He first visited Bowman Bay in the summer of 1958 as a 4 year old boy, falling asleep in the canvas tent to the fading hiss of a Coleman lantern segueing into the sound of singing frogs and the soft lapping of waves nearby. In the morning he and his family walked the rip-rapped beach of the bay. In 1972 the high school senior hiked the length of Whidbey Island on spring break in March, sleeping in empty pastures in Freeland and along the bluffs near Fort Casey, listening to Roberta Flack on car radios as they drove past him, before arriving at the bridge and hiking down to Bowman then out to Lighthouse Point. He camped illegally somewhere in the woods on the point, then from the meadows on the south end he watched the early dawn become a flood of sunshine. He lay in the green grass and absorbed the overwhelming sensations of warmth, wildlife and living water surrounding him. A few years later his college senior thesis suggested replacing the rip-rap at Bowman Bay with a naturally sloped, vegetated beach that would bring back the native shoreline habitat. He moved here in 2003 to manage the park and got a chance to help restore that beach in 2015. Then in March of 2020, 48 years after high school, he again lay in the green grass of the meadows near Lighthouse Point, watching the evening darken and the flood of moonlight rising above Pass Island, absorbing the overwhelming sensations of wildness, wildlife, and living water surrounding him. The Lighthouse Point trail is one of my favorites for a lot of reasons. The navigation lightbulb at the point is somewhat of a disappointment for those expecting an actual lighthouse. But for those looking for a separate peace, a hike into the wild, surrounded by wildlife and the waters of the Pass, it never disappoints. The route climbs steeply from the Bowman Bay parking area, unless the tide is low in which case you can hike the beach out to Reservation Head. An isthmus or tombolo connects the Head to Fidalgo Island with the purest sand that I have found at the water’s edge anywhere on Fidalgo Island. Then the trail sidles up the side to the south and my favorite meadows and secluded bays, curls around to Lighthouse Point, penetrates through dense salal into deep fjords cut into the west side of the point, reminiscent of Tatoosh on the coast, and cuts back across the middle of the head to bring you back to the isthmus/tombolo/spit/sandy beach. It was here this week, long after sundown, that I sat on the trail, listening to waves lapping and to Pacific Tree Frogs serenading their loved ones in a song in the key of life, powerful, overwhelming, filling my heart and bringing me full circle. jack Listen to the frogs for yourself at https://youtu.be/Loc9jpw5ShY Directions:
From Whidbey, cross the Deception Pass bridge, turn left at Rosario Road, and take an immediate left again onto Bowman Bay Road. Coming from Fidalgo Island, drive south on Highway 20 and turn right at the west end of Pass Lake onto Rosario Road. Take an immediate left onto Bowman Bay Road.
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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
April 2024
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