In the minds of many letterboxers there appears to be a tacit rivalry between the Atlas Quest and Letterboxing North America (LbNA) websites. My first introduction to letterboxing was via the LbNA site, and it has been my go-to source for letterboxes ever since. Atlas Quest, I thought, was a secondary information repository that some letterboxers preferred to put their information into, and they invariably linked the information through LbNA.
Boy, was I ever wrong.
Atlas Quest has a wealth of letterboxes that are not listed on the LbNA site! How was I to know? Now, whenever I am planning an excursion, both sites are definite stops before the trip.
Atlas Quest is a more modern site with a lot more bells and whistles than the rather old-fashioned LbNA site. LbNA, in its austerity, is more in the spirit of the sport itself, but that is not an issue for me. I have a sentimental fondness of LbNA, but my new re-discovery of Atlas Quest has kindled a desire to find all the local letterboxes!
The "spirit" of the sport doesn't include the Internet at all. ;o)
ReplyDelete-- Ryan
It is true, the "spirit" of letterboxing is decidedly pre-technological, or, at least, pre-1940 technological, which would take the Internet out of the formula altogether. That is why I am a letterboxer! I love the archaic character of this game. The Internet, however, makes it more accessible, and I do like that. I grant you that many old-school letterboxers feel that the accessibility has somehow diluted the exclusive nature of our game, but I do not subscribe to that belief. When the day comes that my letterboxing experience is fouled by a mob of unruly letterboxers on the trail, then I may change my opinion.
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