Hike #3: Deception Pass State Park, Part I: Bowman Bay trail to Rosario Head

Today, I was excited about this hike.  The weather was perfect; blue skies, light breeze, and warm (but not hot)!  James got me interested just from the hike's name... who could pass up Deception Pass?! My thoughts were, what could possibly be so deceptive?

Deception Pass State Park is one of Washington's most famous parks.  I understand now why it is so.  The landscape is worth noting; a long sandy beach, rugged coast lines followed by 50ft cliffs, narrow and canopied trails, stunning seascape and mountain spectacles, and grassy bluffs that allow views of Deception Pass.  Apparently over three million people visit this park each year!

It's History
Captain George Vancouver became the first European to identify the area near what is now Whidbey Island as a passage, which he named "Deception Pass." A 1923 act of Congress designated the property for public recreation purposes. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built roads, trails, buildings and bridges to develop the park.

"Deception Pass" was originally named from Captain Vancouver's realization that he accidentally mistaken the island as a peninsula. He named that island, "Whidbey" in honor of his assistant, Joseph Whidbey, who was at his side when Vancouver realized the mistake. The captain named the inlet at which he was anchored "Deception Pass" to commemorate the error. 

My Trip
We didn't get to see Deception Pass. We went on a different trail to Rosario Head.  While we were hiking the trail, James finally decided to tell me we were going the wrong way.  We will return to the park another time to see the Pass. Despite the fact I didn't get to see the infamous Deception Pass, I still really liked this hike!  It isn't something that feels strenuous or exhausting.  It is more of a calming experience despite some of the steep inclines.  The hike itself is only a couple of miles with maybe 100ft incline...no biggie!

As I walked through the narrow trails that hugged the coastline, the smell of the sea filled me with memories of my childhood living on Vancouver Island; walking along Swylana Lagoon to be more specific. The trail looked onto breathtaking seascapes.

Anyone could walk this trail, children and seniors included (as long as the seniors have strength to climb a bit).  If you have a baby, I suggest you put the baby in a carrier.  The trail is too narrow and rugged for any jogging stroller to handle.

Rosario Head is stunning.  It looks onto Lopez Island.  There are 50ft steep cliffs, so make sure you keep a very close eye on your little ones!

Hike Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Time length: Depends on the trail, there are lots of them. We were only hiking for a couple of hours, including our picnic time.
Scenic: ABSOLUTELY
Children accessible: ABSOLUTELY
My RANKING for Deception Pass: AWESOME!!

Haiku #3
Trails steep and winding,
Panoramic Ocean View
Great for a hot day!

What a handsome man and a beautiful baby ;)

It's a long way down.

There was one area where it had rails!

I love Arbutus Trees.  There were a whole bunch of trees along the trail.

This Arbutus tree had an interesting shape to it...kinda looked like a bush.


The next two pictures depict the Maiden of Deception Pass; read the story here.

A view from the cliff.

Watch your step!

Resting in front of Rosario Beach.

A panoramic view of Bowman Bay :)

Hike 2: Saint Edward State Park

I have to apologize for not posting in a few weeks. I've somehow managed to put myself out of commission twice.  Originally, James and I were planning on hiking to Deception Pass the weekend after our Monte Cristo hike... unfortunately, while I was in Canada that week, I fell.  I'm not very graceful. I was walking down a gravel path and was laughing at something my friend was saying, then before I know it, I was on the ground.  Of course I skinned my leg and twisted my ankle.  I was in no shape to hike the next day. Then the next week we planned on doing a hike, I decided to do a fitness class that focused on lunges and squats a couple days before the hike; let's just say I couldn't hike after that...

 This was my bandaged and bruised leg and ankle from the fall...I really wish I was a little more graceful, but then I wouldn't be me ;)

I had no choice but to do an easy and quick hike. Here is the description to the easiest hike in the world...ANYBODY can do it!

Saint Edward State Park, in Kenmore WA, is a great place to go if you don't have a day to spend hiking.  It has varying levels of hiking to it, ranging from very easy, to medium difficulty.  Long ago, it was a Catholic Seminary which is reflected in its landscaping and architecture.  The park itself is a very woodsy place with a wide trail.  The trees act as a canopy, allowing much shade.  If it is a hot day, you can still go for this walk/ hike :)  There is a lot of parking. I would suggest you get a discover pass if you live in Washington State.  If you don't have the pass, it is $10 for the day.

Because of my sore condition, James, Emily and I (and our dog Vanny) took the easy trail.  It was still beautiful.  Along the trail there were many tall trees and some small bridges.  There wasn't an incline so if you have a baby, and you wanted to bring a jogging stroller, you could.  It needs to be a jogging stroller though because any other would not work...there are stumps that protrude from the ground.  All in all, there is not too much to say about the trail; It is shady and peaceful.  We passed a few families, bikers, and dog walkers. 

There are many other things to enjoy at Saint Edwards State Park including; a kids playground, Bastyr University, tennis, baseball, picnics and a sandy beach.

Things I learned:
1. Try to pay more attention when walking down gravel paths so I don't fall and damage my legs. 
2.  No crazy fitness classes right before a hike.

Hike Summary
Difficulty: Very easy
Time length: Depends on the trail. We were only walking for an hour.
Scenic: Yes, but there are some parts of the trail where it gets close to the road and you can hear the cars..that is all that I have to complain about.
Children accessible: Yes.  Even jogging stroller accessible.
My RANKING for Saint Edwards State Park: Worth it to check out.

Haiku #2:

Shaded windy paths,
Unblemished from human hands
Find the sandy beach.

                                                                 The start of the trail.

Time to Hike!

My husband, James, thought it would be a great idea to go on one hike a week this summer (hopefully each Sunday), as long as we are in Washington State. He also would like us not to do the same one twice. Of course I can't say no to this idea because it would really upset him; It also sounds like fun.  So, I've decided to make a blog of our hiking adventures.

To give you some background information about us: We have no proper hiking experience.  Our family of hikers consist of myself, my husband and my baby, Emily. My daughter is 9 months old.  James is in pretty good shape, and well...I'm not.  After having a baby, it's been next to impossible to take off all the baby weight.  If you are like me, a bit overweight but have the will-power, these blog posts will give you some kind of indication of whether or not you would like to do these hikes.

I hope to post a blog once a week... Fingers crossed that I actually go through with it ;)

I hope you enjoy my blogs and maybe even try the hikes yourself!

Hike 1: The Ghost Town of Monte Cristo

James sparked my interest telling me about this hike because we were going to a ghost town...how cool is that?

Hike Info: Monte Cristo is located in eastern Snohomish County, in Western Washington.  In the 1890's, it was believed that this little mining camp would become the greatest lead-silver district in the Western Hemisphere.  Of course they were wrong; Monte Cristo's popularity only lasted about 7 years, then it became a tourist attraction...that slowly fading away too.  But lucky for us, it is still a great place to hike to!

The hike is about 8 miles in total and a 700ft climb.  That day it was 18.5 degrees Celsius/65.3 degrees Fahrenheit, and overcast with slight misty rain. (We thought it was perfect weather! Not too hot, not too cold, and a little mist to cool us down!)

Backpack included: 5 diapers, wipes, desitin, diaper bags, baby food, baby mum-mum cookies, formula, 2 hand towels, granola bars, apples, 2 bottles of water (that was heavy), and subway sandwiches (didn't have any bread that morning to pack our own). The weight of the pack was quite heavy...

Our Story...

We had a rocky start. I thought it would be a good idea to try to teach James how to drive a standard...it wasn't;  3 blocks later, I had to take over...James got in a bad mood...it was my fault :-0

Once we finally got to Barlow Pass to start our hike, things were much better!  We had food in our bellies and were ready to start.  The trail was beautiful:  Tall trees, beautiful mountain views, and it followed the Sauk River.  We had to cross the river in order to continue our hike.  We soon found out that the bridge was washed away.  A large log replaced the bridge. When we crossed over the log, all I could think about was how I hoped it wouldn't rain too much because it would get super slippery.  The last thing I wanted was to fall into the icy river on the way back to the car.

Continuing on the trail, a bunch of kids and parents passed us...already finishing up their hike; we were late starters.  Seeing them made me think, it must be an easy hike right?!  We were deceived by the elevation of the hike.  James originally told me we were only going up 100 ft, so I was thinking YAY! What an easy start to this hiking thing he wants me to do!!! Nope- he had this hike confused with another, so instead of the wishful 100ft elevation, it was 700 ft.  Once we got to mile 3 of the hike, I kinda gave up on carrying the backpack; I felt like my shoulders were going to fall off. James was nice enough to take the backpack and carry Emily :)

For the bathroom users, there are only 2 out-houses on this hike. You better know how to squat if you can't hold it! For the guys, you've always had it easy! The second bathroom was full of flies, and apparently people must have done this enough to get a sign put up saying, "Please do not dump your garbage into this toilet."  Hmmmm...squatting from now on.

Entering Monte Cristo, we passed another bridge; this one wasn't a log :)  The view was spectacular!  The town itself was unique.  I don't know why I was expecting a town with houses falling apart and a pub with those swinging doors, but I was; and for some reason I was surprised to only see a few locked up houses and a train turn-rail.  But all in all, it was still pretty amazing to find quite a few houses completely in tact.  There was once a lodge there to, but apparently it burnt down.  We had our Subway sandwich lunch.  I was actually more excited to drink our water than eat. There was a sense of peaceful tranquility in the air.  I decided to lay down for a few minutes...did I ever feel stiff when I got back up; the tranquility vanished with the realization it was another 4 miles back.

The hike back was quite a bit faster.  Since we were going mainly downhill, it only took 2 hours as opposed to the 3 hours hiking up.

What I learned:
1. Don't try to teach the husband how to drive a standard on the way to the trail.
2. Pack less...we didn't need so many diapers and clothes.
3. My dad pointed out it would be a good idea to let someone know where we were just in case of emergency. (I will do that next time)
4. I might want to invest in some bear spray.

Hike Summary
Difficulty: medium
Time length: up to 5 hours
Scenic: YES
Children accessible: Yes...but I think any child under 10 will get pretty tired ( I did see kids hike and they looked 10ish)
My RANKING for the hike to Monte Cristo: PRETTY COOL!!!

James' friend wanted us to write a haiku for every hike we did.  Here is our first one:

A long winding trail
deceptive arduous climb
beware the log bridge.

                                          James, Emily and Vanny at the start of our trip

Just part of the scenery :)

 

 

                                                        This picture does no justice!

                      This is me and my dog Vanny, happy to have made it to Monte Cristo!

                                                                    The log bridge.

                                                            The lodge that burnt down.

                  Emily and I happy to be resting...well Emily is happy to be out of her carrier!

                                                    More views, with Vanny, of course ;)