ALASKA

JUNEAU
ST. THERESE LETTERBOX
The first letterbox in Juneau was planted in September 2002 at the shrine of St. Therese. Because this box is an orphan, would you be kind enough to drop me a line at mlgainey@yahoo.com after you stamp in letting me know the condition of the box? Much thanks. The shrine is, of course, a religious place, so please act accordingly. I urge you to explore it beyond the clues below; I found it to be a calming, restorative place.

Take Egan Drive in the direction of the ferry terminal and Auke Bay. Keep driving toward "the end of the road." Make a left at the sign to the shrine of St. Therese. Take the Grotto Trail. Take the right fork. At the next fork, keep straight. Cross the bridge. Take the left fork.

Take the trail to the Merciful Love Labyrinth, the Shrine Columbarium, and the Marian and Biblical Gardens. Take the trail to The Gap. Walk to the right side of The Gap. The box is hidden in a hole in a mound across from the remains of a twisted stump. One tall, slender tree rises up from the mound.


KETCHIKAN
TOTEM BIGHT LETTERBOX
The first-ever letterbox was planted in Ketchikan on September 13, 2002, at Totem Bight State Park. This box does not contain a pencil. Because this box is an orphan, after you stamp in, could you please drop me a note about the box's condition at mlgainey@yahoo.com?

From the car parking lot, take the trail to the clan house and the totems. Take the left fork. Before you reach the clan house, you will see a trash can, a bench, and an informational marker titled "clan house." Go off-trail into the woods at this point. Walk toward a massive uprooted tree. The box is hidden in a hole in the tree. The hole is on the end closest to the clan house. The box is covered with bark in the hole. Once you have stamped in, please rehide it in the hole and recover with bark.


WRANGELL
PETROGLYPH BEACH LETTERBOX
The first-ever letterbox in Wrangell was planted on September 12, 2002. This box was planted on Petroglyph Beach. It does not contain a pencil. Because this box is an orphan, after you stamp in, could you please send me a note about its condition at mlgainey@yahoo.com?

Walk down the ramp to Petroglyph Beach. If you come at high tide, less of the beach will be exposed (and thus virtually none of the petroglyphs), but you might still be able to stamp in to the box. But it's really best to come at low tide. Check the tidal tables at this link on the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce Web site:

http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/predictions.cgi?stn=9450460+Ketchikan,+AK

From the spot on the beach that lines up with the red and white diamond marker in the water, walk 60 paces to your left away from the ramp. The 60 paces may not be a straight shot unfortunately; depending on how close to the water you are when you start your paces, you may have to step over rocks and logs along the way. The box is hidden underneath a rusty sheet of metal surrounded by several logs. One of the logs around the box, unlike most of the other logs on Petroglyph Beach, still has some of its root system attached. The box is attached to a stringer so that it won't float away during an unusually high tide. Make sure you place the box back in the plastic bag with no holes and that you completely seal it. Then make sure that you put the entire package in the plastic bag that the stringer is attached to. Make sure the package is placed far enough back under the metal piece so that it is completely hidden from view. And kick some sand over the stringer so that it will be hidden, too.