Our first hike here in a while. Our most recent trip report for Kukutali was just before Halloween last fall (Oct 28, 2022.) Now, at the beginning of March, we had temperatures in low 40s and occasional strong wind gusts. Weather soothsayers had predicted a cloudy day, and it was, with only occasional sun breaks.
We had the parking lot to ourselves when we arrived. When my hiking buddy Marin and I walked past the gate and down the entrance road we could see that a lot of driftwood still remains along the edges of the tombolo that leads out to Kiket Island, although the trail itself was clear. We had no problem crossing over to the island itself.
Offshore, the raft that used to be favored by cormorants still is missing. It apparently was carried away by storms over a year ago and has not been replaced.
We heard the calls of an eagle as we walked past the low point but the bird did not appear for us.
We turned onto the North Trail and followed it across Kiket Island, with a pause at the bench at the viewpoint. The trail folks have done an exceptional job of keeping this route free of blowdowns, and we encountered no significant obstacles.
In the high forested area it still is too early for wildflowers, although a few buds are evident, particularly on the Indian plum, and the mosses have continued to green up nicely.
We continued down to the meadow then crossed the other tombolo to reach the end of the trail at the edge of Flagstaff Island.
We always enjoy the diverse driftwood accumulations along the edge of the tombolo (photo.)
In the meadow we found the growth of new plants doing well, although some taller grasses along the edges have been mowed. An occasional new dandelion/agoseris was evident, as were the tiny buds of other flowers-to-be.
We returned the way we had come, and did encounter a few other hikers on our way back.
This was a very exhilarating day to be out on the trails, and we had a good day.
Note: We wanted to be well past the high tide, so we began our excursion with a detour into La Connor for a coffee stop at Beaver Tales Coffee, 602 Morris Street, a place we enjoy.
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