankment with 3 trees growing out from them. Climb up the embankment and look under the roots of the tree on the right.
3. Get back on the path from where you left it (to go into the woods), but go left and head back about 3/4 mile until you’re about to cross the bridge with stone pillars and logs for railings. Just before the bridge, climb up the clearing on your left to the first main tree stump when the ground is level again at the top. Look right and walk to the mossy rock with the tree growing out the side. Approximately 30 paces at ~180 degrees, you’ll find yourself inside a small circle of around 5 birch or beech trees (I don't know trees). Look down at the newest fallen birch/beech comrade and he will point you towards the tree that is hiding the final 3 of hearts on the SW side of the tree behind a pile of bark.
These directions aren’t precise, I know. I’m going to go check on them soon and I’ll get the more complete directions. Stay tuned. Also, I really wanted this to be the type of continuation where you find the last box of the Trees of Three and it gives directions to the next one and that one sends you to the next and the next one to the final one. But I never got a chance to do it. But soon these directions will disappear and you will have to find the 3 of hearts the legitimate way. Take advantage of this rare opportunity. Now get out there and letterbox! Oh yeah.
3) Spring Has Sprung
Placed by: MDMT
Placement date: Jun 16 2003
State: Connecticut
County: Hartford
Nearest city: Simsbury
Number of boxes: 1
Clues
Difficulty – supa dupa easy
Time – 7 minutes 29 seconds
Fun factor – eh
Cool tree factor – not too shabby
The day we planted this box, it felt like it was the first ray of sunshine that I’ve seen in a year. For that reason, we called it “Spring Has Sprung.” Finally!
With regards to the location, my ex-girlfriend originally showed me this tree and told me that it was the oldest tree in CT. I’m not so sure about her credentials, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was true. This is a very very very big, old sycamore tree located in Simsbury, CT that kind of hangs over the road right before you hit a bridge. You should be able to figure out this pseudomystery letterbox if you can figure out where to find the tree. (Honestly, I just don’t even know the names of the streets specifically. But if you really just don’t know and still want to do this letterbox, let me know and we’ll work something out.)
Ok, so my current girlfriend and I (I know, I’m such a stud. “Riiiight” (said with a Dr. Evil voice)) were letterboxing at Talcott Mountain (oooh another clue for the location) and we were hot and tired and just wanted to go home, I convinced her to take a quick detour to show her my favorite 23 foot circumferenced sycamore tree. Then I planted a letter box there.
So as you pull in the parking lot, with your back to the road you came from, head to the tree on your right to the picnic bench. Walk from that picnic bench to where the grass ends and the overgrown weeds begin. Now looking kind of in the Northeast about, oh, guessing, 30 feet into the woods, you’ll see a tree that has many trees sprouting from the same trunk, but also many other trees that have fallen into it. Well, find a way to get there and look on it’s NE side for your letterbox. I found it easiest to walk through a little “path” a little bit (~10 feet) to the left and walk back towards the water and then turn right. Or if you’re not afraid of ticks, then head straight on baby!
Sorry these directions stink. It was very hot that day and we had no water and were very tired, so I didn’t write everything down verbatim. But it’s such a tiny place that you really can’t have a difficult time finding it. Just please check out the big trees and hug them for me, please. Thanks, letterboxers.
Any questions, comments, complaints, life lessons, jokes, or haikus about the condition of the letterbox, please email me at letterbiznox@yahoo.com
Keep on rockin’ in the free world!
4) Healing Staff
Placed by: MDMT
Placement date: May 25 2003
State: Connecticut
County: Mystery
Nearest city: ???
Number of boxes: 1
Clues
Location: Oooh it’s a mystery. Somewhere in CT
Time: About an hour (just like lenscrafters)
Difficulty: easy (with 1 tiny stream to cross that you do so by either jumping
it or walking over the rocks. It’s only 3 inches deep)
Fun factor: Hella fun
Creepy factor: slightly
When you’ve got your health, nothing else matters. Right? Well, the saying is something like that. So to find this healer, you must first figure out where Connecticut’s center for health is located. From there you must continue past its main entrance (without actually turning into it) heading east until you hit the Magical Mountain Road. Make a left onto this road and less than a mile on your left you will find the mythical swamp where the healing spice bush grows. As legend tells, the healing staff was made from the medicinal branch of the spice bush which was discovered by a burned out medical student, during a full fledged episode of procrastination (which he had mastered by his third year). If he could only find some way to heal people without the hours of studying in med school and years of residency that allopathic medicine demands. Luckily, he had a premonition that a solution to his dilemma existed. He needed to find the branch of the spice bush and make the healing staff. Now, let’s go find it for ourselves!
Once you park your car in the little lot, walk out the corner where there is no wooden gate, head NW toward a rock with an engraving on it and a faded nature walk sign. Head across the bridge and make a right so you’re along the bank of the pond. Pass by what looks like a small bocce court and cross over the next bridge, and continue to hug the curve of the pond. Head into the woods following the path and you’ll soon come out of the woods. You’ll soon see a path on your right with a butterfly sign. Follow this path and head over the wooden bridge, and eventually the wooden plank, continuing to stay straight when the path gives you options. Go up the hill, and follow the path as it curves left. You’ll see houses on your right. Continue staying straight on the path (you’ll have 2 options to go left but don’t do it) and you’ll start to curve to the right and head down hill. Here you’ll see a tree with what looks like a snake wrapped around it. Cool, to see but not important. Go up the hill and then down it on the other side and you’ll come to a strange 3 way intersection. Ignore the path that goes sharply right and go to the fork in the road ahead of you. Bear right (East) and you’ll soon see the hut where the med student and the Blair Witch extracted the healing powers from the spice bush. Go past this creepy hut until you come to a similar 3 way intersection. Go to the right and you’ll know you picked the right path is you see a large cement pipe, maybe a blue tarp (if it’s still there) and remnants of an old campfire along the bank of the river. Now you’re almost there. These tools were all used in the making of the healing staff. Cross the tiny river. BE CAREFUL, THE ROCKS ARE SLIPPERY (I kind of fell in on my numerous trips crossing it. It had just rained all week before as well). You could probably jump it.
Ok, you’re so close you can smell it! Now from the bank of the river that you just crossed, head 8 paces (1 pace=2 steps) until the path curves to the right making a wider path. Look left to the east to see a less defined path. Head 6 paces towards that east path which will put you in a small circular clearing. You’ll see the stream on your left and a slight corridor of skinny trees on your right. Go through this corridor in a S-SW direction 6 paces to the magical spice bush. You’ll know it’s the spice bush because it’s a tree of 5 growing out of ground approximately a 30 degree angle pointing south. It also has darker bark than its surrounding neighbors (because of it’s magical powers, duh!) The healing staff is cradled behind it under some protective rocks and sticks. Please, please, please put it back exactly as you found it underneath all the rocks so it is invisible to the passerbyer. The healing staff can’t be brought out of the swamp or the spice bush will avenge its loss. Sorry there isn’t a good spot for stamping, but I didn’t plant the spice bush.
To get back to your car, cross over the river again, and get back on the path, staying right and cross over the bridge and head back to your car. I hope you enjoyed finding this magical stamp. Please read the waiver and realize that this whole story is completely fictional. This is just a stamp and is not going to cure your diabetes, hypertension, or rheumatoid arthritis. It was all in good fun. Happy letterboxing.
If you have problems finding the box, can’t figure out where this magical place is, or would like to report on the condition of it please email me at letterbiznox@yahoo.com
5) Find Beto
Placed by: MDMT (contact the placer)
Placement date: Apr 20 2004
State: Costa Rica
County: Costa Rica
Nearest city: Puerto Viejo de Telamanaca
Number of boxes: 1
Clues
Find Beto (pronounced Bay-toe) in Puerto Viejo de Telamanca. That’s all. Just
ask the locals there. You may need to remind him about what letterboxing really
is, because he probably doesn’t get many letterboxers coming to Costa Rica to
see him.
Beto was my surfing instructor and an all around great guy. This guy moved from Uruguay to Costa Rica to truly live the tranquilo Costa Rican lifestyle and teach surfing. He’s a very laid back, nice guy, who is well known in this extremely small town. If you want to learn how to surf, this is your man to find.
Puerto Viejo is a nice little town along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica where people intend to stay only a short time, but often end up staying for weeks. It could possibly be the most laid back place I’ve ever been to. It's got some great food, also. It’s a good place to be stationed because it’s very close to Cahuita national park and Manzanillo, two great places to check out.
Tell Beto that Kevin says hello (if he remembers me) and that I’m practicing my surfing.
If you find this letterbox or are thinking of looking for it, email me at letterbiznox@yahoo.com