Lake Twenty Two Redo

I hiked Lake 22 years ago. I meant to do a write up – like I do for every hike – but for whatever reason, Lake 22 got swept under the rug. Because it is such a classic hike that is relatively close to me, I must have figured I’d have another go at it. It took me almost 6 years, but I finally did. 

Thinking about it now, I’m pretty sure I was waiting to see it again in a different season. Maybe even show some comparison pics of winter and summer…I bet I was hoping to pose Lexi in a flower patch or something. Sadly that never happened, nor will it ever happen. 

My beautiful girl back in the day

Even so, Lake 22 didn’t disappoint. It’s popular for a reason – not a bad pay off for a fairly easy 2.7 miles to the lake. So popular, in fact, that now there are “no parking” signs all along the highway where the overflow cars will often spill. We were surprised to find the lot still had several spaces available when we arrived around 10 am, and delighted to have the trail almost to ourselves for the majority of the upward trail. 

Hard core Santa ;)

We suspected it wouldn’t last, and of course, we were right. So many people coming up as we were going down that it felt we spent more time stepping to the side than actually hiking. The majority of the adventurers seemed, in our humble opinions, not very well prepared for a slushy/slippery/icy trail. Though even those in tennis shoes (and in one case shorts) seemed to make do. 

We were glad to have Yaktrax (a great option when you want traction but don’t want to mess with micro spikes) though I made the mistake of taking mine off once we were out of the heavy snow. If it wasn’t for my poles, I would have surely gone down on that slick as snot final bridge.

Getting snowier...

and snowier!

Even if I can’t take my Lexi with me (except in spirit) I might still try for those summertime shots someday. It may have to wait until I retire though, because I don’t think I have the patience to visit again on a holiday (this was Christmas Eve) or on the just as busy weekends.  In the meantime, there are far too many other hikes I intend to write about first. Happy Trails and Happy New Year!

Watch your step!

Breaking 100 on the PNT

  

I thought I’d be doing the epic Shipwreck Coast when I hit this milestone. A group of us fool hikers had a shuttle company lined up for a thru hike, plus the weather was looking decent and the tides seemed to be in our favor…then I called the ranger peeps to ask about permits. She simply said, “You don’t know what we have going on here, do you?”

Apparently the tides were not just too high, but “king” high. I still don’t understand why the tide table I was looking at had it so wrong, but now I understand you really can’t depend on just one source. The ranger did say it looked like things would calm down by the time we did our hike, but when she described the current situation of “waves crashing into the parking lot,” it was an easy decision to try for the 20 miles between Ozette and Rialto another day. 

But it sure is hard not to hike when you are amped up for adventure. When the weekend weather did in fact turn out to be beautiful, our group of gals HAD to come up with a plan B. “Epic” was out of the picture – but maybe we could still get some beach walking in.

The stretch between Ebey State Park and Joseph Whidbey Park fit the bill perfectly. Not only would we get our seashore fix, but I could also check off eight more miles of PNT trail. (Putting me now at 103.3  ) With our group of four locals, it was easy to take two cars so we wouldn’t have to double back – so we dropped the first car off at Joseph Whidbey Park (never heard of it? Me either…it’s really not much more than a small parking lot with access to the beach) then piled in the other car and headed to Ebey to start our mini adventure.

The bunkers at Ebey are so fun

I’ll confess…I didn’t even check the tides. I suppose my confidence had been shot, and I figured if the beach looked too thin, we could just explore around Ebey instead. Thankfully Julie had a clearer mind and checked for us, and it was a real relief to know the tide was indeed going out. This stretch has very few “escape routes,” and there are parts you really don’t want to get stuck on with a rising tide. So be smart like Julie!

One of the escape options…or stupid picture options 

Our real escape was at this boat launch a mile from our car. The road from here was much more appealing than the rocky beach with the tide now coming in. As you can see, the king tides did their damage here too. The pics I saw of the Rialto Beach parking lot were WAY worse!

Not the official PNT, but the last mile road walk still provided a nice view

It may not have been epic, but the day was still perfect – filled with sun and laughter and even a seal! If there is anything this group has a talent for, it’s silly pictures and joking around. We all decided this poor tree (victimized by erosion and barely hanging on by a few roots) would make a great “if 2020 were a tree” meme. 

2021 and still hanging on birches!!

FOUR!!!! (Btw…kelp makes a lousy club!)

Though when I posted what I thought was a hysterical post on our beloved PNW Facebook page, I got more than one “Oh no! Has it really fallen? So sad!” comments…along with a slightly more threatening “quit fibbing” warning. Clearly, not everyone is skilled at humor. 

What part of “different version” is unclear? 

No worries though, because my little tribe IS skilled at humor. Whatever adventures lie ahead with these gals – along with the challenges that are sure to arise as part of it –  I’m confident they will be faced with some comedy. Happy (silly and joy filled) trails!! 

AND DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT  MY BOOK!!! Search "Kelly Beane" on Amazon...but only if you don't take yourself too seriously, because my book is supposed to be funny. If you can't laught at "the tree of barely hanging on," you for sure won't like my book.

Never stop being silly, Heidi! It’s why you’re my soul sister!

 

 

Santa Hike Economy Boost

I saw an article in my news feed the other day about how hiking helps boost the economy. I didn’t have to read it to know how true it is. After sticking a $50 in my day pack thinking it should be enough, I still owe my friend Heidi another $30 that I had to borrow because I boosted a little more than I expected! 

My last post was about making new goals, one of them to do 500 miles on the Pacific Northwest Trail. Why? Well, why not. The great thing about this new goal is it motivates me to do trails I wouldn’t normally be inspired to do. This day’s Larry Scott Trail is a good example. 

Gettin er done

Admittedly, I can be a bit of a view snob. Living in Washington does that to you. There is just SO MUCH to see – why waste time on anything that doesn’t wow you when there is so much other stuff that will. If the Larry Scott Trail wasn’t marking off miles on the PNT for me, I most likely would have overlooked it.

 

But this day’s outing to Port Townsend wowed us in so many ways. First off, the view from the ferry ride (our first boost to the economy) is “wow” enough. Secondly, wearing Santa outfits (Heidi’s idea…I just love her) and singing carols (Julie brought the music…love her too!) and making folks laugh (Crystal’s specialty and why we all love her) is a special kind of “wow” for everyone around.  

Even a peek at the Olympics is always a wow

Walking past the marina is also a pretty cool “wow,” and seeing a tree filled with shoes was a confusing “wow.” Googling it later (because it seems we always come up with “things that make you go hummm” questions while hiking) it turns out “shoe trees” are a thing all around the world, though nobody quite knows why.

Beauty does not always come from nature

Can you see the shoes? About a dozen…I’m sure more will follow

Sometimes a field is just as much of a wow as a mountain

I must say the smell after passing the paper mill was a “WOW” we could have done without, but all in all the nine miles were very pleasant and easy – and even though it started to rain, it was still fun just being together.

  

The boxed wine I bought from the gas station at the end of the trail was another economy boost (we needed something to do while we waited for our taxi) and the $20 we gave our driver once we were dropped off back in town was yet another. 

The biggest boost – and maybe the biggest “wow” – was our late lunch at the “The Old Whiskey Mill.” YUMMM!!!!…and the warm drinks made sitting outside a little more cozy. 

 

Perfect timing got us back on the ferry without much of a wait to bring an end to a pretty perfect day. May your days be just as merry and bright, and your happy trails be filled with all kinds of wows. (And don’t forget lots of dollars to spread around too! :))