... life changing! Once upon a time, a young woman went down to the seashore to gather food for her family and friends to share. A man from beneath the water held her hand as she knelt by the shoreline. And, as they say, the rest is history, as the Samish story of the power of love to change lives lives on at Rosario Beach in Deception Pass State Park. Falling in love. Nearly every one of us has had the experience, whether with a romantic partner, a newborn child, a beloved pet, or any other of the countless life experiences that capture our hearts and change us forever. When I moved to Deception Pass nearly twenty years ago, I had a working knowledge of the park. I knew where the roads and trails led, where the beaches and headlands could be found, some of the history and pre-history, and some of the beauty of the park. But then I fell in love, with the park and with the people. My life changed as I grew to know some of the many moods and the magic of the Pass, and some of the frequent visitors and local friends and neighbors. My life was transformed by the beauty of the views, the cathedral quiet of the forests, the joy this place brings to so many. I saw the park with new eyes, with a changed heart, giving me renewed energy to invest more of my life into my work and play. I knew Rosario Beach well. But sometimes seeing a familiar face in a new light opens vistas of appreciation that take us to new heights of love. On a stormy sunny day this week a friend and I visited Rosario, along with our dog Murphy. The wind had powered over Rosario Strait all morning, raising a ruckus of sweeping, crashing waves. We rode the floating dock in the bay near the Maiden, dancing with the rhythm of rolling water. It was a very high tide. We stood near the edge of the driftwood, much of which was now floating in the swells of Rosario Bay. Breakers broke sharply right at the edge of what used to be the top of the beach, now just a forgotten suggestion of where the water should stop. We paid a visit to the Maiden, reminding ourselves of her dedication to the new-found lover in her life, and in turn his promise to support her former community with year-round food. Her life changed forever, as seen in her visage on the story pole’s north and south sides. Tribal life changed forever with the assurance of the life of the sea. We followed the south trail as it gently climbed to the top. Some graffiti on a warning sign made us laugh, and made us think deeply of the bigger context of love. The wind battered and assaulted us, but also energized us with its power, with the joy of seeing the sun dancing in and out of the racing clouds, with the sound of the storm in the sculpted treetops, and with the depth of blue in the sky reflected in the sea below. We paused to see fronds of kelp, the hair of the Maiden, floating in the rocky water below. Murphy led us back down the path on the north side. One peak of the Olympics dared to poke its head out of the storm raging on the peninsula. Waves continued to roll into Rosario Bay. The life of the tidepools hunkered down in their watery shelters below the surface. A yearling eagle challenged the wind and flew with abandon through the blowing and flowing gusts of wind. We stood again at the edge of the water. A couple of visitors walked by, also mesmerized by Rosario’s new stormy appearance. We fell in love with Rosario once again, a deeper, ever-growing appreciation of the heart of its beauty. jack Directions: from the Deception Pass bridge, drive north a quarter mile and turn left onto Rosario Road. Drive about three-quarters of a mile and angle left and down onto Rosario Beach Road. Follow this into the parking lot of the State Park. A Discover Pass is required for parking inside the gate.
By Bus: no bus service is convenient to this immediate area. By Bike: the highway is high speed with limited shoulder widths. Rosario Road is quieter but also with narrow shoulders. Mobility: A wide gravel walkway leads from the parking area to the restroom and to the Maiden near the beach. Beyond here the trails are narrow and somewhat uneven. The south trail is far easier than the others.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
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
March 2024
Categories
All
|