![]() A walk down the old farm road is a walk back in time for me. I lived and worked here in a past life. I occupied a small cabin at the edge of the woods and greeted guests in the farmhouse. We had monthly work parties back then and I led crews to build trails and develop gardens. They called me the Exterior Decorator. In the evening we’d use the 100 year old sauna to ease our tired muscles. The Finnish family that homesteaded here over a century ago did the hard work of clearing the forest to plant fields of grain, an orchard and a garden. They built the log sauna first and lived in it while they built the farmhouse. Both are still in use today. The Whidbey Institute is taking good care of the place. This time of year I remember our Halloween festival bringing together all the neighbors. We had a harvest feast with roasted potatoes, steamed squash, baked apples and pumpkin pie. Half way up the road at Granny’s, a guest house, we had a pumpkin carving contest. Everyone won a prize for something. Then, as it was growing dark, the jack-o-lanterns were lit. Their glowing faces cast dim light as the pumpkins were carried down the road through the forest. As I prepared for the dinner I watched from the farmhouse window. Emerging out of the trees the scary faces of jack-o-lanterns bobbed up and down in a ghostly procession. Pumpkins were parked on the porch or on picnic tables outside. I joined the group and together we climbed the hill to a bonfire where we met the Phooka! The Phooka is a mischievous Irish elf that can take different forms. It can look like a pony that offers a wayward traveler a ride only to throw the poor fellow into a marsh. Other times it takes flight like a bird. But our Phooka came out in human form and pranced around the group playing a fiddle. The Phooka reminded us that this was the old Celtic New Year. The last year is dying. The leaves are falling. The tall grass is bending and dropping their seeds to the earth. They will be tucked in under a blanket of leaves through the winter. In the spring when the weather warms those seeds will start a new cycle of life. For us it’s time to clean out our closets, put the garden to bed, mend our relationships and be ready to enter the New Year with a fresh start. This time of year they say “the veil is very thin” between the worlds. As I walk the damp trails and old farm road, I feel I’m an old spirit returning from a world beyond this one. Here, now, no one notices me. I pass like a ghost unseen, save, perhaps by the old handyman, bent over, sharpening his tools in the shed. I haunt these fields, the orchard, the gardens, the cabins and trails, all familiar, but different. Silently I walk the trail from the kiosk along the edge of the wetland, between cedars, under firs, with the sounds of trickling water, chiseling woodpeckers and squawking ravens. This trail I’ve walked many times in many seasons circles a hill and comes out into a meadow where new cabins await new arrivals. I follow the high road, pass the sheds, look down on the old farmhouse and gardens, circle round the hall, and come back to where I began. Another cycle complete. Maribeth To find out more about the Whidbey Institute click here. Directions: From Highway 525 at Ken's Korner, 2.7 miles from the Clinton Ferry, turn south on Cultus Bay Road. Drive 3/4 mile and turn right on Campbell Road. Look for the sign for the Whidbey Institute and Whidbey Waldorf School on your left. Turn on to Old Pietila Road and drive to the lower parking area. The trailhead is to the south where there is a kiosk with a map.
By Bus: There is no bus service to this trail. By Bike: The start of Cultus Bay Road and Campbell Road have steep hills. Be prepared. Mobility: The Wetland Trail is smooth and flat for the first half then gets more narrow with roots and hills as it proceeds. Or walk the farm roads.
0 Comments
My name is Murphy. My pet parents wanted to take me to a new trail on Guemes Island, called Dog Woods. I liked the name. They said I could go off-leash there, if I behaved. I’m pretty good at behaving, but sometimes I get distracted. They said there were lots of interesting things to see. They said something about cairns, cedar groves, and autumn leaves. I’m more interested in unusual things to smell. We walked onto the ferry to Guemes, then a little over a mile to the Dog Woods. The October day was sunny and warm. We got to the trailhead, and my pet owners sat down on the bench in the field to talk and things like that. I sat in the grass and nibbled a little. Then they took me off my leash! We got up and started walking along the northern trail, a wide grass-covered pathway still wet from recent rains. The aromas along the trail were all new and fresh. I wandered along with my nose to the ground, loving the wild odors of this place. My pet mom threw a ball down the trail and I chased after it, getting it out of a puddle once. At Cooper’s Crossroads we turned left, and soon came to an amazing tree growing over and around a tall stump from long ago. My pet parents looked at it for a while and took pictures. I wasn’t interested in the tree but in the many smells of all the creatures that have crisscrossed this path. A Douglas squirrel scampered along the branches of the next tree, and I followed underneath hoping it would come down, but then I remembered I had to behave myself, so I just watched it climb another tree further in the woods. We followed the LeMieux Loop clockwise, the sun dappling through the tree leaves, the warm air drying the ferns and tree leaves above. I found rock cairns scattered along the trail at just the right height for me to leave my mark on a couple. My nose kept me entertained as we wandered along, past deer runs and various animal scats and brushy warrens and everything else that excites the nose of a terrier. Eventually we got to another fork in the trail. There were little maps at every intersection, and at just the right height for me. But they didn’t have any scents, just lines and words. My pet parents looked at them to know where to go; I just followed the scent trails that other hikers had made. We entered a deep glade of cedars, their branches drooping down to the ground. The trail steps up and over a root and winds past a row of little rock cairns showing the way. The sunlight was muted here, the shadows deep and wide. But then the forest changed back into alders and maples and birch with ferns, salal, and native blackberries beneath. A chipmunk dashed across the trail in front of me, but I was focused on the yet another fragrance invisible to my people parents. Leaves showered down upon us lightly. Juncos chirped and flittered above and around us. We passed an open circle of what looked like firewood stacked just a little taller than my head all around a large rock perfect for sitting on. My pet parents took advantage of that, sitting for a spell as I wandered around the earthy-smelling wood composting itself into soil. We took a side trail to a living stump, which looked like just a short tree trunk at my level. And soon we were back at the grassy field where we began. I had walked the trail without a leash and loved every whiff of it. We walked the beach back to the ferry, the memory of the odors and the leash-free freedom lingering with me the whole way. Murphy https://guemesisland.info/dog-woods-trail/ Directions: Take your bike on the 410 bus or drive to the Guemes Ferry Terminal at 6th Street and I Avenue in Anacortes. On Guemes Island, turn left on South Shore Drive, go west one mile to West Shore Drive, and follow that 0.3 miles north.
By Bus: It's a 1.3 mile walk from the Guemes ferry landing to the trailhead. By Bike: An easy rolling hills bike ride from the ferry to the trailhead. Mobility: The trail is grassy in places but mostly dirt, and mostly level, with some uneven areas. Reflections on the water like shadows in my mind speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time The falling leaves are whispering that winter’s on its way I close my eyes remembering the warmth of yesterday -- John Denver, Fall As a friend and I hiked around Little Cranberry Lake, there was a kind of a hush across the forest and lakeshore, a pause, a silence as the curtain falls on the summer scene, autumn stepping onto the stage. We walked out onto the viewing platform, where we saw dramatic clouds floating above the lake, reflected back by the water as identical twins. Ducks dabbled in the dark shallow waters in the distance. We sidetracked up to the bat cave and entered cautiously, letting our eyes adjust. The faint glow of a flashlight brought us to the back of the cave, from where we could just make out a hint of light from the entrance. Trail 102 follows the eastern shore, through the blackened trunks of firs still standing solid after the 2016 fire, protected by their thick sheath of bark. New growth carpeted the understory. This lakeshore trail feels like piano keys, up and down, over and around roots and rocks. Sunlight dappled through autumn leaves hanging on to their branches. A monstrous tree had laid down its body into the lake like a promenade on a pier. We dared each other to walk out, but hedged our bets by leaving our phones and cameras behind “just in case.” Dragonflies hovered and fluttered above the emerald grasses and mosses gracing the shoulders of this fallen giant. Not a breath of wind stirred the waters. Trail 132 along the south shore is almost hidden by dense underbrush, and even more challenging for its rocks and roots. The air was silent, still. Above us we saw ducks and turtles and body parts in the cloud shapes which were reflected on the water below. We turned north on Trail 101 following the west side of the lake, a somewhat more tame pathway. Eventually it led to the open bedrock meadow. A madrone spreads its three arms to the sky, silhouetted by the blue waters of the lake. A breeze kicked up, and tired leaves floated down to their final resting place. Reflections in the lake looked more like impressionistic paintings now, suggesting the forest and sky above with the broadest of brush strokes. We sat and reflected on the last time we had hiked here, and of the broader brush strokes of earlier life stories that eventually brought us to here and now. In our reflections back we can see forward with greater clarity and new perspectives. We got back to the parking lot without ever seeing anyone else on the entire trail. Looking back over Little Cranberry, the skies had cleared, the breeze now softening, the reflections giving a clearer picture of the lakeshore once again. Our hike, full of talks and times of reflection, took us nearly two hours to cover the two miles of trail. We felt refreshed and uplifted by all we experienced, and reflected on the wisdom of this community to have set aside these lakes and forests for now and forever. The sunlight will be changing quickly now, as it rises later, sets earlier, and struggles to climb very high into the sky. Cold rains are in the forecast for the rest of this week. Today was the last day of sun and warmth and lake-water reflections, at least for a while. Hikes can be fun and adventurous in any weather. But days like this -- the clouds reflecting softly on the water, the sun sparkling and bright -- will be treasured in the coming weeks and months when we sit on our sofas listening to the stormy winds and steady rains of the seasons of darkness. jack Directions: To get to the parking area at the north end of the lake, take Highway 20 into Anacortes, following the signs leading to the San Juan Ferry. As you go west on 12th Street from Commercial in Anacortes, it becomes Oakes Avenue. Look for Georgia Avenue on your left. Go up Georgia Avenue three blocks to the almost-hidden entrance to the Little Cranberry Road which in a quarter mile takes you to the north shore of the lake, with parking for several cars. Other access points include 29th Street near the south end of the lake and the A Avenue entrance near 41st Avenue, south of the south end of the lake.
By Bus: Skagit Transit 410 which goes to the San Juan Ferry can take you to Oakes Avenue not far from Georgia Avenue. From there it is a half mile walk to the lake. By Bike: follow the directions for vehicles. The shoulder is wide enough for bikes. The climb to the lake from Oakes Avenue is somewhat steep, but only a half mile. Mobility: from the parking area at the north end there is a gravel, fairly wide trail along a short stretch of the north shore. It becomes more challenging the further you go, but the overlook platform is not very far. ![]() If you like surprises, you’ll love Price Sculpture Forest in Coupeville. It’s a new trail recently added to the latest edition of Hiking Close to Home which is coming soon with 70 local trails! This one is particularly fun for younger outdoor explorers. There are surprises around every turn. Its’ fun for us older adventurers to watch them discover the sculptures hanging from trees, sprouting out of the forest floor or hidden among the branches. I was there last weekend with an off-island friend. It was early and ours was the only car in the small parking lot. As we wandered through the woods moving from one sculpture to another, we found the artistry of pileated woodpeckers and nesting birds mingling with the wood carvings and creations of other talented sculptors. I noticed some of the artwork had changed since my last visit which was another delightful surprise. There are two short loop trails that form a figure eight. Nature Nurture stays fairly level and is considered doable for those with mobility challenges. Part way along, we turned downhill on to the Whimsy Way trail. We paused at one of my favorite pieces. It’s like a giant bouquet of flowers that snakes around overhead made with traffic light lens and old tools painted bright colors. The excited squeals of children sang out from the trail above us and we smiled knowing our experience was about to get richer. Being able to walk among a series of sculptures in a forest setting adds intrigue to a trail in the woods. But being able to observe kids interacting with the artwork magnifies the experience. We slowed our pace and looked over our shoulders. A father with a young son and daughter came up to a wooden sculpture as we hovered nearby. The wooden blocks seemed to explode from a log that looked like it had been laying on the ground for years. I asked them, “Do you think this sculpture was carved out of the down tree that’s lying here, or do you think it was brought here and assembled on site?” The boy was quite sure it was brought in. It was fun to watch the kids examine each sculpture as the family moved ahead of us. Another family with kids seemed to run from one art piece to another pausing briefly to point and shout excitedly. The mother raced to keep up. A family of grown-ups moved slowly stopping to consider each one. This trail is full of wonder for all ages. My friend asked how this place came to be. I’d read that in 2008 the Price family bought this 15 acres on Penn Cove near Coupeville with the plan to build a home there. Then another site was chosen for the house instead leaving this property undeveloped. They wanted to preserve it so they consulted with Whidbey Camano Land Trust who created a conservation easement that permanently removes development rights, prevents clear cutting and protects the property for wildlife habitat with allowances for specified infrastructure. Since then another 1.2 acres have been added as a buffer. The property was logged about a century ago. Prior owners planned to subdivide it and build a road through the middle to the waterfront, but those plans never materialized. The Price family want to enhance the sculpture forest with a visitor’s center and an indoor art gallery someday. But for now there are no buildings, no restrooms and no entry fees. It’s just a walk in the woods with plenty of surprises. (Please, no dogs or bikes on the trails.) Address: 678 Parker Road, Coupeville.
Directions: From Highway 20 in Coupeville turn north at the light on Main Street (toward the hospital). Turn right on NE 9th Street and drive 1.5 miles. Look carefully for the paved parking lot on the left. Parking is also allowed on the wide shoulder. By Bus: Island Transit serves Main Street in Coupeville and stops at Morris Road 3 miles south of town, but not on Parker Road. You could walk from 9th Street in Coupeville on a gravel pedestrian trail alongside the road though it’s hilly. That walk round trip is three miles plus the half mile trail at the Sculpture Forest. You can also bring a bike on the bus. By Bike: Though it's hilly, there are wide shoulders on Parker Road and slow speed limits. Mobility: The Nature Nurture Loop is nearly level and smooth but not paved. The Whimsy Way Loop is hilly. Both loops combined are about a half mile walk. |
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
February 2025
Categories
All
|