It was a mystery. So many cars at the trailhead but so few people on the trails. It had been a wet, windy week but the rain had taken a day off and here it was, a gray, still, Saturday afternoon. There was even a blue tint in the sky. So where was everybody? This 120 acres of Saratoga Woods can hide a lot of hikers. I was there to catch up with a friend and she was there to walk her dog. We were all there for some outdoor exercise between storms. We passed through the old orchard at the trailhead. It hinted of a former homestead but the only building left was a shed that had been converted to a picnic shelter with a fresh coat of paint. We walked up the hill through tall evergreens to the ridge top and turned north. Alders leaned toward the light where an old airstrip now served those on foot or on bikes. Still, we saw no one. Turning west we dipped into the damp forest to visit the rock, a glacial erratic thirty feet high. This is a big attraction in these woods, a destination. But still, we had the place to ourselves. We circled the rock, as tall as some trees, imagining the power of the ice sheet that carried it along for some eighty miles, from Orcas Island’s Mount Constitution, before it was dropped here as the ice melted. That was 10,000 years ago. Since then, this place had grown a forest of giant evergreen trees. Some old growth stumps still stand with the springboard notches visible. Loggers would cut the notch and stick in a board to stand on so they could saw above the widest girth of the tree using a two-man crosscut saw. It must have been back breaking work and slow going but few old growth trees remain. Their spongy stumps hold water for a nursery of salal, ferns and huckleberry. Squirrels use the platforms to dine while keeping an eye out for predators. From the rock we continued north on the runway to take the Pacific Yew Trail and found the mystical yew trees. Slow growing and shade loving, they always seemed like wizards to me with their natural Taxol, a cancer fighting chemical that is now simulated in the lab for all those who need it. One stretch of trail cut through tall grasses that swished at our ankles. Later, a plot of bracken fern in fall colors caught the light. It was about an hour before we came across a knot of people all gathered around Travis Furlanic leading a Whidbey Wild Mushroom class. So that explained all the cars at the trailhead. It’s a good time of year for finding fungi. Travis seemed like a fun guy, too. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.) We hadn’t brought a map so turned left and right randomly, not knowing where we were going and not worrying too much about it. Weaving up and down and all around, we noted trail signs, and explored the woods. The Bent Tree trail had many strangely shaped trees. We speculated on how they might have ended up that way. Spring Board Alley hosted some of the largest stumps with springboard notches on each side. We took the Wintergreen Trail back to the start. Nearing the trailhead, we began to see more people. We met dog walkers just starting their hikes and Greg and his horse, Ranger. Greg lives nearby and rides the trails of Saratoga Woods and the connecting Putney Woods. He’s one of the Backcountry Horsemen that help maintain the trails. Where an old time cowboy might have had a rifle stuck in a scabbard by his saddle, Greg had hand clippers. I imagine he can reach those low hanging branches pretty well while sitting astride his painted pony. Maribeth For more about the rock, and a map of the trails click here. Directions: From Highway 525 at the stoplight at Bayview Road, turn North onto Bayview Road, drive approximately 3 miles to De Bruyn Avenue Langley and turn left. Drive one block and turn left at the stop sign onto Saratoga Road. The parking area is approximately 3 miles on the left side of Saratoga Road.
Bus and Bike: There is no bus service to Saratoga Woods. The road is very hilly and curvy with no shoulder, so not recommended for cyclists. Mobility: These trails are narrow and climb gently toward the runway at the top. The runway is very easy walking. There are some roots and rocks.
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
April 2024
Categories
All
|