May 3rd, 2008Yes, it is officially time again to get back to the original purpose of this blog. Yea! (clap hands) On the very first weekend that it was nice enough to go for a hike I already had other plans, but on the second one, I was determined to let nothing stop me. Seward Park is the one I tried to do last summer but due to Sea Fair they had it all blocked off and I couldn't get in. This year, it was practically deserted, but a very nice first hike.
Seward Park is on the Lake side of Seattle. It is actually a penninsula that sticks out into the lake, and is the last remaining stand of old growth forest in the city. The hike was right about 2 miles and the paths I chose (there were quite a few options) took me out along the east shore to the end of the penninsula and then back through the middle. The trail along the outside is paved and very nice. It's lined with all kinds of trees and bushes and even some education. For example, how do you know if there is poison oak alongside your trail?
Because the sign will tell you so!
The first part of the trail gives you a nice view of the houses on Mercer Island. I didn't know whether to be jealous of those huge, beautiful houses, or to pity them for having their front lawn (and windows to anyone with powerful enough binoculars) in view of a public park. Well, I don't pity them anyway.
At one point there was this little "window" in the folliage with what looks like a garden of something growing behind it. The plants are huge, at least 3 feet tall. So strange! Anyone know what this is?
There also was this stone bridge out near the tip. Apparently it was built in 1932 because a group of fishermen wanted Seward Park to be know as a "fisherman's paradise." Well, that never happened, but the bridge certainly is lovely.
I also learned from my guide book about something I had been wondering about for a long time. Along the freeways where there are a lot of trees, you can sometimes see these trees that have bright red, twisted wood. They also would be missing large patches of their bark. No one I asked could tell me what they were or if they were diseased. Well, aparantly, there are a lot of them in Seward Park and they are called Madrona's here in the Northwest. (Depending on where in the world you find them, they have different names.) I do think they are beautiful and would be fun to draw. . . if I knew how to draw.
Just before I split off the main trail for the one back through the middle there was a nice view of downtown Seattle. With the water and the cherry trees (those are cherry trees, right?) it made for a nice picture.
Well, the trail back through the center was like your typical trails around here, and it was just what I needed; a nice easy mile of deep breathing. There are a lot of trails that criss-cross through the middle so I just wandered around a little. It really was the perfect length for a first hike, and highly recommended by me!
I know this took me several weeks to get up, but my camera has stopped talking to my computer and I have had to rely on the grace and kindness of a good friend to get my pictures. I am hoping to get a lot more hiking in this summer, but am worried that with gas prices the way they are, I may be very limited. You may end up seeing pictures of my "hike" up and down the street. I am setting a goal for myself to get back to the top of Wallace Falls before the end of the year though. Pray about that one. It will take some serious work to get ready for that.
Well, enjoy the pictures, and hopefully I'll get another hike in within the next few weeks. Let me know if there's anything in particular you want to see! Love you guys!
