[Karen]

Craig Romano and I met in Burlington for some easy hikes near Anacortes/Mount Vernon/Burlington. It was supposed to be a dry day but guess what? I drove through rain both coming and going; plus, it rained most of the time on both of the hkes. Grrrr! We had a good time anyway and managed to eke out a few photos. Heart Lake is a part of the Anacortes Commuity Forest Lands with a network of trails that include trails on Mount Erie, Sugarloaf Mountain, Whistle Lake and I'm sure there's more of the ACFL lands I haven't seen yet. Craig's the expert on that area. At Heart Lake we followed the main trail around the heart-shaped lake (that's why it's named Heart Lake), Trail No. 210. Other spurs lead to potential viewpoints but it was raining and cloudy enough we knew there wouldn't be views so we skipped those. There are some majestic old-growth Douglas firs around the lake that bear scars of past forest fires. Tons of salal, tons. Quite a bit of Oregon grape, bracken. We hoped for clearing skies by the time we got to Padilla but it was still raining and colder there, too, since we were close to the water. The trail runs through the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve with its tidal flats and marshes. It's a great place to look for birds, lots of herons and ducks. Craig said some of the ducks were teals but his eyes are sharper than mine!! The trailhead is just off Bay View-Edison Road. According to Craig the best time to walk the trail is at low-tide; more birds! The tide didn't start going out until we were on our way back. Of course the sun came out briefly just as were almost back to the trailhead. A nice, brisk walk on a chilly, dank day. Imagine how nice it would be on a nicer day at low tide. Craig lives up north so he was close to home but I drove through a heavy squall that would have intimidated Noah. The rain tapered off and was gone by the time I got to Marysville. Craig's the hiker guy in the photograph. Fun day! Karen

On the shore of Heart Lake, Anacortes

A rainy day at Heart Lake

An uninvited guest at the rest stop

Heart Lake, log with fungus

Heron, Padilla Bay

Patterns, Heat Lake

[Hiker Mama]

That looks like a nice hike for the season. Thanks!