Lime Kiln Trail 07-21-2019

Cedar, Luna and I were only going to hike in to the Lime Kiln and do 5 mi RT today, but it was so nice and cool that both dogs seemed energetic and up to going all the way to the river shore, so we did.
Apple Watch stats: 7.01 mi RT, 692 ft of elevation gain

We got to the trailhead just a few minutes after 7am and were only the 4th car there, which is fantastic.  We had the whole way in nearly to ourselves.  The day is supposed to get up into the 80's so I wanted to do this not only while it was quiet, but also while it was still cool. 

Today's focus seemed to be the trail itself.  Although I've done this trail more than almost any other, I love it just as much each time I get out there. 

There were ripe huckleberries and thimbleberries along the trail today, which was nice.  Not a lot of flowers, but a few fox gloves, some tiny white ones I can't recall the name of, and little purple ones like the one contrasted against the moss here.

The Lime Kiln never fails to amaze me at how it blends in now, all clad in moss and foliage.  Around it people have gathered old saw blades, bricks, and various other historical doodads.  I tried to get a photo of Cedar, Luna and I in the kiln, but my iPhone very unhelpfully focused on the dirt in front of us instead.  I'll put it at the end as an outtake.

After the Lime Kiln you start getting a few better views of the green Stillaguamish below.  At the end of the trail, I shared a sausage with the pups and relaxed on the boulders, listening to the rush of the river.  I noticed this artistic boulder, an impressionistic face carved out by the Stilly. 

Also across the river from our snack spot I saw this little spotted sand piper!  Cute!

Our blurry selfie:

Lime Kiln Trail 1-20-2019

AppleWatch Stats:  6.92 miles RT, 690 ft of elevation gain.

Although this is a fairly busy trail, it is always a good one - especially in the winter when the high country is too snowy.  I have liked doing this trail on the weekends, ever since I took a day off a few years ago to hike it on a less populated weekday and my car window was smashed in.  I had nothing valuable in the car.  Apparently there is just no guarantees, because despite the business of the trail two nice girls that I had met on the trail had their vehicle broken into while hiking.  Someone needs to put a camera up out there or something!

Now for the good stuff... even with its mud, its close-to-townness, its popularity, this trail never fails to fill me with peace and joy.  The birds sing in the trees, the trail wends around turning from a road, to a trail, to a road and back to a trail again.  It winds along the beautiful green of the Stillaguamish River and takes you through history.  The trees themselves are covered with such thick moss, it looks like they have bright green fur.

I wish there was more structurally left here in the Cutoff Junction area than the lime kiln itself, but at least there is that!  I hope its moss covered rocks remain standing for a long time.

People have found artifacts and gathered them around the kiln - interesting bricks, rusty saw blades, etc.  I feel like there are less artifacts than there used to be - I hope they are just tucked behind trees and not stolen.  I remember an iron wood stove top from years ago and an enameled tin bowl.  Those things are no more to be seen.

If you can, I highly recommend going past the Lime Kiln to the little loop at the end of the trail and getting down onto the rocky edge of the Stilly.  The sound and movement of the water makes for an inspiring and soothing place to have a trailside snack.

Happy hiking!

Lime Kiln Trail 3-25-12

Cedar and I made a quick trip to the Lime Kiln trail on Sunday last weekend and enjoyed a warm day.  Some little slithery friends of ours were up and about... a sure sign of spring!
First we saw one.

Then another.

Then a whole bunch more!

Another sure sign of spring are the skunk cabbage blooms.

The Stilliguamish River was lovely and green as usual.  Lower than I thought it would be, but that left a nice rocky beach to have lunch on.

The trail was just as fun as usual.

There was a new landslide on it though! 

And we enjoyed looking at the rusty artifacts as well as the Lime Kiln itself.