Now here's a little flower that even the most avid of "stamp collectors" should be able to pick up at the BABE (Birth of American Boxing Event), if only they are willing to leave the "cootie table" for a short couple of minutes! I also thought this stamp, an early RTRW eraser-carved sunflower, would do well to remind us of North American letterboxing's wonderful traditions, from those first little commercial stamps seeded on Max Patch and elsewhere, through the eraser carvings of the following years, to some of the intricate carvings of recent times, yet always preserving the true letterboxing focus on the hunt and not the stamp!

So, to do this very quick and easy letterbox search, simply roll on downstream with the French Broad, 4.6 miles down River Road from the Hot Springs bridge and just a hundred or so feet from the "cootie pavilion", to the first spot where you would have to rock hop a little creek if you were to continue along the river. Stop and look on the north side of a good-sized two-trunk bearing tree. Yup, there in the groove about three feet up, tucked well behind leaves and bark, find a little flower to mark this happy day and to remember what makes it so special!

This stamp carved by RTRW of CT I had initially intended to plant somewhere out in the "bread basket" of the midwestern plains, but not knowing when I might ever get out that way again, I figured the mountains of NC would do, especially since this was the place where the first letterbox in America was seeded that got the hobby growing over here in the great mountain tradition of hiking to scenic vistas!

So, to find this stamp, go 4.6 miles down River Road from the Hot Springs bridge to the spot used to celebrate the "Birth of American Boxing Event". Follow the loop trail directly across from the picnic area exit until you reach the blue-blazed Jack's Branch Trail, where you might hear some singing! Continue up Jack's Branch Trail about another 15 minutes (less than a mile), winding around a couple of lovely deep hollows, until suddenly you crest the saddle, and see a view of Hot Springs spread out before you about 5 miles away. With that view at about 150 degrees, a fire ring at 210, an old charred stump at 295, and a blue-blazed tree at 55, the box should be at your feet, tucked near the mid part of a long gray log behind a trap rock door. Please take care to replace the box exactly as found, so that others might be able to enjoy finding wheat up here for many years to come! Thanks!

BEFORE YOU SET OUT, PLEASE READ THE WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER..

You can find information about this hobby at Letterboxing North America (LbNA)

News concerning this hobby is posted at LbNA Talk List