Oyster Dome
May 01, 2009
by
D.Baxter
—
last modified
May 05, 2009 08:41 PM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Oyster Dome
- Region: Puget Sound and Islands -- North Sound
- Agency: Department of Natural Resources, Northwest Region
- Avg Rating: 3.82
- Why You Should Go Now
-
- Wildflowers blooming
Oyster dome view.
What a day to play hookey! I took the day off before I had a destination picked. In the end I chose to head back to Oyster Dome and hopefully not miss the summit trail. And to my surprise I also took the day off for this trip exactly one year ago, to the day. Once again it did not disappoint!
I found myself parking on Chuckanut drive around 9am, earlier than I'd planned due to light traffic. Already it was gloriously warm and I started up in short sleeves. Walking on dirt trail with green leaves, ferns, and flowers felt great! I kept a slow pace since I had so much time, poking around every flower I saw. At the overlook I busied myself chasing ladybugs and just enjoying the sun. It was so warm I changed my zip off pants to shorts! Apologies to the ship captains: that bright flashing white light wasn't a lighthouse, it was just me wearing shorts for the first time this year.
Just like last year I took Max's Shortcut towards Oyster dome. Lots of trillium, fiddle heads and wood violet all through here. Before long I arrived at Lily lake. I headed towards the lake and bumped into another NWhiker: Schroder! Actually I failed to recognize him, a fellow funny pages resident, perhaps because he didn't have his piano. Now in possession of some helpful trail advice I continued on and up to North Butte. It was already claimed so I snapped a photo and headed back down.
This time I made the correct choice and took the unsigned turn off to Oyster dome, which I'd missed last year. Great views from the top! Blue skies, a nice breeze, and the warmest temperatures I've found this year. Someone had pitched a tent here and was spending the night on the ledge. I ate my lunch and continued down the connector trail. By now lots of other hikers were on their way up, many looking winded and asking how much further to the dome. I kept on going, stopping for occasional photos, and made it back to my car around 2:45.
Trail notes: no snow! Trails were clear of blowdowns. Some muddy patches near Lily Lake. Lots of trash along the way; consider bringing a bag to pack some out.
Photo set here: http://www.pbase.com/billcat/oysterdome2
I found myself parking on Chuckanut drive around 9am, earlier than I'd planned due to light traffic. Already it was gloriously warm and I started up in short sleeves. Walking on dirt trail with green leaves, ferns, and flowers felt great! I kept a slow pace since I had so much time, poking around every flower I saw. At the overlook I busied myself chasing ladybugs and just enjoying the sun. It was so warm I changed my zip off pants to shorts! Apologies to the ship captains: that bright flashing white light wasn't a lighthouse, it was just me wearing shorts for the first time this year.
Just like last year I took Max's Shortcut towards Oyster dome. Lots of trillium, fiddle heads and wood violet all through here. Before long I arrived at Lily lake. I headed towards the lake and bumped into another NWhiker: Schroder! Actually I failed to recognize him, a fellow funny pages resident, perhaps because he didn't have his piano. Now in possession of some helpful trail advice I continued on and up to North Butte. It was already claimed so I snapped a photo and headed back down.
This time I made the correct choice and took the unsigned turn off to Oyster dome, which I'd missed last year. Great views from the top! Blue skies, a nice breeze, and the warmest temperatures I've found this year. Someone had pitched a tent here and was spending the night on the ledge. I ate my lunch and continued down the connector trail. By now lots of other hikers were on their way up, many looking winded and asking how much further to the dome. I kept on going, stopping for occasional photos, and made it back to my car around 2:45.
Trail notes: no snow! Trails were clear of blowdowns. Some muddy patches near Lily Lake. Lots of trash along the way; consider bringing a bag to pack some out.
Photo set here: http://www.pbase.com/billcat/oysterdome2
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Lily lake.
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Red bug.
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Spring strikes back.
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