Pacific Northwest Trail on Fidalgo Island

The Pacific Northwest has been pounded by wind and rain for the past week and it has been tough to get much hiking in. I decided that Saturday I needed to hike a long hike to make up for this and so I plotted out a hike on the Pacific Northwest Trail. I talked my husband in to helping me drop my car off in the Anacortes Community Forest Land and then dropping me and the dog off at the start of the trestle bridge and the Tommy Thompson trail on March Point. He had to work in Anacortes anyway so it wasn't much out of his way.

Canadian geese at March Point 

He dropped us off at 7:45 am and the sky was just starting to lighten up. A  flock of Canadian honkers greeted us loudly and ahead I could see something orange. The bridge was very clean, probably washed clean of bird droppings and dropped mussels by the previous storm. As I continued on I could see that the orange were orange safety cones and that the walkway had sustained heavy damage during the storms. It looks like the water washed over and undercut the walkway in many places. It is still okay to walk on but will definitely need some repair work.

The orange cones show where the walk way is damaged

In this picture Sadie stands next to one of the original railroad ties

The Tommy Thompson is a rail trail that has beautiful ocean views and wonderful information signs and art work along the trail. The ecology signs are new since the last time I hiked this and I found myself pausing frequently to read about the wildlife and the importance of riparian zones and tidelands.



One of the art pieces along the Trail. Oil refineries in the distance.

I passed a condominium and looked up to see a man and woman sitting in their chairs facing out to the view as they drank their morning coffee. And in the apartment next to them was another man but his lounge chair had its back to the window and all I could see was the back of his head. I was struck by how some people live their lives facing out to others, looking for the beauty and the gifts that each day bring and other people live their lives facing in, concentrating only on their own lives. 

In Anacortes the rail trail runs past a former mill site that is contaminated and slated for clean up. Signs warn that all fishing is closed in that section due to toxins. This section of the trail is a reminder of Anacortes' gritty blue collar past when it was a lumber and fishing community. Now it is a town of big oil and oil refineries and wealthy retirees. The trail continues past boat yards filled with the luxury yachts and sailboats of the new residents.

Art makes even the industrial areas interesting

Just past the skate park I stop at an espresso stand for an eggnog latte, and then I turn up 21st street and hike past the senior center and swimming pool. At "D" Street I turn left and zig zag up to 23rd and enter the Anacortes Community Forest Lands. The ACFL is almost 2,500 acres of trails that are mixed use of walking, biking, horseback riding and motorcycle riding. 

Wearing a crown of moss

Hiking through the forest past quiet lakes and through frothy fern filled dells, I can believe in changelings and fairies. Roots writhe across massive rocks formations and emerald moss covers everything. The trail is carpeted with green boughs ripped from the trees during the previous wind storm.

I take a side trail up to a view point. I suspect that the view point may be overgrown and discover that my suspicions are correct and that the trees have grown up so much that there is no view at all. I come back down and shortly arrive at my car.  It has been a great day of hiking!