Today we decided to visit a trail in Maple falls that we've driven by often but have never hiked. We've been trying to get over colds that have been passed along to various family members. It really worked out for us healthwise and for our bucket list hikes as the Mt. Baker hwy had been closed for most of the week so we couldn't hike in the high country anyway. The highway crew was prepping the highway for winter. This gave us a few days to "hopefully" recover enough to hike the remaining hikes on our list. Now it's a race between daylight and weather for the last of our "high country" bucket list hikes. Of course the remaining ones are the hardest and longest ones we've done all summer. You'll have to keep checking back to my blog to see which additional ones we finish, no hints to where our next ones will be. Fingers crossed we get them all done.
Anyway back to today. We parked at the trail head in Maple falls. The section of the Bay to Baker trail we were checking out was the Maple falls to Glacier section. "In 2015 the trail was wiped out due to flooding just before the Warnick bridge. There is no timeline for repair of this trail", quote from Whatcom county parks.
We crossed Maple creek as we began our hike.
The trail felt like we were in the Olympic National park rain forest as there was so much moss hanging from the trees.
A sighting of Witches Butter or Golden jelly fungus.
We took a right turn off the Bay to Baker trail to check out the Maple creek viewpoint.
After going down a steep short trail we were at the Maple creek view.
Scoutina posing above Maple creek.
It's the time of crunchy leaves underfoot.
We missed a turn at a junction and continued straight to the highway. There was a gate near the highway. When we walked around the gate it said "no trespassing" oops. We also realized we were on the wrong section of the trail since we weren't at the correct place when we came to the highway. After turning around we came back to the junction and took the other turn off the trail. There was no sign at the junction. It would've been nice if there was a signpost at the turn as there had been at all of the other junctions or at least a no trespassing sign on the straight ahead trail that we had taken.
Back to the fall colors on the Bay to Baker trail.
There was a great section of a long boardwalk that I loved, it travelled behind a farm. There were signs along this area "please keep your dog on a leash". We always keep Scoutina on a leash so I was pleased that we were already following the wishes of the farmer.
A new? well made bridge.
We crossed the highway and looked at the beginning of the next part of the trail, we'll come back another time and see what that section of the trail looks like.
Heading back after re-crossing the highway.
Lots of large Maple leaves on the trail.
We decided to do the loop on our return. The loop was up and down, I think all of our ascent and descent for the day was on this loop, the rest of the trail was pretty flat except for the short trail to the creek viewpoint.
A clearing and a view.
A nice snake lounging on the trail. I think it was trying to get warm, it was alive but didn't care to move as we walked over it. Scoutina didn't even seem to notice it.
As we neared the bridge at the end of our hike we walked down to the creek. The creek was pretty low.
A view from the bridge looking down to the creek, a narrow view through the foliage.
I hope to come back and hike this area again.
Total mile hiked: 6.25
Total ascent: 495 feet
The track on the map below shows our errant short out and back.
