from Wikipedia.com:
Letterboxing is an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art and problem-solving. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like parks) and distribute clues to finding the box in printed catalogs, on one of several web sites (see below), or by word of mouth. Individual letterboxes usually contain a logbook, a rubber stamp, and an ink pad. Finders make an imprint of the letterbox’s stamp on their personal logbook, and leave an impression of their personal stamp on the letterbox’s logbook — as proof of having found the box. Many letterboxers keep careful track of their “find count”.
see also:
http://www.letterboxing.org/
