Saturday, October 24, 2015

Deception Pass State Park

October 24 - 25, 2015

A car camping trip at Deception Pass was in order the day after I came back from my work trip in Missouri. The fall foliage was lovely.

 
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Since Deception Pass State Park is just over an hour drive from home I was able to sleep in before we packed up and headed out Saturday around noon. We had reservations at a great site in Cranberry Lake campground.

Side note: last month we scored big at the REI garage sale and snagged the Big Agnes Fairview 4 tent for 15% of retail (of, not off) and also the REI Alcove Shelter for $15 or something ridiculous. It was nice to have the shelter as it rained the first few hours on site and late at night. The tent was a palace for two people and a dog. We slept on a queen size inflatable mattress with a couple down comforters from Costco. We will need to rethink the sleep setup as the mattress, filled with air, is quite cold at night and the quilts don't stay on when there's a dog stomping around. I think I'll stick to my sleeping bag on cold nights.
He was adamant about standing on the picnic table. See also the giant tent and shelter. 
After enjoying a beer with our take-out lunch from Shrimp Shack (soft-shell crab burger, fried oysters, and popcorn shrimp) off we went to explore the area.

Cranberry Lake
Heading towards the beach


The next day we headed out early to hike the Goose Rock Summit Trail, Perimeter Trail, and Discovery Trail. These were all easy, well-maintained trails. It took us about two hours with plenty of stopping for photos. Only ran in to three groups during the hike, one of which were biking.

The Goose Rock Summit Trail is only a half mile off the Perimeter Trail and offers lovely views. The Perimeter Trail connects with the Discovery Trail which is part of the Pacific Northwest Trail, a 1,200 mile trail that goes through three states and ends at the Washington coast.
Goose Rock summit
Goose Rock Perimeter Trail
Views for days
I feel positive about this hiking season. It will likely include more day hikes with Toby :)