It’s summer, full speed ahead. The sun is high, hot, and heavy. We feel compelled to play, to travel, to relax, and experience all of life's joys during these lengthy sunlit hours. This July day dawned under a blanket of fog, but I knew by noon it would be summer-hot again. I wanted to hike where I was immersed in the cool, among the green, and under the shade. I decided to go to Heart Lake: it has a good name, gentle terrain, and tree-shadowed trails. Walking from the sun-baked parking lot, I started on trail 210, along the lake and among the green of the forest and shoreline. The sky was now blue and ablaze, but the forest was dripping wet. Firs and cedars had wrung moisture out of the morning fog and were still sharing it with all their shorter neighbors. Raindrops pockmarked the dusty trail. Salal leaves cradled puddles that then poured onto the mosses and ferns. I appreciated having dressed in layers, with the temperature several degrees cooler here in the home of these ancient giants and their friends. I wasn’t alone coming here. Two moms carried two kids in backpacks while a couple others scampered along beside them. At the lake shore, a retriever retrieved a stick and brought back a wet coat to shake off on its owners. Bike riders pedaled fast, past a dad, daughter and dog standing patiently on the side of the trail. But farther from the trailhead now, and away from the lake, the trail became quiet. Peaceful. At rest. Inhale. Exhale. All this green photosynthesizing, busy making the simple gifts of sugar and oxygen. My pace slowed and I began to sense the many shades of green, some backlit, some sun-splotched, some well shadowed. At the south end of the lake I continued south up trail 212, then onto trail 220, to head a mile and a half even farther south. My goal was a squiggly line on the map that said “viewpoint”, with Lake Erie below. I wondered what kind of view it would offer. This trail parallels Heart Lake Road, but soon a ridge of trees muffled the noise of the occasional traffic. The pathway follows a dry creek bed, descending quite quickly down the valley. Firs and ferns filled the creek bottom; dense cedars stood guard all around. A raven spoke to me in Ravenese (I can’t translate what it said); siskens and sparrows shared their voices, along with robins and wrens. I came out of the deep woods into a balding field of dry golden grass. Here the trail ended. Open to the full sun, the temperature rose ten degrees. I was at the viewpoint, I guess. Trees blocked the view toward Lake Erie, but no matter -- Mount Erie rose like a fatherly spirit, high above it all. I basked in the warmth, then turned around to climb back into the coolness of the forested valley, the green below me and above me and all around, shadows deep even in the noonday sun. Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself. “The forest cradles my shadow as hers, and gives my soul company without saying a word. Along this earthen wonderland my heart falls in green love as I gaze awestruck to the trees sharing grace from above. The forest spoke to my soul in a language I already knew; a distant lullaby from the womb of peace and green and true.” -- Angie Weiland-Crosby A thrush serenaded with its lonesome ballad. Near the Heart Lake shoreline again, a woodpecker hammered away for its lunch, and reminded me that I could use a bite to eat too. But back at the sunny parking lot, I was already missing the gifts of the cool green shade of the Heart Lake trail. jack And thank you Anacortes Parks Department for maintaining these trails through our beloved community forest lands. Directions: From Highway 20 at 32nd street in Anacortes, head west on 32nd to H Avenue, then south on Heart Lake Road. Follow it one and a half miles to the Heart Lake parking area on your right.
Transit: the area is not served by the transit system. Accessibility: the trails here are fairly wide but with roots, rocks, and some elevation changes. They can be muddy in the winter. Bicycle access: although Heart Lake Road has minimal shoulders, traffic is usually also minimal. The hills are steady but fairly gentle coming out of Anacortes. And nearly all downhill going back.
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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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