The sun was shining so I drove out to explore good ol’ Deception Pass. I got to the entrance right around 10a.m. and parked in the Cranberry Lake day-use lot. There were other folks around but their vehicles had found accommodations elsewhere, as mine was alone. I hung my shiny, newly renewed Discover Pass and let my boots carry me off into the salal-lined trail system of Deception Pass State Park.

The trails are in good shape for the most part, as you might expect from such well trodden paths. The main trails are wide and clear of obstacles, with signs pointing you to and fro. There are numerous blowdowns on the secondary trails, but only the Lottie Bay Trail has fallen trees on the main route (2 big ones). A short section of the coast trail that links the North Beach area with the Goose Rock trails/Bridge area is closed due to landslides and fallen trees. This area is clearly marked with signs and barriers. My detour was to hike up to SR20 and walk the road a short way to the bridge. There is repair work being done on the bridge right now, and both sides were closed to pedestrian traffic in the morning. However, by early afternoon, the workmen opened one side so us tourists could cross. Be careful crossing during construction: there were added trip hazards everywhere due to the work being done.

I passed a handful of other people out hiking on such a fine, spring-like Wednesday, but still being February, the trails were far from crowded. Sunny days in the off-season are the best times to visit these trails if you want more peace and solitude. Even the Navy jets took it easy today.

“I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew:
Of wind I sang, a wind there came and in the branches blew.
Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the Sea,
and by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a Golden Tree.”

-J.R.R. Tolkien “The Fellowship of the Ring”

The trails here are mostly in good condition. The lighthouse point area has some overgrown trail. If you look at a trail map, just stay on the one that is the most south and you’ll have no issues. Areas of the North Beach trail are still flooded so we mostly walked on the actual beach. Beautiful area to explore. Goose Rock is pretty cool but would’ve been nicer on a clearer day. Jets were flying overhead from the whidbey base for most of the day but we weren’t expecting complete silence and solitude here so it didn’t bother us much. Great area for sunset hikes, plenty of view points to the west. We only encountered a handful of people, mostly at north beach. Mud in places but I didn’t get my feet dirty in trail runners. The bridge is having some construction done so you do have to deal with some banging and machine noises, as well as a huge platform under the bridge which makes it slightly less visually appealing. All in all it was a great way to spend a day, got in 7 miles worth of trail.

We were itching to get out once the atmospheric river died down. Lots of other people were also as evidenced by the number of people we saw out and around Deception Pass in a cold wind. The area was in a rain shadow for the day.

Absolutely gorgeous day. We expected it to be pouring rain all day, but the sun was out and not a speck of rain! The wind on the other hand was crazy! Wish we had something to measure the wind speed because it felt like we were going to get blown away.

Today I headed north during a break in the rain and wind. The easy trails along Bowman Bay and Rosario Head are in good shape. There is no mud and very little risk of slipping anywhere. There were a nice variety of birds and ducks but not a lot of them. Seals were scattered about and diving for food. The pier at Bowman Bay is blocked off. I'm not sure why. I didn't see any obvious damage in the sections that I could see. 

It's very pretty here and quiet when the Navy jets aren't flying. Today wasn't one of those days. The jets are disturbingly loud and can ruin a zenful mood. Still it was a good day. The wildlife and beauty seen amid the shorelines and cliffs made up for the distracting jet noise. 

To top the day off on my drive home I could see Mount Baker. The snowless bare spots that were evident on the mountain in the summer are now covered in snow. I can hardly wait for Spring hikes.