With our highways nearly shut down with snow this last weekend, I hiked close to home by going to Hoypus Point in Deception Pass, knowing the trail there was flat, wide open, and seldom used in inclement weather. This day was not a usual day for a hike, however. The trail was buried in over a foot of snow. No one was on the trail except me. Someone, or several folks, had been here the day before, leaving a well-plowed trail down the middle of the road. The forest was quiet, with only the soft whisper of a sea breeze in the tops of the trees and the even softer whisper of snow falling on cedar. https://youtu.be/2vknX91YHpU I first came here 18 years ago before I interviewed for the manager job. I had seen the busy hubbub of the main park areas for years. I had never wandered down this part of Deception Pass before. On that long-ago September day, the busyness of the park faded out as I walked east from the boat launch, eventually getting all the way out to the point. Eagles talked with each other in the treetops above. Mt. Baker beckoned, as did Kiket and Skagit Islands. I was entranced. I resolved to get the job. https://youtu.be/muLmyDXK_3c This week, as I started out on the trail, I shot and shared a video with friends to show where I was and what I was experiencing. One friend was busy at home working on taxes and chores, and took the video as a nudge to also get outside and hike a nearby trail in this rare, beautiful, cold, transformed world of white, a rare opportunity around here. As my winter day unfolded, my heart grew warmer with the cold. The still air was well below freezing. Siskins or something fluttered and twittered high overhead; waterfowl prowled the waters just offshore. An eagle and a raven took turns croaking their echoing songs high above me. Gray green shapes offshore hinted that there were nearby islands, but the sky was lowering, so my views focused on where I walked. Animal movements became obvious with the tracks they left behind. Several trees had recently fallen, one leaving behind a record of the past couple of centuries in the span of my hand. ... nor heat nor gloom of night… A couple days later I was back, the snow half-melted, and the sun half-shining through the trees and dancing on the water. This time there were a half dozen people out too, one pulling fallen branches to the side; one seemingly lost in thought or reverie or sadness, beyond the end of the trail on the beach; one oblivious to the sounds of the natural world as a podcast blared from his earbuds; and a couple trying to walk hand in hand but slipping on the icy slush. A red flowering-currant flower braved the weather to show its first colors of the spring. Snow on the beach logs had been washed away by the tides and warming temperature. The air was warmer, the skies mostly blue, the views stunning. The trail still transformed my thoughts, giving me peace in my heart, and building strength in my life. The average American adult spent 11 and a half hours a day consuming media last year. On the other hand, participants in one study reported significantly better health and well-being when they spent two hours or more in nature every week. We have choices every day. We have weather every day: snow, rain, heat, sleet, or rainbows and sunshine. Feel the nudge. You are being called outside. Take a hike. “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” jack Directions:
From Highway 20 take Cornet Bay Road east to its very end. Parking and restrooms are available at the boat launch, unless filled with boaters on a summer weekend or opening day of fishing. Be sure to have a valid parking permit for your vehicle. Accessibility: Okay, on a snowy week like this, access is limited. Otherwise the trail is flat and inviting, with the only limitation being a gate at the very beginning that requires careful negotiation around a sharp and narrow corner Transit Access: Take Island Transit 411W bus. The northbound stop is at the Deception Pass store on Highway 20. It is then a mile walk east on Cornet Bay Road. The southbound stop is on the south side of Cornet Bay Road intersection, again with a mile long walk ahead of you. Comments are closed.
|
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
|