Where better to hike on a rainy day than on a coastal bluff. Headed over to Whidbey Island (because I heard that it is usually drier here but not the case today)to walk the bluff. Started at the Prairie overlook trail and walked past the Jacob Ebey cabin, across the fields to the bluff trail. Views were minimal and rain plentiful. There was much water accumulating on the trail where it was level but we had a great day nonethe less. We met a few other hardy souls not swayed by the dampness. This is a hike that can be enjoyed in almost any weather. Stopped off at Blooms Winery for a tasting of a few wines on the way back to the ferry. All in all a great way to spend the day.

I hiked this trail with 2 dogs, my grandmother, and mom. We parked at the cemetery and started down the trail towards the water, about a mile in you can either walk up the trail or go down to the water while keeping near the pasture-land. We chose to go up and then wind down to the water which was about 1.5 miles on a narrow trail. One of the dogs got a cactus stuck on her paw and we had to pull it out. When we got to the beach it was pretty soft sand/rock that was hard to walk on and I ended up rolling my ankle. We went along the beach for about 2 miles until we reached the parking lot and bathrooms. Then we headed up the stairs to the pasture-land and back to the car. It was a fun 5.8 mile hike with great views and lookouts.

We had a great time hiking this trail. Took along our 9-year-old son and his friend and they did great. They loved playing on the beach on the way back. Does anyone know what the striped green beetles were along the trail?

We did Ebey's landing today--from the cemetery, to the house and blockhouse, down to the beach and water, and then up the bluff and back to the cemetery. That seemed to be the opposite of what everyone else was doing. Rained earlier, so most of the grass and plants were wet, glad I did not wear shorts. A bit damp periodically too as the sky let loose a few times. Took a little less than an hour and a half. Sammie, our dog, was fascinated by the seaweed, dead fish, crabs and ? left at the tide mark. The bluff and fields were covered in wildflowers. A few sea lions (or seals) were playing in the water. Quite a few blue herons flew overhead as well.

I recently learned that there is a national scenic trail that practically goes past my house. The Pacific Northwest Trail was designated as a national scenic trail in 2009 and goes from Cape Alava, Washington, to Glacier National Park, Montana. I've decided to try to day hike as much of the Washington part of this trail as possible, starting with the section that crosses Whidbey Island, known as section 8. If you are interested in knowing where the trail is go to www.pnt.org and there are maps you can print out of the trail. The hike today was from map 08-09 and 08-08. I drove to the Coupeville Ferry and parked across the road. I hiked through the Fort Casey campground and took the walking trail up to Fort Casey. The map shows to just follow the beach, but I like the view from the top of the bluff. I continued past the lighthouse and took the trail back down to the beach. From there I followed the beach until I got to Ebey's Landing. I was the only person on the beach from Camp Casey to Ebey's Landing and I saw two bald eagles in this section, one sitting on a large rock on the beach and the other sitting on the bluff. I stopped to eat my lunch at Ebey's Landing. Ebey's Landing is one of the most popular hiking trails on Whidbey Island, and for good reason. As I sat eating I saw almost 20 people start up the bluff trail. I eventually followed them up. There are beautiful wildflowers along the trail right now and the views were stunning. When the trail descended back down to the beach I continued north. Once again I encountered no other hikers until I reached Fort Ebey State Park. This beach section was not as fun as it was mainly rocks, gravel and driftwood and the walking was difficult. You MUST hike this section during low tide ONLY. Be sure to consult a tide chart before doing this hike. At Fort Ebey I refilled my water bottles and gave the dog another drink. There is a very nice restroom facility a short ways up off the beach to the left. After resting awhile on a shady picnic table we set off back down to the beach and continued north up to Libbey Beach. Again, this is a LOW TIDE ONLY hiking section. We took the stairs and walked up to Libbey Beach Park. From there I walked home and dropped off the dog, and then I flagged down the #6 bus (public buses are free on Whidbey) on Libbey Road and rode it back down to the Coupeville Ferry and picked up my car. Estimated mileage today around eight miles. For me this took about six hours. Be sure to allow yourself enough time before the tide changes.