Quiet.
That is the first thing I notice every time I step off the Guemes Island ferry. The island is quiet.
Kath, Murphy, and I walked west from the ferry a mile and a half along nearly deserted roadways to Dog Woods Park. An occasional car would go by, the driver offering a friendly wave to us as they passed. Then there would be silence. Not a sound to be heard, except maybe the song of a sparrow in a field, or – just silence, the silence of wide-open skies, rural meadows, and shadowed woodlands.
Entering Dog Woods, we saw that many improvements have occurred since our last visit a year ago. A bulletin board welcomed us with stories and maps. Parking has been expanded. New trail signs pointed to our hiking route.
We let Murphy off his leash and hiked north on Frog Forest Trail. Surprises lay in wait!
The owners of this private land have a passion for restoring its natural habitat, and a flair for making explorations fun. A forest of short blue tubes protected new native plantings where weeds once thrived. Lively frog ponds abound alongside the trail. A colorfully painted plaque rested against a large sitting stone. We came to a bench overlooking Waldo Pond and had to sit down and quote Thoreau. I was photographing the reflection of trees in one pond when Kath said “Sasquatch.” Wait, what? You just never know what you might find around here.
The slightly raised trail meanders through alders with their buds emerging, then enters cedar groves and fir forests. Hobbit’s Hollow features a tall hemlock standing like an octopus atop a humongous decaying stump. Further on a sign leads to a tree requesting hugs. Not far beyond is a sculpture featuring a gathering* of owls. Read the artist’s name, Leo, then look at the backside for another amazing surprise. I gasped.
A pair of Adirondack chairs, arranged as if for a Cialis commercial, awaits hikers in meaningful dells and glades throughout the trails. Sit, rest, meditate, and hold hands if you’re with a partner.
These forests host an extremely rare vegetation type, a globally endangered habitat, with paper birch as a dominant species. I leave it to you to find them (check out the pictures below) but most especially I hope you find the birch and cedar wrapped around each other several times like lovers in a Kama sutra pose.
There are nearly three miles of trails to explore at Dog Woods, with plenty of pleasures to discover, and new ones in the works, I am sure. The work to restore the woods continues, as does the celebration of creativity and life.
Too soon we found ourselves back at the entrance. The joy and good feelings of our experience lingered long after we said goodbye.
We strolled back down West Shore Road to Kelly’s Point trailhead, then onto the beach to walk back to the ferry. The gravelly shoreline became sandy, giving Murphy a fun place to chase after a ball. Mergansers and buffleheads dove for food offshore; we passed folks walking dogs, and watched the commercial boat traffic along Guemes Channel, including our ferry heading back to Guemes, which fortunately didn’t arrive until after we had purchased a Nutella cream-cheese chocolate brownie at the Guemes Island Store.
Now that’s a good way to end this hike and this story.
For more information about Dog Woods, visit https://dogwoods.info/
Directions
Directions: From 6th and I in Anacortes, take the Guemes Ferry to Guemes Island, then walk west along the beach if the tide is right, or along the roads that parallel the beach, to Kelly's Point, then follow West Shore Road up about a quarter mile to Dog Woods.
By bike: Guemes Island is ideal for bicycles, with rolling hills and quiet, friendly roads.
Mobility: The trails are mostly flat, and we found very little mud along the raised trails, but they are narrow, and there are occasional roots or other minor obstacles that must be dealt with.