Thursday, February 16, 2012

Hiking from Marine park Trailblazer hike


We started out on a rather gloomy, dark, drizzly day. Marine park where we started is the ending place for the annual Ski to Sea that takes place here in Whatcom county in May, on that day it's usually sunny and filled with hundreds of people watching the kayak leg of the relay come across the bay. As you can see today it was a lonely place.


12 of us followed the city trail from Marine park that follows a gravel trail through the forest, in Fairhaven.


We had to do some urban walking before we connected back onto a trail. This time the interurban.


 It was nice to be on this long straight stretch and see how the trail is so wide that it looks like a highway through the woods.
We continued to the Arroyo park overlook where we turned around.


Me!
On the way back "Pat" our leader wanted to hike a bit in the Chuckanut ridge area, since the city had purchased it and wanted to check it out. There were quite a few trails in that area as well as many tents where homeless people had set up places to live.


Parts of the area were pretty muddy. Yes, these two had on white shoes. Hmmm.........


Just before we left the trail near Marine park I spotted this plaque in the grass. It says "Site of the Chinese bunk house". I knew that in the 1800's the Chinese came and worked in the large cannery in Fairhaven, but wasn't aware that there were historical plaques in the ground. I wish it had been better signed and had more information for tourists. I thought it was interesting.


Just one of the many trail signs on the city trail system.

Endomondo stats:
  5.4 miles total miles hiked


Thursday, February 9, 2012

Back on the trails - Hiking to Clayton Beach Trailblazer hike


Eight months later and I'm finally hiking with the Trailblazers again. Well, kindof ;-) I decided that my start of hiking with an organized group again should be with the "other" Trailblazers group, or as I will call them "Group 1". Group 2 starts an hour later, 9 am (yippee!) than the group I used to hike with (or as they shall now be called on my blog "Group 1", and I've been told that they hike shorter distances and at a more comfortable pace than Group 1. Until I get my calf stronger I will be hiking with Group 1. So nice to be hiking with a group again, and as I found with Group 1, very nice friendly people. I picked today's hike because it was going to be fairly short and flat. It said on the schedule it would be 4 miles & easy. 12 of us started at the Cleater rd. parking lot and hiked to Clayton beach and back.

The hike started on the Interurban trail, then to the Clayton beach parking lot and the all important outhouse. We crossed the road to join up with the trail again.

our fearless leader "Pat"


We had to cross the railroad tracks to connect with the beach trail again.



Clayton Beach!



after lunch it decided it really did want to rain, so on with the poncho!


Great to be back at it!!

Endomondo stats:
5.27 total miles hiked
Min. altitude 0 feet
Max. altitude 327 feet
Total ascent 1981
Total descent 1830