“The common eye sees only the outside of things, and judges by that, but the seeing eye pierces through and reads the heart and the soul.” ― Mark Twain I confess. I have on occasion spoken disparagingly of the Heart Lake trail, even in a trail presentation. Some trails are attractive at first glance because of their obvious beauty. Some reveal their qualities more slowly as their soul becomes revealed step by step along the way. Those kinds of places can surprise you in unexpected ways. So I cast aside my previous somewhat bland experiences on the trail and looked for the heart and soul of the place, not with my eyes as much as with my own heart and soul. My challenge was to fall in love with the Heart Lake trail. I decided to also sweeten the deal by offering chocolate bars to anyone I met on the trail if they would share with me their feelings about the trail, whatever they may be. I followed trail 210 counterclockwise from the Heart Lake parking area, as usual. A beaver dam had raised the outlet even higher, creating a waterfall at the northernmost point of the heart shape of Heart Lake. Recent deluges have turned the trails muddy throughout much of the trail, so I skittered around some of the bigger puddles. A two-foot diameter tree across the trail early on required getting low to get under – while dodging the mud. I ambled down a side path to the lake and found Sugarloaf rising above like an old friend at home. The trail then enters a fern and fir grove, but this time I just stood in the grove to listen, to smell, to sense without my eyes. The air was pungent and clean; kinglets and wrens shared tweets with those unplugged and in tune. I noticed that the bare maples in winter allowed light to fill this glade with afternoon sunshine that is muted by their leaves in summer. Around to the south the trail gradated into a new experience. Brown needles covered a rock and dirt trail, no mud. Bedrock emerged. Trees changed from mixed woods to dense Doug firs. Passing the south marsh, the trail rose into a cathedral of ancient monarchs that instill reverence as you pass. Fire scars climb most of the old ones. I pictured the inferno that had in the not too distant past raged through these woods where I now stood. These trees stood against the fire and now stand with scars as a testament to their enduring strength. I stood in their presence, awed by the quiet, by the majesty, by the centuries of life towering all around. I had planned to explore trail 212 to see the views to the south and make a double loop; or to cross the road and follow 320 and 313 back to the parking lot as a complete loop to avoid retracing my steps on 210. But I wanted to return on the trail I had just hiked, with a new-found interest in its hidden treasures. I was intrigued with my discovery of some of the soul of the Heart Lake trail, some of its heart imparted to my soul. As I retraced my steps clockwise around the lake, I was passed by the first person I had seen throughout my hour and a half excursion – but she was jogging, and probably not interested in stopping to answer a question, not even for a chocolate bar. As I returned to where I started, I realized I had been changed, seeing with new eyes the joy of the Heart Lake trail. (So having now shared some of my feelings about the trail, I feel I have earned a candy bar for myself. What a sweet deal!) jack Much of the Heart Lake area was saved from logging due to its long-time protection as part of Deception Pass State Park. When it was transferred to the city of Anacortes in 2002, one of the stipulations was that the area continue to be managed as the state park had envisioned, with no development or tree harvesting. That protection continues with the strong leadership of Anacortes City Parks and our community support.
Directions: From H Avenue in Anacortes, take Heart Lake Road south to the parking area at the lake. From Whidbey Island, follow Highway 20 north across the Deception Pass bridge, drive north about four more miles and turn left on Campbell Lake Road. At the Lake Erie store turn right onto Heart Lake Road.
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