Tamanowas Rock Sanctuary Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
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Just outside of Anderson Lake Park: a hike through a mystical forest, ending at an ancient ceremonial site.
The word Tamanowas (pronounced: Tah-mah'-no-wahs), meaning a power spirit, has come through Chinook jargon; a local, common, trade language of indigenous and newly arriving peoples in the Pacific Northwest.
The Tamanowas Rock site has been recognized as a sacred place, a power center and ceremonial ground for millennia. Concern for this site became acute since 1993, when developers clear-cut portions, built roads, and drained wetlands in this area. Permitting regulations, rezoning, and intense local opposition have frustrated that intention.
A Port Townsend based environmental nonprofit organization called All My Relations (AMR) has been working to preserve this sacred site as a sanctuary; a place of refuge and healing for all beings, for spiritual, ceremonial, and worshipful pursuits. AMR works towards an increased public awareness of Tamanowas Rock and the sanctuary vision, according to which, Tamanowas Rock Sanctuary will serve as a reminder of archaeological values, ecological values, cultural traditions of the past and offer a spiritual door to a new human culture of respect for the Earth Mother and the interconnectedness of All Beings. Furthermore, Tamanowas Rock Sanctuary shall be a place for spiritual guidance, healing and insight into oneself. For further information, see (visit link)
Suggested parking coordinates are N 48 00.861 W122 48.462, on Anderson Lake Road, just outside of the gate. 50 yards past the gate, a trail will go to the East, and circle the lake counter-clockwise, through one of the most beautiful forests of the Pacific Northwest. Please stay on the trails. At the Northern end of the lake, at N48 01.412 W122 47.936, you will meet a trail that will go up to your right. Follow this trail until you get to the cache coordinates. You will unexpectedly find yourself at the top of a bluff, looking Eastwards. Be careful, it is steep, and deep. When you are standing at the place with the best view, you are within a few feet from the cache.
The cache is located at a respectful distance from the rock itself, but you are welcome to visit it. If you attempt this, take into account a five-star terrain difficulty. When facing the bluff, follow a little trail to the right. You will find a steep descent down the bluff, which is not without danger. At the bottom, you will find yourself at the foot of an overhanging cliff, with many caves in it. Unfortunately, this place has been desecrated with lots of graffity. On your right, you will see the rock. The climb is almost as high as the descent from the bluff, and even steeper. Someone has provided a metal cable for you to hold, but even so, this climb is not for the faint of heart. From the top you will have a beautiful view of the Quimper Peninsula.
Please treat this site with all the respect due to ceremonial grounds; practice minimal-impact, refrain from indiscriminate camping and fires, hunting, taking of flora and fauna, tree cutting, rock painting, etc. When we deposited the cache, we collected any garbage we found, and we hope you will find clean trails. If not, you will find plastic bags in the cache. Local species and future human visitors will appreciate it if you take a bag and collect trash on your way back!
To return from the rock, climb down and up again the same way until you get to the cache site, and continue backtracking until you get to the lake again. From here, you can return the way you came, or alternatively, turn right and continue counter-clockwise along the lake, until you get to the parking coordinates. This route is a bit shorter, but the latter part is on a dirt road, rather than on a forest trail.
Thank you for not rushing through and for allowing some time to take in the spirit of this place. We hope your visit will be a spiritually enriching experience for you, as it always is for us.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx sbe n oenapu juvpu ybbxf n ovg yvxr gur urnq bs n tbng.
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