Finished up breakfast around 1000 and the fog was clear by 1100, time for a HIKE! We could only get out for a few hours because my girlfriend lives in Seattle and I wanted to drive her down and then get back on the Island before dark. So we arrived at the old Gun Battery around 1200, and started off to the left taking the "Bluff Trail" up down towards Coupeville. The views of Puget sound and the Olympics across the pond were amazing weather was a breezy 60 degrees. Took the Bluff Trail to its end at the group campsite at and switched over to a trail called "Cedar Grove" it was mostly downhill until you got to this basin area, then it looped around and you started climbing again back to another view further south of the sound than before on the bluffs. The colors of some of the trees and plants were at their peak, deep reds, radiant oranges, and explosive yellows. Followed the bluff a little longer before it drops downhill again into the cedars, we finally made it to the cedar grove and I strung up my Kammok Roo hammock with Python Straps (they wrap around the tree so you don't damage it) and had a nice little lunch, which then turned to us just casually swinging back and forth listening to nature as we both fell asleep for a quick 30 min nap. Woke up to the sound of some other hikers coming down the trail, at which point was our cue to start heading out. It wasn't cold so long as you kept moving (I was fine in a T-shirt and Shorts) but when you stopped (i.e. after the nap) it was a bit brisk out. Probably because we were under the canopy of Cedars and there was a fresh breeze on the air. Packed up all our trash and hammock and headed back, all told we were gone for around 3 1/2 hours and got a few miles under our boots, but its was thoroughly enjoyable the whole way. Only wish we could've stayed longer and followed the trail deeper. Planning on doing another full day hike this saturday near Snoqualmie.

I parked at the beach at Fort Ebey State Park and took the bluff trail towards the old military fort. The official Pacific Northwest Trail goes past Fort Ebey State Park along the beach. However, I've hiked the beach trail and in my personal opinion, the beach area just below the Point Partridge Lighthouse is brutal with the rocks and should only be done at low tide. The bluff trail is a nice alternative route if the tides are wrong or you just want a little easier walk than the rocky beach. Plus the views are stellar! The bluff trail was nice with many beautiful views of the ocean. I continued past the fort down the trail to where the group camping site is. There were no campers there so I hopped the little wooden fence and cut through the site. You could also detour around this group area along the trail. Interestingly, on the information board at the group site it had an old map (1999) that showed what used to be a route down to the beach along Cedar Hollow Trail. This route washed out around 2006 but an occasional intrepid PNT thru hiker will scramble down where that trail used to be. From there I continued onto Cedar Hollow Trail and passed the old DNR camping area. There are still a couple outhouses and some flat spaces for tents. No water is available there, although you could get some back at the group camping site. Continuing on down into a saddle is another great ocean view. A wooden fence and sign warns to keep off, but when you look over the edge you can see pink flags mark the steep scramble down to the beach. If that route looks too sketchy to you (it did to me!)or the tides are high, there is another alternate route. Continue on up the Cedar Grove Trail and after ascending it will then begin to drop down. When you see the little ceramic ghost sitting in a tree, look for an unsigned short cut on the right side of the trail. There is a little rock cairn by a tree trunk and a pink flag. Take that trail and it passes under some electric lines and connects in with Kettles Trail. Kettles Trail goes out towards highway 20 and eventually begins to parallel highway 20. When you get to Sherman Road turn right and walk a half mile until you go past Sunnyside Cemetery. Follow the Jacob Ebey House Bluff Trail past the old log stockhouse and the recently restored historic Jacob Ebey house, out to Ebey's Landing. From there you can continue on down to the beach to resume your beach walk on the PNT. I actually turned around when I got to Kettles trail and returned to my car, where I drove to Sunnyside Cemetery, parked, and took the Jacob Ebey House Bluff Trail out to the ocean. It was a nice hike on an unexpectedly beautiful day.

Today was a great day for a fall hike so we headed to the Island. We parked down at the Gun Battery and did some exploring around that first. From there we chose to hike the Bluff Trail to Lake Pondilla. It's a little over a mile, one direction. There is a bit of elevation gain and loss, but nothing that even small children couldn't handle. The trail was in great shape, no muddy spots at all. It was slick in few spots due to the freezing temps last night and sometimes thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground. There are a few spots along the trail that have some steep dropoffs, so keep the little ones close at hand. To see more of our hike go to: http://1retromama.blogspot.com/2012/11/fort-ebey-state-park-whidbey-island.html

Weather was not looking good for this weekened so I waited until Saturday morning to decide if I would hike. There was sunshine over Whidbey Island around 11:00 am so I was off on my hike #41 to Fort Ebey State Park to hike the bluff trail. Upon arriving at the park I found large fields of hail that I first thought was snow when I pulled in to the parking lot. It was still quite cold but no rain or hail just some great sunshine but it was short lived by about two hours. I was able to hike the whole bluff trail, some of the beach and also out to Lake Pondilla . I saw some Bald Eagles flying around but did not get any good pictures of them. I saw a boy scout troop doing some community service in the park which was nice. I was suprised at the number of people still camping with the weather the last week but I guess in this state you can't be detered by weather or your never get outside. All and all a nice couple of hours for a hike that was about 4 miles in length including the trail out to Lake Pondilla. Even the smallest of hikes is worth getting outside and enjoying myself while leaving any stress behind. Checkout the videos of this hike or over 235 other hikes I have done in Washington State on my youtube channel at lmm3181 or click on these direct links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpaUAF8CtKM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEMWlyn63v4 As always get out and enjoy this beautiful state and enjoy your hiking. Take Care Mike

Gorgeous day for a little walk in the woods, perfect conditions for great fall pictures. There i was with my two year old daughter and our miniature dachshund when a huge bird landed on a nearby tree branch, almost above our heads and stared at my dog like there was a bunny next to me. I grabbed the camera, took a few shots and backed off because it felt liek the bird was going to attack my dog any minute. I have never seen wild life this close and i have to say it was a pretty amazing sight.