The rain was letting up. Clouds were lifting a little; sunshine threatened to break out later in the day. The air was not cold, though a constant breeze off the water told us to keep our coats on for now. We parked near the small parking area for Kukutali Preserve, shouldered our packs, and headed down the gravel roadway, the trail leading onto Kiket Island. Birds sang gloriously in the freshly clothed alders and willows to the side. Hear the song sparrow, the nuthatch, the thrush and the flycatcher joining disparate voices. The creek beside us gurgled quietly. I still remember the first time I visited here. The owner, Wally Opdyke, invited four Parks staff to walk the island with him to see if Parks might be interested in buying it. We walked down this road, talked about the island as we looked at maps draped across my car, then headed down to the causeway leading to the island itself. This will be amazing, I am sure, I told myself back then. Walking onto an island park. I feel the same way every time I visit. As we walked down the approach, the island loomed ahead, inviting exploration in this place separate from the mainland, separate from daily life, separate from the noise and busyness and cares of our civilized lives. Those cares become a distant memory as we walked out onto the isthmus, the wind freshening across the bay and open beach, an eagle cruising above. Back then, this was a causeway, built up with rocks and gravel to be a road connecting Kiket Island with Fidalgo Island. A few years ago, we were able to remove the causeway, allowing the shoreline processes to literally re-create Kiket Island as an island, at least at high tide. Today the tide was receding. Driftwood and wrack lay in the gap between Fidalgo and Kiket. A heron watched the lagoon’s waters for breakfast with the patience of a Zen master. Seagulls took the more relaxed approach, lingering at the lowering tideline to see what they might find left behind. We climbed out onto the small meadow on the southeast corner, then wandered up the island’s center road a ways. An orange-crowned warbler flittered from tree to bush to tree, singing a trilling melody. Thrushes sang their own tunes. We followed the north trail through the old growth forest, hearing a pileated pounding on a hollowed-out snag. The forest is otherwise quite quiet here. We walked with hushed footsteps, admiring the new growth on ferns, salal, Doug firs, evergreen huckleberries – indeed, every plant seemed to be lush in an explosion of bright green in this belated spring. Of course we paused at the bench that overlooks the water, with Deception Pass in the distance. Then dropping down to the meadow area, the memories of my first visit visited me like a friendly ghost. Back then, there was a large house here, and a swimming pool and tennis court. It had been a home for various people for almost sixty years. Wally walked us through the hallways and out the back door, past the hot tub, to the view of the Pass. The view was astounding, astonishing, a world apart. Today, we walked past the meadow and down the short path to the west end of the island. Bees hummed among magenta salmonberry flowers. Sunlight bounced off wavelets to the south; the north bay was calm and quiet. Clams squirted every couple of seconds as the tide continued to lower. We sat on the beach, mesmerized by the place. Again I felt that amazement I had first felt, that feeling of being in a world apart, a private enclave, a rich man’s paradise -- now a natural paradise, belonging to all, for everyone to experience. We lingered far longer than we had intended. It will always linger in our memories. Directions: From Highway 20 at the March Point Park and Ride, go east on 20 to Reservation Road. Go south on Reservation Road about a mile and a half; turn right onto SneeOosh Road and go just over a mile to the parking area on your right.
By Bus: Transit services does not go down Reservation Road or SneeOosh Road. By Bike: From Anacortes, the Tommy Thompson Trail goes to the March Point Park and Ride. From here, ride across Highway 20 and turn left on Summit Park Road. Continue east on Stevenson Road, then right on Reservation as described above. These hilly roads have limited shoulders but relatively limited traffic also. Mobility: the main trail across the island is firmly graveled but fairly steep. Getting to the island is a challenge however, as the beach is covered with loose gravel, driftwood, and other obstacles.
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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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