We really prefer longer hikes, but it depends on the location. 10 miles in a flat prairie isn't as interesting. Our favorites are 7-15 miles in mountains or near water. Of course we really like finding more than ONE letterbox on a longer hike. A nice series on a longer hike is great!
Perhaps a better poll question would involve the longest hike you're willing to undertake. I like everything from drive-by up to about 2 miles RT. Beyond that SWMBO starts complaining, although the couple longer hikes we've undertaken have been great. Never gone on one longer than perhaps 5 miles, since we usually don't have enough time before sundown.
FBtI - 16 years ago
I agree with you, R. ~3km is long enough to be able to stretch your legs but not take up the entire afternoon.
Lone R - 16 years ago
3-4 km (round trip) means I get some exercise and get the dog out for a good walk too. But when the weather's not so great, or I have a limited amount of time, or my knees are acting up, I do appreciate the shorter walks. More than the length of the walk though, the best part of letterboxing is the stamp and then the location. Drive-bys can be wonderful especially when planted near something interesting. I'm not keen on long walks where I end up wondering "why here?", why not a kilometer back near the waterfall instead of under this log by the swamp (I havent' experienced this with letterboxing but I've had that experience with geocaches).
We really prefer longer hikes, but it depends on the location. 10 miles in a flat prairie isn't as interesting. Our favorites are 7-15 miles in mountains or near water. Of course we really like finding more than ONE letterbox on a longer hike. A nice series on a longer hike is great!
Perhaps a better poll question would involve the longest hike you're willing to undertake. I like everything from drive-by up to about 2 miles RT. Beyond that SWMBO starts complaining, although the couple longer hikes we've undertaken have been great. Never gone on one longer than perhaps 5 miles, since we usually don't have enough time before sundown.
I agree with you, R. ~3km is long enough to be able to stretch your legs but not take up the entire afternoon.
3-4 km (round trip) means I get some exercise and get the dog out for a good walk too. But when the weather's not so great, or I have a limited amount of time, or my knees are acting up, I do appreciate the shorter walks. More than the length of the walk though, the best part of letterboxing is the stamp and then the location. Drive-bys can be wonderful especially when planted near something interesting. I'm not keen on long walks where I end up wondering "why here?", why not a kilometer back near the waterfall instead of under this log by the swamp (I havent' experienced this with letterboxing but I've had that experience with geocaches).