Ice crunched underfoot as I stepped lightly through the mud. Turning down the trail between the first ponds, I startled a pair of buffleheads that suddenly took flight with a flapping of wings. Then silence.

Well, the stones were silent. The wind was silent. The rain and snow had ceased. But the birds were singing in every shrub. Spotted towhee called back and forth sounding like two cats on either side of a fence. Golden crowned kinglets hopped restlessly chittering from branch to branch. Brown creepers spiraled up the trunks scouring for insects. A nuthatch sounded its tiny horn in the distance. A chestnut-backed chickadee investigated a cavity. Red-winged blackbirds called from the cattails. And song sparrows provided the background music of the Earth Sanctuary’s forested wetlands. “It must be spring,” they called. “It must be spring!”  

The bufflehead was back! Speeding by in a blur, it dove into the pond just as an eagle banked upward. A near miss. Then, a hush.

It was a little warmer than the day before with its mix of rain, hail and snow. Low clouds still clung to the wetlands, while above a blue tint shown through. March, they say, comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb. Three weeks from the equinox, the days are already much longer than the month before, and growing still. I try not to get anxious, but I am more than ready for spring!

Walking east on the trail, I noticed a nesting box for wood ducks up in a tree. I scanned the wetland below. No wood ducks in sight. But what was that large white thing on the water? A plastic bag blown off the road? A chunk of Styrofoam? Oh! It has a head! And a long neck! Lifting my binoculars I was surprised and delighted to find a swan! This was a first for me, to find a wild swan at the Earth Sanctuary. It was all alone. Two Canada Geese flew in and landed across the water, but they showed little interest in this stranger. I watched it feeding off the bottom and turning elegantly this way and that. It dwarfed the mallards and hooded mergansers nearby. I wondered if it had become lost and separated or decided to leave its own kind up in Dugualla Bay or the Skagit Valley.  It added to the peaceful feel of the place.

This is such a unique place for bird watching. While there I walked the labyrinth, spun the prayer wheel and sounded the gong. Passing cairns and benches, prayer flags and peace posts, I made my way to the standing stones. My favorite is the dolmen near the entrance. It has a feeling of shelter, like a small stone house. I’d visited one in Ireland many years ago. The Stonehenge at the far end of the trail has a more ominous presence. Basalt pillars up to twenty feet high arranged along lei lines, upright in a circle. I walked it twice, in a sun wise direction, offering prayers as I went.

On my way back I stopped at a smaller cairn and whispered more prayers for peace. So much unrest in the world, in my own family, in my workplace, in our country. I spun the prayer wheel as I had in Bhutan twenty years ago. Good to bring these traditions together for mindfulness and meditation. Good to have a walk around these wooded wetlands, chairs and benches at every turn, medicine wheels, prayer flags, standing stones, trees, water, birds. Good to have these places of peace for our exploration and prayers of gratitude.

Maribeth

The Earth Sanctuary is privately owned and lovingly maintained. There is a $7 entrance fee. For more info click here.

Directions: From Highway 525 at the stop light in Freeland, take Main Street east to Newman Road. Turn left and it will be less than a mile, after passing a row of large maple trees, on your left. Or coming from Highway 525 just south of Freeland, turn right on Newman Road for just under a mile. Look for the sign on your right. Address: 2059 Newman Road, Freeland, WA.

By Bus and Bike:  Island Transit’s Route 1 bus stops are at each end of Newman Road, 1 mile from the trailhead. A bus can carry 2 bikes. Newman Road has little traffic but no shoulder in places. Please wear bright clothes if walking or biking along Newman Road.

Mobility: Trails are narrow with some hills, roots and muddy places along the way.

Directions: From Highway 20 just north of the Deception Pass bridge, turn onto Rosario Road and take an immediate left onto Bowman Bay Road. Park in either of the parking lots available and follow the trail north (to the right).

By bus: There is no nearby bus service to this area.

By bike: Rosario Road is narrow and hilly, but with far less traffic than Highway 20.

Mobility: The trail is graveled, flat and wide at Bowman Bay, but becomes steep and rough as it heads to Rosario.

Friends are in Hawaii, Arizona and Mexico. Here this week, we’ve had snow flurries, wind advisories, and then, an absolute gift from above, a sun break!
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After slipping on icy roads at dawn, the sun came out, temperatures climbed and I left my office for a quick walk, a little vitamin D, a mid-winter break.

When we think of trails most of us think of parks or wilderness areas. I read about the nature pyramid, like the old food pyramid that illustrates what to eat to maintain good nutrition. At the top of the nature pyramid are wilderness emersion experiences we try to get once or twice a year, a week in a National Park or a kayak trip somewhere.  Just below that on the pyramid is the weekend campout somewhere nearby where we can roast s’mores around the fire. At the base of the pyramid is the neighborhood stroll, walking the dog or pushing a baby stroller. A daily walk is a recommended for good health and peace of mind.

When I worked in downtown Coupeville I’d take my lunch break and walk the half hour loop on the Krueger Trails. It was enough to get the blood circulating and I could stop in at the library or the post office on the way.  I walked that loop almost daily for years.

On this sunny day, I took the bus into Coupeville after work and stepped off at the hospital. Turning west on First Street I walked the sidewalk down the hill as a woman walked up with a dog in a stroller and another on a leash barking wildly as if this was the most fun they’d ever had!  The woman said the dog in the stroller was paralyzed, but both seemed to enjoy their outing immensely!

At Wilkes Street I turned north and walked by a row of colorful town homes. An orange cat scrutinized me while balancing effortlessly on a stair rail. Across the street in a vacant lot, two deer grazed undisturbed. The path led by a little free library and then by a kiosk where another trail led through the woods. I was enjoying the sun, so kept walking by homes and gardens to where the sidewalk ends at the village green.

I stopped briefly at the library before cutting across the green to the west. The city parking lot, the post office and rows of businesses stood between me and the water, but I could see Penn Cove over the rooftops. At the far end of the parking lot there’s an historic barn, now converted to restrooms. A bike rested against the weathered wall. A few picnic tables stood on the grass. Come April this would be the site of the Saturday farmer’s market.

The trail on the far side is hedged by rosehips with storm water ponds on each side. I spoke with a woman out walking with a deer just behind her. She pointed to a heron just behind me. I zigzagged south on Krueger Street and then west on 7th climbing the hill to Broadway. A man and a woman passed me, each pushing a baby stroller.

Turning south on the gravel Broadway Trail with a row of mailboxes between me and the paved street, the trail climbed gradually and left the houses behind. Red madronas caught the afternoon sun as I passed a bench where a trail cuts through the woods toward the kiosk on Wilkes Street. I kept walking and passed the church to the wide lawn. Just before reaching the highway I turned east to complete my loop. I passed the community gardens and winter pond before entering the woods and making my way back toward Main Street. A flock of teens passed on their way home from school. I chatted with hospital staff before we caught the bus home.

A walk such as this is part of the daily recommended requirements. We all need a little sun, a bit of vitamin D, a winter break.

Maribeth

Directions: Take Highway 20 to the stop light in Coupeville and turn north. Drive to 8th Street and turn left. Go one block and cross Alexander Street to enter the town parking lot. Pick up the trail on the west side of the village green and go counterclockwise.

By Bike and Bus: Island Transit Routes 1 and 6 will take you to Coupeville. Get off at the Coveland Street stop just north of the town parking lot, or at the hospital. Coupeville is bike friendly except for the steep hill on North Main Street coming up from the water. The speed limit is 25 through town. The trail is bike-able if you are careful to accommodate the pedestrians and their pets. Wear something bright while riding. Two bikes fit on the bus bike rack.

Mobility: The trail is sometimes on a sidewalk, sometimes on gravel, and sometimes crosses a wide lawn. It is an easy grade without roots or rocks, but it tips a little to one side along Broadway.

​What a treat! The sky was blue, the sun was out, and pie was in the forecast.

It was a great day to be at Greenbank Farm! Even if I don’t have a dog, I walked with a friend who does! Her border collie-Ausie mix was excited before they picked me up, suspecting we were going to the fields on the hill with 500 acres of room to run.

We parked at the big red barns and put the dog on a leash, temporarily. “If we’re lucky, she’ll poop before we reach the kiosk.” And right on cue... There was a can for such deposits at the kiosk where we paused to take the dog off her leash. From there on up the hill is an off-leash dog park and a favorite gathering place for dogs and their human companions.

As we climbed the hill, we met three big, friendly, golden retrievers and stopped to say hello. When their owner reached into her pocket, they knew something good was coming and sat perfectly erect with eyes glued to that generous hand. 

Further along we paused at the colorful interpretive panel of birds we might see there. It’s a popular place for birds and birdwatchers, with such varied habitats all around the field. On the north side is a large forest. On the east is a wetland. To the west is a lake. Not far off are saltwater shorelines to the east and west. And the wide-open fields offer habitat for songbirds in the brambles and hawks on the wing. I’ve become accustomed to glancing at the single cedar that stands near the highway where bare branches at the top provide a resting place for large birds. Early in the morning I have seen coyotes cross the fields.

But by mid-day, dogs rule! It’s like going to a big community event for them. So many dogs meeting and greeting each other. The locals walk their dogs here daily. The people and the dogs all know each other.  I met a couple who come from Seattle every couple of weeks with their vezslas. And another couple walked by speaking German with some hefty Labrador retrievers. One group at the top of the hill had three golden retrievers and three dachshunds romping around with a ball they’d found. Big and little, having a great time together.

Hunting season had ended so we took a stroll through the woods following the trail signs in a big loop. We only met a few other people there and only one black lab among them. In spots the trail was muddy. Tree rounds had been placed like stepping stones but they were slick on this frosty morning. There was evidence of recent windstorms that had torn and twisted trees. A trail crew had cleared the way which always makes me so grateful. I was amazed at how much sunlight penetrates a winter wood before the leaves emerge in spring.

As we emerged from the forest into a tree tunnel that borders the field, a man walked by carrying a small plastic bag tied shut which he dropped into a can at the top of the hill. Then he turned back and forth, whistling and calling, whistling and calling. We stood near the bottom of the tree tunnel where a huge bernese mountain dog ran up, sat down, alert and listening, turning it’s head this way and that. “He’s down here!” I called to the man on the hill. He turned and whistled and the dog went bounding up the hill in a great, shaggy gallop.

We walked back into the bright winter sun, meeting and greeting more friends and dogs, huskies and hounds, as we made our way back to the barns. The dog got a treat and a bowl of water at the car. We went inside for pie!
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Maribeth

For a trail map click here.
 

Directions: Take Highway 525 11 miles south of Coupeville or 7.8 miles north of Freeland to 756 Wonn Road just north of the Greenbank Store. Park at the big red barns and enter at the kiosk. Or park just north of Smuggler's Cove Road on Highway 525 and enter through a gate. 

Bus and Bike: Island Transit's Route 1 bus stops at a gate on the north end of Smuggler's Cove Road. Be careful crossing the highway. Two bikes fit on a bus or ride the shoulder along the highway, or take Smuggler's Cove Road with less traffic. Wear bright clothes and use a light for visibility.

Mobility: The fields have wide mowed paths that are hilly and mostly dry. The trails through the woods are narrow and can be muddy.