I stepped into the Madrona Supply store in Clinton, delivered my box of books to the owner, and heard the buzz. A whale? A big splash? A breach? But where was it? What kind? Was it alone? Which way did it go? I felt like a detective questioning the eye witnesses just after a crime. One pointed toward Everett. Another said it went south. No one seemed to know much, but they all agreed it was a whale and it was here just a moment ago. Looking out from the ferry dock, even with binoculars, I saw no sign. If it was breaching, and not an Orca, it could be a Humpback, something I’d never seen in Puget Sound before. I had other errands to run, but they could wait. I drove to the Possession Sound Preserve. If it was going south, perhaps I’d see it there. Hurrying down the trail I passed a volunteer on her knees weeding under the split rail fence. Her project which she took on single-handed, had progressed steadily, leaving baby ferns and beauty bark in her wake. I offered her a quick compliment and continued on hopeful of catching a glimpse of the mysterious marine mammal. It was the best day to be outside in a week of wind and rain. Perhaps the best hour. The skies were clearing and the water calm. I took the trail down to the beach and scanned with binoculars, north to south. Mount Baker, the Everett skyline, the ferry docked in Mukilteo, the lighthouse, a small boat with a rower and a fisherman, some gulls calling and cormorants perched on near shore pilings drying their wings. The fishermen didn’t seem alarmed by anything larger than the bait they repeatedly threw out and reeled in. It appeared that no whales had come this way, at least not recently. I took a deep breath and relaxed. I heard the tiny voices of small birds in a bluff full of blackberry brambles behind me. A frenzied flutter of finches shifted from one shrub to the next like hands on a keyboard, moving up an octave to play the same tune. I turned back toward the water. The ferry left the Mukilteo dock and plowed toward Clinton. With snowy Mount Baker behind, it seemed very near. Climbing over the driftwood barrier I stepped to the beach beyond. The tide was going out leaving a sandy walkway between the wood and the water. A blue and white backwash of broken mussel shells caught my eye. The contrasting colors and textures of twisted grey driftwood and shiny blue shells on a soft shore of sand made me stop and appreciate the small things. Wandering down the beach I came upon a flock of mergansers swimming out from shore. I turned so as not to disturb them and headed back the way I’d come. Bunches of pale purple wild flowers still bloomed near the bluff. Crossing the wide lawn by the beach I marveled at the brilliant poplar trees and how they look like flame throwers as their leaves turn gold in the fall. Climbing the trail to where a bit of the bluff had broken off, I was reminded that the only thing constant is change. At the top of the hill, the volunteer was still working away. I walked on and marveled at the rustic beauty of a split rail fence. A flicker landed on the top rail with its intricate pattern of speckled feathers, and had a long look at me. It would have been exciting to see a Humpback Whale breaching in Possession Sound, but this shoreline held a subtler magic all its own, and it is there whenever you wish to find it. Maribeth For more info on the Possession Sound Preserve and the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, click here. Directions: From Highway 525 in Clinton, turn south on Humphrey Road at Simmons Garage. Drive two miles, slow down and look for the entrance on the left just after Bay Ridge Road.
Bus and Bike: The closest bus stop is at the Clinton Park and Ride 2 miles away. Routes 1 and 60 stop in Clinton. Humphrey Road is a moderately traveled road with not much shoulder. Two bikes fit on a bus bike rack. If you ride a bike on the road, please wear bright clothes and use front and back lights. Mobility: The upper trail is a wide, gravel path. The trail down to the beach is steep and may be slippery when wet. There is a short narrow stretch where the bluff has fallen away on one side. Just above the beach is a wide, flat lawn, about the size of a football field. Driftwood forms a barrier between the lawn and beach. High tides may prevent access to the beach itself.
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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
May 2024
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