Explorer Falls 3-3-2019

Today Dave joined me for the short but beautiful Explorer Falls hike.  The road was clear all the way to the parking lot, but the trail itself was still mostly covered.  There were ruts in the dirt road section where the gravel was clear, but even in the granulated snow, the hiking was pretty easy, and I didn't need my traction.

We met only one person all the way in, and were back to the dirt road before we met just two more parties heading in.... just the way I like it!

 

It was great to have the falls to ourselves.  We could explore at our leisure, and Dave even climbed up into the hobbit hole, despite things being extra slippery. 
The waterfall was gorgeous, and all the twigs and moss alongside were decorated with diamonds of shining ice from the spray.

Happy hiking!

Ebey's Landing 2-23-2019

AppleWatch Stats:  5.27 miles RT, 480 ft of elevation gain.

Most of February we were buried in snow, so it was with relief that the last weekend I got to hit the trail with the dogs.  We went to Whidbey Island to avoid any lingering snow.  It was a gorgeous day - cloudy and breezy, but the sun peeked through and we didn't get rained on.

The promise of rain kept the people away though!  That and an early start.  I didn't see another soul until I got to the top of the bluff where it switchbacks down to the beach, and those people were leaving, so when we got to the bottom it was all ours.  Then at the end of the beach by the lower parking lot there were people, but what a gorgeous peaceful hike it was!

I parked at the Prairie Overlook trailhead up by the cemetary so I could lengthen the hike and get a look at the historic Ebey cabin.

The prairie/farmland itself was lovely too, with birds singing and hawks gliding over watching for voles.

When we reached the bluff, the sun was shining through holes in the clouds to light up the sea in great silver patches.

The bluff isn't scary, but it is steep.  Even if you don't see other people, it's a good idea to keep dogs on a leash.  Not just because of rules, but you don't want your dog falling down or tripping another hiker you didn't notice.  It's really a just a nice little "goat path" along the bluff.  I never see much sign of erosion on this part of the bluff - only at the end where you go down, so it doesn't raise my anxiety level and you can see so much of the water and sky and islands that it really brings an incredible sense of peace and joy.

Once down on the beach you're close enough to observe sea birds, cruising around in the waves.  We saw loons (I think), buffleheads, and mergansers among other things (that I couldn't get a clear photo of to ID later).

The beach itself is also fascinating and it's easy to get mesmerized looking down at all the varied colors of the smoothed rocks as you walk.  This beach also has little dried up kelps sticking out of the sand here and there.  They make me think of that song in the Disney move The Little Mermaid, Poor Unfortunate Souls haha.

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!

Mine Road Trail 1-13-2019

This is actually the 3rd hike of the year, but I didn't get anything written about my last two hikes, which were in the same general area.  All three have been fairly short trails with little elevation gain.  Last weekend, Beaver Lake and White Chuck River Bench Trails just out of Darrington on the Mountain Loop Hwy.  Today's was just before Darrington off of Hwy 530, and Dave came along for the adventure! 

I was given verbal directions to this trail, and in my head combined those with the WTA directions.  The WTA directions were spot on, so lesson learned there (a bit of driving around in Darrington before realizing I needed to turn off before I got there). 

It was somewhat cold out, but the day was absolutely gorgeous!  Not a cloud in the sky.  This hike was a little on the dark side, due to being on the north slope of the ridge. 

This trail follows an old road, so it is nominal and gentle in elevation gain, as well as being pretty wide and flat.  The trail crosses, and meanders by different streams, under a pretty forest of maple and evergreens.  Cedar and Luna got to take advantage of the fairly unpopulated trail by dashing about unleashed, leaping up on logs, wading in the streams, and keeping an eye out for squirrels.

Just before the mine, you get a nice little view of the peak Whitehorse Mountain with waterfalls tumbling from it's rocky snowy sides, as well as some more little water falls cascading down the hillside in the woods. 

At two miles in you come to a beautiful stream, Larson Creek, to the left, and the old mine to the right.  The mine was cut into solid rock and seems as safe as a mine can be.   No one has closed it off either, which you tend to find on unsafe mines. 

The inside of the mine is a little stream of water, so prepare to be wet.  You'll see the old rail tracks under the water, which is interesting since it's not a particularly deep mine - maybe less than 100 ft.  We also saw quite a few frogs hanging out in there as well, which surprised me.  Maybe it stays warmer in there.  I did see quite a few little gnats hanging out in the old drilled holes (for dynamite?) so the frogs have a good food supply. 

This was a really peaceful hike, a tad on the short side, but most likely accessible year round if there isn't lowland snowfall.  I hope to go back and visit in the spring or summer as well. 

Lake 22 11-25-2018

I needed to get up into the mountains a bit to try to work off all the turkey and pie I ate over the Thanksgiving holiday, so we headed up to Lake 22.  I got there around 8:30 expecting to be lucky to get a parking spot and was pleasantly surprised that the parking lot was not even half full. 

The trail is wet, but if you wear your hiking boots and some warm hiking socks you'll be fine.  I thought my boots were just water resistant, but between those and some extra thick synthetic wool my feet stayed warm and dry.  It wasn't super cold, so Cedar and Luna enjoyed wading through the various stream crossings.

The sky was clear and sunny for most of our hike, and seeing the huge ent-like trees in the morning light made me happy.  I see most hikers smiling as they hike and think about the natural high we share when on the trail. 

The views once you get out onto the switchbacks/slide area were stunning with frosty peaks rising into blue skies.

There were a couple places where trees had come down that looked fairly new - a hemlock and a cedar.  Both were easy to get by.  There were a couple logs crossing the trail also, which were tougher to get by.  The first we all went under, where my pack full of essentials was a bit bulky, and then my adventure crew wanted to burrow under the second one too with maybe 1 foot of clearance, so I had to convince them we'd all be happier going around. 

About a half mile from the lake we started seeing more significant patches of snow, and then eventually the trail became packed icy snow.  It was really slick, so I put on my yaktrax.  What a difference!  I don't use poles since my hands have leashes in them.  : ) 

The lake was so beautiful in its snowy winter basin.  Most of it is now covered with a slushy looking layer of ice.  The trail around it was easily passable and packed down as well, so easy to find.  With the snow load being pretty light I didn't think the danger of avalanche was too high so I went ahead and continued the hike around the lake.  About 3/4 of the way around I discovered one of my yaktrax was missing!  I back tracked a bit but didn't see it anywhere.

I didn't build this whimsical snowman, but it was too cute not to photograph

We had a snack (almost broke a tooth because my "chewy" granola bar had frozen) and then wound our way back down to the car.  I was super stoked that someone had found my yaktrax and brought it down!!  Now I have one for each foot again.  : ) 

Have fun out there!