Picnic Point — Friday, May. 18, 2018

I had always wanted to hike from Mukilteo to Picnic Point but it would take a good low tide on which to do it. Today the conditions were perfect with a -2.9 low tide that was at its lowest at 1:45 in the afternoon. I departed Mukilteo at 12:20 and headed south. In about 0.5 miles Elliot Point at Mukilteo had disappeared and I didn't see another soul until four miles later. The beach is pretty much the same throughout. Of course there is no trail, you just look for the best surface to walk on. Some areas were rocks the size of golf balls and baseballs that were covered with slippery seaweed but most of the time I was on a mixture of sand and rocks. Along the way I spotted several great blue herons and four bald eagles. One eagle in flight was clutching some sort of rodent in it's claws.

At about 1.6 miles I passed a small colony of houses protected by a thick, high seawall. At 2.8 miles I crossed the Big Gulch Creek that I imagine after a heavy rain could be difficult without wading across but now it is manageable. At 4 miles I passed around Shipwreck Point. The beach area as well as the residence there is posted with "no trespassing" signs as well as the wooden hulks. There is usually plenty of room to stay outside of the posted areas and respect the family there. The most prominent hulk left over from long ago salvaging operations is the Pacific Queen.

I arrived at Picnic Point after a distance of 5.6 miles. It took me three hours to do the hike which included stopping several times to photograph and pause for a snack.