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orcas island |
| San Juan Islands, Washington |
| A Trip to Orcas Island |
| We took the Washington State ferry to
Orcas Island for a long weekend of hiking but the three
days were filled with experiences
and activities
that make it impossible to simply describe the hikes. |
| The foresight and efforts of a millionaire
retired to the island from Seattle resulted in the preservation
of a large area of land on Orcas Island. Now one
of the Washington State parks, Moran State Park is
by far the largest publicly accessible
tract of
land in the San Juan Islands. We chose Orcas Island
with the intent of hiking some of the many miles of trails. |
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A Deer at The Watchtower |
Mt. Constitution, in
Moran State Park is the home of an expert moocher in
the form of a buck
deer
whose
fondness
for Doritos and crispy vegetables among other tourist
supplied treats led him to confidently approach visitors
to the top of the mountain completely fearlessly and
with such charm that he was often successful in getting
them.
|
Steve and I don't feed wild animals but
we were both approached and solicited by him and had
the fun of having our clothes sniffed and nibbled by
an animal that would normally flee if we were nearby. |
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Near the old watchtower we watched as
an elegant woman dressed in her traditional Moslem attire
with her young son peeking out from behind her reached
out and petted the deer and Steve took a photograph. |
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| Hiking Mount Pickett |
| We came to Orcas Island to hike. One day
we hiked nine miles including the waterfalls and a little
used trail up Mount Pickett in Moran State Park. It was
steep and relentless. |
| It was a personal achievement for me to climb it and
a little bit more satisfying to see Steve actually sweat.
When we rounded a corner and were confronted with yet
another steep incline, I swore and started to turn around.
Steve looked at me with kind eyes, and said "Ain't
nothing" as he had learned in Ranger school and
I knew that it wasn't and I went up that mountain. |
When Steve took my photo by the sign
that marked the top of Mount Pickett, I was very proud
but my legs felt like spaghetti and I was ready to
head back and try some more of the delicious island
cooking
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| Island Cuisine and Island Time |
| Food and the enjoyment of life are the obsessions of
the islanders. Island cuisine, I've heard it called.
The freshest locally grown ingredients are prepared with
sophistication and flair and served in local restaurants.
We sampled the unforgettable pies at the Olga Cafe, and
watched as island culture clashed with the driven pace
that some visitors insist on maintaining, and ended with
the bountiful Friday evening buffet at Rosario Resort. |
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| Water, water, water everywhere silvery under the sunset, deepest
blue in the sunshine, grey under the clouds, green in the lakes, crystal
clear in the brooks and streams. A deep sense of history prevades the
island. The old trees and the rocky ground have been witness to a long
human occupation with the Haida massacre of the Lummi in West Sound
marking the end of the Lummi living on the island, but not the end of
their presence, which continues even now. |
| by Dianne Bengtson |
| photography by Steve Robertson |
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