Fabulous February

Lime Kiln, 2/6/10, 6 miles

In an El Nino year, weather in the Puget Sound area just isn't right. February is a time for rain in the lowlands and snow in the mountains. Either we stay at home snug in a quilt reading a book or we're out snowshoeing in the gloriousness of Washington winter. However, this year, this El Nino year, snowshoeing has been sketchy at best so we're forced to look for hikes that are rewarding in both scenery and exertion. Luckily, also in this El Nino year, we are getting far more sunny days than normal - as we did this past weekend's Mountaineers hike along the Lime Kiln Trail.

Lime Kiln Trail starts from just outside Granite Falls and meanders along the Stillaguamish River through moss dripping forest. With the sun still at a low angle, the moss was aglow with fire as the sun stretched across the sky. Every now and then we'd come across some old artifact narrating the mining and logging past of the area. A rusted saw blade here, a speckled pot there until finally we reached the old Lime Kiln used to cook lime in a time not that far in the past.

We finally settled down for lunch near the river. As the water danced over the rocks, the light of a mid-winter day danced across the ripples. I could hardly make myself sit still - all that light dancing and rippling through our little world just made my eyes sparkle. We finally hiked out, carrying on conversations we had started earlier in the day with new friends and old.

Sometimes it's just fun to hike in a group on a bright day rare in the northwest.