Thursday, May 7, 2020

A lovely five miles

Samish Bay from the overlook
When I saw that the weather forecast for today was to be beautiful, in the low sixties (16°C) and sunny, I texted my friend Melanie to see if she would be interested in going to the newly reopened Larrabee State Park trailhead to walk up to Fragrance Lake, one of my favorite places. She readily agreed, and asked another mutual friend, Dianne, if she wanted to join us. Initially hesitant, Dianne agreed to join us if we all drove separately, wore masks, and stayed physically distant (at least six feet apart). We met at the trailhead at 8:20am.
Very interesting tree roots
The trail has many delights, not the least of which are these tree roots. Last week I put a picture of some roots that made a tree look like it was walking away, since instead of a rock, a log had been underneath in earlier times, and it had disappeared. This rock isn't going anywhere, but it sure makes for an eye-opening scene.
Just a beautiful forest
Since we started early, we didn't begin to see many people until we had been out for awhile. Most people were wearing masks, and almost everyone was willing to keep their distance by leaving the trail while we passed, or we did the same. We were all following covid etiquette (or, as I heard on the radio, "cov-etiquette"). Everyone seemed really happy to be back on our state trails.
Dianne, Melanie, and me
Mel took this picture while we were at the overlook, three happy people, masked and socially distant, in full sunshine and on our way to the lake. Along the way, we saw lots of trillium, still in bloom, but definitely on the older side.
Trillium
I am loving these flowers and didn't realize we would still see so many, this late in the springtime at this elevation. We climbed about a thousand feet on our way to the lake, and on the way we saw another face in a tree.
Well, hello there!
As I wrote in that earlier post, seeing faces in inanimate objects is called pariedolia, but in this case, it was created by an artist for the enjoyment of those of us who passed by. I guess it was the left arm that was the inspiration for this. In any event, we all smiled and delighted in the creativity.
Fragrance Lake
And then we were at the lake, where we enjoyed spending a few moments looking at the view. No, that is not a creature under the water, just a log. We decided against heading around the lake, which would have added another mile to our hike and headed back down the service road, instead of going back the way we had come. It was beginning to get busy, and we figured the road, which isn't as pretty but much wider, would be a better return trip. We covered more than five miles today, and had a simply wonderful time outdoors, staying safe and taking care of our spiritual health, as well as our physical selves. It was lovely.
:-)

19 comments:

  1. Congrats on the walk, and those roots are amazing.

    Assuming that I could walk five miles (which I can't these days), I am doubtful that I could do it wearing a mask.

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  2. Oh how I'd like even one day like that!

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  3. Lovely walk, DJan! Love those tree roots... looked almost alien. And so great that everyone was wearing masks and practicing social distancing!

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  4. I so envy your beautiful setting and the hike. It must have revived your spirit to get out there!

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  5. Sounds like a great walk. It looks like many people just want to get out for a while.

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  6. It sounds and looks absolutely blissful.
    I am so very happy for you.
    Love that face.

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  7. Ağaç kökleri gerçkten de çok ilginç.

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  8. That last photo is simply gorgeous. Looks so tranquil...and the colors, marvelous. Love the artistic tree fellow. And it looks like maybe Mel joined your trio?

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  9. What a delightful walk you got to enjoy. The roots reminded me of a tree taking a rest on that rock and the face was cool with the left arm like that. You all obeyed the rules and still had a great time.

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  10. It looks like a fairy land. They opened up the roads around our chain-of-lakes and trails. Still, runners come huffing up behind and run a scant two feet around me - even when there's a road width to navigate. People! I don't understand them.

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  11. Such a pretty hike and I know you enjoyed getting out! :)

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  12. Perfect! Just what all three of you needed. Staying safe but getting out in nature and having a good time. :)

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  13. Great to have company when you are walking in the woods. Lovely photos. I enjoyed looking at them.

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  14. Beautiful photos and a wonderful hike! I met a friend of mine a couple weeks ago for a hike. I felt a tinge of guilt, but more than anything, I felt good to be out hiking again!

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  15. What a good outing! This is the sort of common sense outdoor activity that people should be practicing. We don't have to stay locked in.

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  16. That's a lovely outing! You're you can drive out to enjoy places like that! They've finally started relaxing the quarantine here in Spain (as of a week ago I can go outside for exercise, woohoo!!!), but you can't go anywhere you can't walk to, and are limited to a certain time bracket in the day...

    Question: how was it hiking with the face mask? Issues with the breathing? I'm a heavy breather so I haven't worn it the three times I've gone out for a long walk, worried it would be to restrictive for my breathing (up to now I've only worn it when I go to the supermarket, or other places where it's impossible to stay 2m away from people)...

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  17. Love the tree roots picture! That is determination and never let anything get in your way! Nature is so amazing!

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  18. Dear DJan, I am so happy for you that you got in a long hike (long to me!) with friends. You've missed that and now you can embrace it--with guidelines--again. Wonderful happening! Peace.

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  19. It’s so wonderful that you’ve been able to see friends and get out to the outdoors despite this crazy time. I love your tree roots. They look like a married couple.

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