On a rare day without rain, I went south, as far south as I could go on Whidbey Island. Possession Point State Park is 7 miles straight south of Ken’s Korner, except near the end where the road gets wiggly. I turned onto Franklin Road and parked at the end. After the holidays and winter weather, I’m out of shape but determined to improve. It felt like spring. The sap was rising. Birds were singing. I left my coat behind and started to climb the forest trail. Winter storms left trees across the path. I hitched over and crawled under, like limbo, bending way over to dance under a pole. Most logs had been cut through and the brush piled downhill made a great hiding place for the wrens and sparrows calling nearby. Douglas squirrels chirped and scolded along with them, but they were hard to see. Only movement gave them away. The trail, carved into a steep hillside, slithered up and down and all around. I felt like MC Escher must have been involved. Firs, cedars and majestic maples held the slope together along with a thick mat of sword ferns. Licorice ferns climbed the trunks of maples and moss clung to the branches. The cry of eagles echoed through the forest accentuated by the sharp call of a flicker moving between dead branches and snags. I stopped to take pictures and catch my breath. Up and up, stop and breathe. Looking around I noticed colors that blended but the shapes did not. I looked closer and there between tree trunks, pointy deer ears turned away. I waited. Eventually, she turned to face me, and I noted how much easier it is to recognize the eyes, nose, mouth we habitually seek. Most of her body sank below a green sea of ferns. Nearing the top, stairs twisted around tree trunks and with one last huff, I was looking over the railing. Puget Sound opened wide before me as the ferries crossed between Edmonds and Kingston. Mount Rainier supported a ceiling of clouds revealing a forested shoreline dotted with docks and buildings. A train whistled. I pulled out a snack and thermos of tea. Hearing loud belches below, I scanned with binoculars and noticed the tilted buoy crowded with sea lions carrying on like drunken sailors. Their roars billowed across the water. Below me I noticed an immature bald eagle perched at the top of a snag looking out to sea. Then an adult swam lazily through the air to perch just above it. I rarely look down on eagles, but my perch was high on the bluff. Soon I would start down. Down, down, down the trail toward the beach house. Just as an eagle landed on a branch straight ahead, I came upon another downed tree. This one was lying, not across but right on the trail with a thick tumble of branches to either side. It was a mess to get through, and then the eagle was gone. The walk down was faster and brought me to the backside of the wood shed by the old beach house. A cat outside noted my passing with a casual scratch behind the ear. I stepped down off the green lawn. Beyond the beach logs, the tide was out and the cobbled shore exposed. Mergansers, goldeneyes, grebes, loons and cormorants shared the water with passing seals. A gull watched like a lifeguard on a barnacled stone. Cavities in the bluff looked big enough for a bootlegger’s boat. Around the bend the Olympics emerged standing tall in their crisp blue and white. A tanker cruised silently south. Looking up at the bluff, I counted 5 eagles all perched upon the out-leaning snags. I turned and started for home with the sound of drunken belching in my ears and a smile on my face. Directions: From Highway 525 at the Clinton Ferry, drive 2.7 miles to Ken's Korner, turn south on Cultus Bay Road for 5 miles, go straight to East Possession Road for 2 more miles. Turn right on Franklin Road and park at the end. (The next road goes to Possession Beach Waterfront Park.) The forest trail starts up from the far end of the parking area. Bring your Discover Pass.
Bus and Bike: There is no bus service here and the road is windy and steep with little or no shoulder. Mobility: The forest trail is a moderately challenging hike with narrow trails, steep slopes and can be slippery when wet. Several trees were down across the trail. It has a cobblestone beach, best at low tide.
0 Comments
|
Authors
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
May 2024
Categories
All
|