It was so sunny last weekend, a stark change from the onslaught of rain and wind all week, I was forced to go out and frolic in it. "But what about my list of chores?" As the day grew warmer and sunnier, the feeling nagged at me. A little voice in my head said, “Put off those chores. Get outside! Soak up the sun while you still can!” I went out to do yard work, picked fruit and tidy flowerbeds, but the voice kept nagging, “Are you nuts? Go play!” Finally, I made an excuse to drive down to Clinton to pick some things up and since I was so near, I took a walk at the Waterman Shoreline Preserve. It’s a place where I could kick my feet through a thick layer of leaves like I used to as a kid. Growing up in a deciduous forest I could tell this was a leaf kicking kind of day! I parked at the trailhead just as a couple started down the hill on bikes. I’d heard it gets slippery for cyclists when there are wet leaves on the pavement, and this couple took it slow. But soon they disappeared in the distance without a single slip. I began my walk looking down at the carpet of colored leaves at my feet. But soon I was looking up at the golden tree tops against a brilliant blue sky. I found myself smiling. This old road between Clinton and Langley used to be part of the Waterman Mill operation. I remember when the mill was up and running. The Waterman family used to own great swaths of Whidbey Island and logged much of it. This road provided access to a long chute where sawdust was loaded onto boats and shipped off to the mainland. But the mill was closed long ago. The Whidbey Camano Land Trust won several grants that provided the funds to buy the 60 acres of waterfront property in 2015. They’ve focused on protecting the feeder bluffs and shoreline habitat. In 2016 they removed an old wooden bulkhead that had cut off the sediment supply to much of the beach and poisoned the water with creosote. Now there’s no sign of the former mill operation, but you can read about it on an interpretive panel. I walked the roller coaster of road, steeply up and down, taking in the beautiful fall day as crisp as a good fresh apple. My feet shuffled through the leaves and I plowed them up and kicked them to the side, to clear a path for the bicycles, I told myself. But really who doesn’t love plowing through golden leaves two feet deep. Each leaf was different, though most were maples. Some were enormous and others delicate and lacy. Further on, the crunchy sound of me wading through dry leaves changed to a silent carpet of golden brown cedar fronds. I stopped to admire some huge cedars by a split rail fence. The sound of a hidden waterfall called mysteriously. On the return trip I was surrounded by the chirping of busy little birds. I saw chickadees, juncos and kinglets. A thrush hopped between branches. Then a loon cried out from the water! There was a bird box on the side of a tall alder for ducks. A woodpecker drilled. Deer broke the brush on the side of a hill where alders leaned out over a bank of sword ferns. What a wonderful walk on a golden day at the edge of autumn. Maribeth For details about the Waterman Shoreline Preserve click here. Directions: From Clinton take Bob Galbreath Road (by Dairy Queen) north to 2 miles. Pass Surface Road and look for the Preserve sign on the right. Or from Ken's Korner shopping center, take Surface Road to Bob Galbreath Road. Turn left and the gate will be on your right.
By Bus and Bike: The nearest bus stop is at Ken's Korner shopping center on Hwy 525. It's an easy 1 and 1/2 mile bike ride from there on a quiet road. All Island Transit buses can carry 2-3 bikes. Please wear bright clothes and a helmet. Mobility: If you can get through the gate at the trailhead, it's all paved but hilly and may be slippery when wet.
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Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
April 2024
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