Yesterday was the MI Fall Event: Viva Grand Haven which was put on by Springchick and Doglvrs. I was fortunate to be able to attend with a couple of my letterboxing friends. One was a newbie like myself, the other has been to several events in the past.
The event took place in several parks in the Grand Haven area. We were able to get all of the stamps and one traditional letterbox that we discovered by accident. We could have participated in taking pictures of various places that required different items in each photo. Our team decided that we really wanted to get all of the stamps. None of us knew the area particularly well and we were afraid that we might get lost looking for the various locations, so we decided to not participate in the photos. Other teams said that the photos were fun and challenging, but they weren't able to collect all the stamps. Choices, choices, choices.
Many of the parks were beautiful. Another trip to Grand Haven is not in the offing to collect the permanent boxes in the area. My children will enjoy hiking the trails and exploring the local landmarks and playgrounds. We won't be able to get up there again the year, but will aim for next spring.
My favorite experience at the event was meeting the carvers and box planters of my favorite letterboxes. I was able to hear stories from the "old days" when boxes were few and most boxes required a lot of thought, research, ingenuity and hiking stamina. It was not uncommon for a letterbox to require more than one trip before is was found. I enjoy the challenge of locating a difficult box and am so glad that these types of boxes exist. The effort and time put into this type of box is inspiring to a newbie.
Overall, the experience was great. No snakes were seen. No cooties were found. All boxes were collected. Lots of laughter. A pretty good day.
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