Hi All!

My mate, John, and I headed up to North Bend, Washington this weekend (about
a half hour from Seattle, maybe a little under three hours from Portland)
and we sought out and scored the Rattlesnake Ledge letterbox!!! On a clear
day this place cannot be beat!

Admittedly, when you try for this one it won't be without sweat. You will
exert quite a bit of effort. You'll feel like you're blowing out your
calves. It's only 1.3 miles, but you gain 1,300 feet within that distance.
If you don't get the picture, I'll explain it...The first part of the trail
goes STRAIGHT UP. When you finally do arrive at the switchbacks they are
not necessarily too forgiving, either. It's a great conditioning hike for
sure. The letterbox was great to find, but the true reward was the view
from the Ledge itself. Absolutely incredible!!! I've never seen such a
lush, untouched expanse of forest in all my days (Ssshhh! Don't tell Gail
Norton) and the mountains in that Snoqualmie area provide a breathtaking
backdrop.

I'm currently working on a new letterbox series and will hopefully post
clues soon. Most of the images are carved, just one to go and then the
magical fun of placing them!

That's the latest from the Pacific NW as far as my letterboxing adventures,
go. Thom Cheney's got it going on as far as putting together a Pacific NW
letterboxing gathering in April. By the time you all show up, we'll have
plenty for you to hunt for, "I GUARANTEE!" as the Cooking Cajun always said.
We might be able to do the soup kitchen thing like Beth did in Connecticut,
we'll have to wait and see what's in the works. I'm not sure that's an
option, but if it is...I've got a great mushroom soup you just might want to
try.

Best regards,

Amanda Briles
The Paisley Orca