Spending most of the summer aboard Seaquel in Alaska, we did not get to hike as often as we are accustomed to. Before August was over, I was able to take daughter Sarah, and two of my granddaughters, separately, on two of my favorite hikes to explore Fidalgo Island. What a joy to share a favorite pastime with three of the loves of my life...
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| What a joy, to get some one-on-one time out hiking with Sarah. Of course, Moxie is ever-present! |
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The perimeter trail at Washington Park (outside of the paved loop road) offers spectacular views that change as one hikes around this enchanting peninsula that juts out into Rosario Strait to the West. The view above is looking Southeast, with views to adjacent Burrows Island. Sugarloaf and Mt. Erie, two local mountains that offer more vertical hiking, can be seen in the distance.
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| Father & Daughter, all smiles (and squinting eyes) facing the bright sun! |
Mt. Erie - with Granddaughters Gabbie and Catherine - 8/31/18
What can compare to a hike with one of your grown daughters?
How about a hike with two of her daughters - two of your granddaughters!!
How about a hike with two of her daughters - two of your granddaughters!!
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| From right to left: Gabbie (8) and Catherine (6), and grizzled Grandpa Mark (ageless)! |
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| Hiking with JOY!!! (Notice Catherine's arms, as if to say: "Woo Hoo - the entire woods is ours!" (And as is so common with local Fidalgo Island hiking: we never saw another soul on the entire round-trip hike) |
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| Gabbie, Catherine, and of course, Moxie too! The girls got to take turns for the honor of walking Moxie on her leash. |
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| Trail signs: we are heading to 1,200 foot Mt. Erie. This is just one of DOZENS of trail junctions that provide hikers a nearly endless choice of routes and loop trails throughout the Anacortes Forest Lands (ACLF). |
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Joy, joy, joy!!! I am spoiled in my retirement to hike these trails all the time.
But what a joy to see the girls' fresh take on every landscape feature. Everything is new, and there is wonder in every discovery. What a blessing having granddaughters to share Mother Nature with! |
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| Big trees, little girls! |
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| Moxie stalks a squirrel in the tree... |
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| Happy girls (including the dog)! |
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| The summit trail to Mt. Erie requires a few short patches of rock scrambling. Coming down is trickier than going up, but either way the girls handled it like, well, like it's in their blood (it is!)! |
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| Moxie loves showing off her "backyard" to the girls! |
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| Breathtaking view from the top of Mt. Erie! We are so blessed to call this magical playground "home". Obscure fact to impress your friends: the island in the middle of Campbell Lake (just opposite our home) is the largest island - that is on a lake - that is on an island - in the entire United States! |
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| Foot shot: pictured from left to right: Catherine, Grandpa Mark, Gabby |
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Beyond Campbell Lake is Similk Bay and numerous islands that are marine parks (South);
to the far right (West) is Rosario Strait and the Ocean. Connecting the two is historic Deception Pass and the landmark Deception Pass Bridge that was built in 1935 to connect Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island. |
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Congratulations to Gabbie and Catherine, you did it!
This is Catherine's 1st ascent of Mt. Erie; but Gabbie did it with Grandpa Mark the first time two years ago.
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The shear, vertical, rock face of Mt. Erie makes this one of the most popular rock climbs in the Northwest.
The Mountaineers use Mt. Erie for rock climbing training,
and in fact my dad - Gabbie and Catherine's GREAT Grandfather - learned to climb with The Mountaineers on this face overlooking our home - nearly 3/4 of a century ago, before any homes were built in what was once just horse pasture along Campbell Lake's shoreline! |
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| Catherine and Gabbie, literally and figuratively, ON TOP OF THE WORLD! |
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Because hiking to the top of 1,200' Mt. Erie is not quite high enough for energetic Gabbie,
this 8-year old bundle of energy climbs a tree near the summit to get an even better view!
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| Catherine climbing around on a tree too - rather than tiring the girls out, the hike, the view, and the accomplishment of reaching the summit - have served to energize the girls! |
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| Grandpa Mark is very proud of these two hiking granddaughters! |
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| To be blessed with adoring granddaughters... |
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| ...my cup runneth over! |
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Gabbie and Catherine (and Moxie) running the final length of trail back to the car (for the whopping 90 second drive home).
One would think that ascending a steep trail to the top of a mountain would wear out a 6 and 8 year old.
Ha Ha...one would be wrong!
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Hiking the remarkably diverse trails around Fidalgo Island is a favorite pastime. But as our grandchildren grow up, sharing this natural playground with the next generation of hikers takes this blessing to an even greater level. What joy!
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
~Psalm 96:11-12
Blessings, indeed!
Thanks for visiting,
~Mark
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