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Day 6. (Last day). Wed. Dec. 18. Crossings

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Day 6 (last day). Wed. Dec. 18. Hiked 14.9 mi, ascent 2540 ft  Total for hikeathon: Hiked 103.72 mi 10,537.39 ft ascent.  Today I hiked up from Cascade Falls on Mt Pickett Trail and sashayed back and forth between it and the Southeast Boundary Trail on the various connector trails. Also crossed the park boundary at the Winter Falls Lane trail to tour the grounds of Doe Bay Resort/Retreat.  Dear Trail Friends, I am sitting in our Orcas Island home and although it is a full hour befor sunset the sky is darkening and the winter lights I put up are comforting. Chris is home and my “crossing” from my solitude and my hiking-blogging “trance” into the ordinary “self state”/trance of our relationship was not as difficult as I anticipated. Rather it felt like slipping into a deep silence between us (she has mostly been napping, I have mostly been doing pre-blogging “housekeeping” with the email list, calculating mileage, etc). A silence not so unlike the silences I cherish in Quaker Meeting and
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Day 5. Tues. Dec. 17. Water

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Day 5. Tues. Dec. 17. Water. Hiked 17.49 mi, ascent 1549 ft. I started at 6am at Cascade Lake, hiked along the lake on the road, then the trail,  then took the lower trail to cascade falls and up along the stream to Mountain Lake, around the east side of Mountain lake and up to Twin Lakes, around both twins, back along the west side of Mountain Lake, back down along the stream to the falls and the lower trail to Cascade Lake, then around the west (and south) side of Cascade Lake and around the south side lagoon to the trail to Rosario, then wandered around Rosario grounds especially along the shoreline, and back up to the north side of the lagoon and around Cascade Lake back.  Dear Trail Friends, I am wondering how to summon the energy I need to write this blog. It isn’t quite the same as “just out one foot in front of the other” on the trail. The feet are already there, I just have to move them. The words have to be found - discovered - plucked out of thin air.  This r
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Day 4. Mon. Dec. 16. A Bouquet of Hikes.

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Monday, Dec. 16, Day 4.  Five hikes: Eastsound Village: 7.35 mi, 187 ft ascent Killebrew Lake: 1.8 mi, 110 ft ascent Deer Harbor ( Deer Harbor Shore, Frank Richardson Wildfowl Preserve ): 5 mi, 265 ft ascent Obstruction Pass: 2 mi, 254 ft ascent Coho Preserve: 1 mi, 171 ft ascent Total: 17.15 mi, 987 ft ascent Dear Trail Friends, Even though there was less mileage and way less climbing, today took more time (because of driving all over the island) and was particularly exhausting. I think beginning hikes takes a lot of energy for me. Once I’ve begun there’s a momentum that carries me. I had to begin and begin and begin today. By the last two hikes of the day I could barely muster the startup energy.  In fact I drove right by the entrance to the Coho Preserve and had to turn around and come back. I was thinking of my friend Mary who used to live near the Preserve and who has moved to Bend Oregon where she is near her son’s family. I was thinking about how I enjoy helping her with her tax
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Day 3. Sunday Dec. 15. Mountain. (and Saturday Dec. 14, rest day)

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Saturday, Dec. 13.  Hosted our Saturday Quaker meeting. Made dinner for when Chrissy gets home (Wednesday) so I can devote Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed to hikeathon. Hung winter lights in house to welcome her (and me!) home. (We go from 9 hrs 50 min of daylight in Santa Barbara to 8 hrs 18 min here - so we lose 1 hr 32 min of daylight just like that, without months of gradual change to adjust.  So our winter lights are an important part of welcoming ourselves at home here.  Sunday, Dec. 14. Hiked 19.11 mile. Ascended 3642 ft. I hiked up Mt Constitution (the tower) from Cascade Lake on the Cold Spring Trail, then went down to Twin Lakes and to Mountain Lake, then up to Little Summit and back to the Mt Constitution tower, then down by the road to cascade falls, then the trail back to Cascade Lake.  Dear Trail Friends, I started at 5:45am today anticipating a long day. So most of my hike up the mountain was in darkness though I was grateful for the waning (but still fairly full) moon. I missed the
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Day 2. Friday Dec 13. Turtleback. Shades of Gray.

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(Hiked from North trailhead of Turtleback preserve to South Trailhead, with out and back hikes to Turtlehead, Waldron Overlook, Valley Overlook, and also including Raven Ridge Trail, Ridge Trail, and Central Loop, Ship’s Peak (twice), Lost Oak Trail, and Morning Ridge  Trail. ) Hiked 16.8 miles, ascended 3192 ft.  Dear Trail Friends, I started hiking at 6:30am this morning despite my intention to start at 6:00am. First I discovered midway to the trailhead that in all my fervor today don my rain gear I have left my puffy jacket at home. So I had to go back. Then I discovered my mitten missing. After searching here there and everywhere I finally found it on the floor of the car by the driver’s seat. It did not bode well for my day.  But in fact the day was full of great surprises. I was all bundled up for a high of 44 and rain all day (but noticed the temperature in my car was already 46 at 6:20am - doesn’t sound like the forecast was too accurate, does it, that being one of the coldest
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Day 1. Thurs. Dec. 12. Boundaries. Cycles of Seasons.

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December 12, Winter Hikeathon Day 1, Boundaries 18.25 miles, 3270 ft elevation gain. I hiked West Boundary trail to North Boundary Trail, then looped around Twin Lakes, then up to Mt. Pickett, then SE Boundary Trail, back to Mt Pickett Trail, then to Cascade Lake (with excursions to Sunrise Rock and Cascade Falls), looped around lagoon trails, and returned to Cascade Lake parking area. I have approached this hikeathon/pilgrimage with fear and ambivalence. Will the weather allow me to complete the hike? Will my own health and endurance be sufficient? Rain is predicted all week with temperature highs in the mid and low 40s. Not freezing cold winter weather, but challenging to for a long hike. This picture of rain falling in Cascade Lake is my favorite from today. I have been aware all day of how different this is from summer. No blue sky, no sunshine, no brightly colored flowers. No lily pads on the lakes. Everything shades of gray - although there is a
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