It was April Fool’s Day, but I fooled them all! I rode with the commuters to Coupeville but I didn’t go to work! No! Not on such a beautiful, sunny, spring morning as this! From the Sherman Road bus stop, I took the winding Kettles bike path a short ways. At the edge of the cow pasture, where the trees fill in, I turned onto the Kettle’s Spur trail toward the Pratt Loop. It was early, the sun just up. Birds called all around, but the shrubbery was thick and flutterings were many. Out of sight beyond the hedge, a cow lulled. Curious. A fir tree with a tiny window tucked among the bark. A fairy sat quietly beside it. Below, was a door with a walkway of fairy dust leading to it. More sprites around the base paused to stare up at me. A cheerful greeting passed between us. I moved on passing benches, hidden in a tunnel of Ocean Spray at the edge of the woods, at the edge of the pasture at the edge of the day. Approaching the barn was the strong smell of nettles, growing green and vigorous, out of winter’s duff. Birds were busy in the boughs overhead. I stopped to look and listen. Chickadees, Pine Siskins, and a Junco called out its warning. I slowly circled the barn hearing a steady chipping on a hollow tree. There! High up was a flicker, working to enlarge a hole. It poked its head in, withdrew, pecked some more, checked inside, and chipped some more. Another home improvement project. Passing a bench, I entered a stretch with a head high hedge on each side, like a formal garden. Sun poured in and I paused to let it warm my face. But a hummingbird buzzed me, just missing my head, defending its nest. I looked around for it and was buzzed again. Okay! Okay! I moved on. Around the next bend the Ocean Spray and elderberry grew thick among trees. Chirping, calling, singing birds ducked in and out. A nuthatch hid among the shrubbery. A song sparrow called from the field. A mob of bush tits flitted from one shrub to another. A Great Horned Owl called in the distance, a towhee cried up close, and a yellow rumped warbler, a spring migrant, sang from the trees above. I turned in circles trying to get a good look. A few more steps and there was a brown creeper, spiraling, inspecting a fir for insects. Below the branches I could see the cabin across the field and soon I emerged from the woods and stood in the open gazing over Ebey’s Prairie, Admiralty Inlet and the Olympics peeking through the morning clouds. Hundreds of acres of farmland dotted with barns and houses, fence lines and roads framed in by the water and mountains. And people. I hadn’t seen any on my walk through the woods but here in the open I could see hikers in small groups heading up the bluff or crossing the ridge trail. I circled the field hearing savanna, golden crowned and white crowned sparrows. Turning toward the Ebey cabin a bird on a fence post caught my eye. Was it a House Finch, or a Purple Finch? I walked on passing a few ladies chatting energetically. At the cabin I sat on the bench and took out my thermos. Quail called in the hedgerow. Red wing blackbirds sang, "MukilTEO! MukilTEO!" An eagle sat silently at the top of the tree next to the cabin. Hikers approached moving briskly. As they passed I noticed a small bird on the trail sign. Raising my binoculars, was it… a bluebird? Perfect. Maribeth “and over our heads will float the Blue Bird singing of beautiful and impossible things, of things that are lovely and that never happened, of things that are not and that should be.” Oscar Wilde Directions: If not on the bus, the Pratt Loop Trail shares a parking lot with the Ebey's Bluff Trail. Take Hwy 20 just north of Coupeville and turn south on to Sherman Road. Turn right at Cemetery Road and drive cautiously to the very end. Park by the Ebey's Landing National Historic Reserve offices and start north just behind the cemetery. When you reach the barn you may turn right to take the Spur Trail or left to continue around the loop. The Pratt Loop meets the trail to Ebey's Bluff near the Jacob and Sarah Ebey cabin.
By Bus and Bike: Take the fare free Route 1 bus to Sherman Road. Take the Kettle's bike path north west and turn left onto the Kettle Spur trail at the edge of the forest. Look for the short sign post. Park your bike at the kiosk where there is a bike rack. Two bikes fit on a bus bike rack. The Kettles bike path is paved but hilly in this section. It starts at Rhododendron Park south of Coupeville and continues to the Kettles Trails and Fort Ebey State Park trails north to Libbey Road. These trails are very popular with mountain bikers. Mobility: This is a nearly flat, well maintained trail with few roots or rocks. Part of the way is on old farm roads. The Pratt Loop is 1.3 miles and the Kettles Spur Trail is 3/4 of a mile long.
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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
May 2024
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