Tommy Thompson Trail — Monday, Mar. 6, 2023

Good news: the former railroad trestle at the southeast end of Anacortes' Tommy Thompson Trail that was damaged by fire last summer (Aug 30, 2022,) and that had been closed to all users for several months, has been completely repaired and is once again open to hikers and bikers. The opening was announced by the city on February 23.

On February 28, while I was busy with an appointment, my hiking buddy Marin did a solo hike out as far as the new section. Incredibly, she had the trail all to herself and returned with a few photos. Today, she agreed to join me for a hike across the trestle for my first chance to see the new section.

Today, we hiked just the southern part of the trail, parking where it crosses 34th Street. We followed the trail along the old railroad grade and continued on across the short new section. Then, back on the old surface, we hiked through to the official end of the Tommy Thompson Trail at March's Point Road. We turned around there and returned the way we had come.

An official view of the damaged trestle section as it looked last August 30 is available at

www.goskagit.com/news/fire-damages-tommy-thompson-trail-trestle-bridge-in-anacortes/article_a09ae764-28b1-11ed-b9d0-13274823bb88.html

The appearance of the repaired section, by contrast, is rather anti-climactic (see Marin's photo in this report.) The new section differs from the older sections only slightly, and a hiker who was unaware of the August fire might not notice these differences: the somewhat darker surface, shinier fasteners, fewer bike tire skid marks, and less accumulation of organic material. These differences will become less evident as the season progresses.

We saw no otters or seals today, although birds were active. Gulls were dropping clam shells on the bridge surface to crack them, then retrieving the edible portions. Opportunistic crows swooped in to scavenge any remnants. We noted a few hooded mergansers, including some pairs, out on the water.

It was an exhilarating day to be out, with the weather somewhat sunny but with a stiff southerly breeze, making for a very chilly hike, particularly on the way across.