We have finally been having winter here in our corner of Northwest Washington. The northeast wind has been blowing more than it has snowed here at our house. The windchill hasn't been something we wanted to experience so we've been doing our workouts at our local gym on the machines. Not what I always want to do, but it sure is nice to have an alternative when the weather turned wintry.
Today the winds had calmed down so my husband and I ventured into Bellingham to do a "city" hike in Whatcom Falls park. We parked in the Barkley Village parking lot and made our way to the Railroad trail.
It was beginning to lightly rain when we began our walk. It was chilly but nothing like we've been having at home.
The rain stopped and it was just cloudy as we made our way to the Alabama hill pedestrian bridge, as you can see the roads weren't bad at all.
We walked through the neighborhoods to join the park system trails
The trail meanders beside the creek for a ways. I stopped to put on my Yaktrax, since there were some icy sections now on the trail. I was also glad I had brought my trekking poles, they were helpful on the up and down slopes.
Views of the creek as we walked along it.
Looking through the trees towards the Whatcom creek bridge.
A cold looking Whatcom creek falls.
We stopped in the park and at our lunch at one of the shelters. Someone had made a great snowman family.
By the time we began our walk again it had started snowing and it snowed most of the way back through the park.
Pretty lights along the way.
The Ducks at this pond are used to being fed, there weren't many people feeding them today.
We hiked to the Railroad bridge and crossed it
then made our way along the narrower trail that parallels the main trail.
Time to turn towards the Alabama Hill pedestrian bridge.
The snow really began falling in earnest in this section.
If you compare the picture of the road in the beginning of this post you'll see that it had snowed a bit while we on our hike.
A window frame ornament was left in the blackberry bush along the trail. I thought it was pretty with the rose hips hanging alongside.
Back to our destination - Barkley Village.
By the time we got back to Barkley Village the sky was clearing and the sky was turning blue.
It was nice to get in an outing in the snow (without the wind and it's wind chill) before the big melt.
I love our corner of the world.
Garmin stats:
total miles hiked - 6.1
total ascent - 833 feet
