Camping, Hiking Fun! - Day 2

Route to the Coast - 5.3 miles

Sunday we woke to sunshine!  That & a light breeze motivated us to hit the trails again - this time with the goal of reaching the coast.  After checking out the maps, we decided on the short way out from camp to give us more time to get out to the point.

John Tursi's hand-hewn underpass

This time we crossed under Hwy 20 further south & were rewarded with a beautiful walk through very large Douglas Fir on the west side, before the trail reached the coast.

Looking at the Deception Pass Bridge

At the point above, we were already well beyond the beach where we'd stopped on Sat.  We were on the North Beach trail to West point.  This was a really nice trail, with several spots where you could access the beach areas.  We were moving at a pretty good pace when Rascal had to make one of his many stops to shake.  As he did, the clip on his lead came free.  In the next millisecond...  he was Gone!  Butch called for him, but we knew it was pointless.  Nika was unconcerned - we decided there was nothing to be done but continue on down the trail.  A few minutes later a runner coming from the direction we were headed said that yes, he had seen a Beagle traveling fast up ahead...  If any of you know Beagles, you know that the one thing they can be counted on to do - is follow their nose...  Visions of all the terrible things that can happen to a loose dog were flying through our heads as we hiked.  It seemed like hours but after what was probably only about five minutes I heard Butch say;  "Hi there Rascal!"  As we'd come around a corner, there he was waiting for us on the side of the trail!  GOOD BOY!  Did I say GOOD BOY?!  You can bet that Rascal got way more attention than he wanted!

What made him decide to wait rather than continue on we do not know...  but I do know that we were very happy that he was safe.  Yes, we'd forgotten the pinch collars...  never again & the leads are going to have those snap ends replaced with a bull clip.

Our reward~

The light was just amazing!  The forest was so beautiful!  It was a perfect day & the perfect place to spend it!

Red of the Madrona

View of the Bridge & Cascades

View from the West Point

We came out near one of the many parking areas along this section of the park.  It seemed strange to come off the quiet forest trail & suddenly find lots of cars, people etc.  We headed back the way we'd come & took a short break.

Beautiful old construction~

On the hike back, both dogs were on their "A" game!  Rascal in the lead, Butch, Nika & me :-)  No more pulling, just setting a nice 3.2 mph pace & having a fine time!

Nika, Butch & Rascal

We returned on the same trails that we'd started out on, the day was growing short & camp was a welcome sight.

Our camp through the trees~

After a hot drink & snack, it was time to pack up & head back home, both of us wishing we'd had another day.  The drive back started out beautiful with incredible views of the Cascades as we were leaving the island.  A few miles south of Mt. Vernon though - we drove right into a heavy, dark cloud of dense fog.  Speeds dropped from 70 to 50 mph. in less than a mile.  The rest of the drive home was slower & it was a relief to see the lights of home!

We're already making reservations for more camping & planning trips with both the girls & their families this summer :-)