Mid-day Busy A helicopter hovering overhead always gets your attention. For those in need, it is a most welcome sight and sound. For the dozens of the rest of us who were there, it brought out our binoculars, cameras, and best wishes for the rescuers and those being rescued. This Labor Day weekend was warm and sunny. People were everywhere, doing their best to top off their vacation buckets before school started. Kayaks and power boats filled Bowman Bay; hikers filled the trails and beaches. With a very low tide now beginning to flood, we hiked the beach below the bluff all the way to Lottie Bay, joining throngs of others exploring Lighthouse Point. . Walking onto Reservation Head we heard the first whump-whump-whump of a large helicopter. Soon we saw a Coast Guard helicopter sailing toward the bridge, then turn and hover over the water near Little North Beach. Through our lenses we could see a rescue boat close to shore, and a kayak on the rocks beneath the bridge. A man scrambled on the rocks and was helped to safety. We all breathed a sigh of relief until the helicopter and rescue boat then powered up and headed toward Lighthouse Point! Just out of our sight another rescue was taking place as park rangers assisted a different kayaker in trouble near the point. The tide was now in full flood, so anyone near the entrance of Deception Pass would be pulled into it. Apparently, there was more than one boater unfamiliar with the power of the Pass! After two successful rescues, the rescuers headed back to their base. But dangers still threatened. Kath and I watched a family of hikers taking chances on the rocks south of the point, climbing a steep route with young kids in tennis shoes and flipflops. Another couple struggled to get down a nearby steep rocky slope. Seriously, folks: these aren’t the kind of memories you want to make. Near the point, the peace of the place returned. Sunlight sparkled in the racing current. The long hair of kelp flowed below. Gravel beaches, rocky headlands, contorted trees, shimmering water, what more could we ask of a hike? We scrambled to the north side to look across at Rosario Head. Two toy-sized paddleboards passed below, tied together, the one in front towing the one in back, both riders wearing swimsuits and nothing more, the current pulling them toward the pass. Park rangers, still on their rescue boat, met them and escorted them back to Bowman Bay. Thank you. The afternoon warmed the headland as we sat in fields of golden moss above it all. Quite the hike, quite the day. We hiked back without any further incidents. The rising tide forced us to take the Bowman headland trail back to the parking area. Labor Day weekend is when most workers get an extra day off from their labors. But not everyone – we are grateful to first responders who are there if we need them. And on this day, there were some who definitely needed them. Evening into Night I returned as the sun burned the water into liquid honey. Boats rested at anchor, silhouetted in the dying light. I hiked past Bowman out to Lighthouse Point. The evening darkened, the trails empty, the forest quiet. There were no kayakers, no hikers, no helicopters; the rangers, rocks, and headlands rested from the day’s adventures. I rested in the meadow, watching the lighthouse flash its green warning. Cars streamed silently across the bridge, their red and white lights a blurred stream. The current churned outward now, a powerful river riding past the point. A nearly full moon climbed above Pass Island and paved a golden path across the waters. Lyra, Deneb, and Cassiopeia twinkled with their starlight high above. I walked out under the gently glowing candlelight of the moon. jack "This evening was as brief as the twinkling of an eye, yet such twinklings are what eternity is made of. "
-- Fred Rogers Directions: Just north of the Deception Pass Bridge turn west onto Rosario Road and then take an immediate left onto Bowman Bay Road, and another left at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill. By Bike: Highways in this area are high speed and hilly, with mostly narrow shoulders. Be careful. Mobility: The Lighthouse Point trails are narrow, rolling, rocky and rooty. Please recognize and respect the dangers inherent in a place like Lighthouse Point, and in the waters of the Pass! Stay on established trails, and know your skill level and equipment.
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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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