Mount Constitution
SOLO HIKE DAY DATE!
Today I decided to take myself out on a little adventure date. I start an actual job on Monday (what? I know crazy) and I’m trying to get as much done (that I haven’t done in the last six months) as possible. I’ve done very little hiking in the San Juan Islands so that is exactly where I went. After reserving a spot on the ferry the night before I woke up around 4 am, filled the car with gas, filled up the oil and drove the hour and a half to Anacortes to wait to be ferried over to Orcas Island. To be honest. I got to the terminal so early I was embarrassed so I loitered just outside until I felt it was an acceptable time to line up.
Once on the boat I went up to main seating area and desperately tried to take in the scenery that we passed as the sunlight started to make things visible. I failed. Miserably. My eyelids kept finding their way back to each other. I was able to see a beautiful pinkish glow in the sky before it was clouded over.
Driving to where I wanted to hike was pretty uneventful. It was about 8 when I got off the ferry and it was a weekday so not many people were out and about.
When hiking the Mountain Lake/ Mount Constitution loop you have a choice of starting at the lake or at the top or somewhere in the middle. I opted for parking kind of close to the top but heading towards the lake (down) so I would finish my hike at the lookout and then a little descent back to my car. I also picked this spot because I missed all the other parking areas beforehand.
Once I parked I had to gather my courage to get out of the car and into the cold wet island air. Luckily it wasn’t actually raining at that moment. I only had to worry about dodging drops falling from overhanging tree branches. I chose to leave my backpack in the car with my camera so I could do some trail running.
It was definitely a solo hike most of the time. I didn’t see anyone, except for in passing and even then I only saw four people close to the lake portion of the loop.
The hike itself was wonderful! It wasn’t raining when I started out and it only really started to rain once I was on my way up to the lookout about 3/4ths way through the hike. The lake was gorgeous even if I could only see about four feet in front of me through the fog at any given point in time. After going around the lake I started my way back up to the top of Mount Constitution to try my luck at the lookout. There are a number of switchbacks you must tackle but they are definitely manageable and worth it! Once at the top I found a parking area with a few buildings that were closed for the winter season before I made the last mini ascent to the lookout. I came up on a deer when I poked out of the trees as well! I was not expecting the lookout to be accessible to visitors considering the other buildings’ status but I was pleasantly surprised that not only did the rain stop and a tiny spot of blue was visible overhead but that the lookout was also open and full of informational displays about the history of the lookout’s construction and the area’s history! I still couldn’t see beyond my nose in the fog but the trip up was still worth it.
I made my way back to the car and got out of my wet clothes before driving around exploring the island via automobile. I wasn’t sure of what I was looking for so I didn’t really find anything. I did however see at least three airstreams making their home on the island and that always brings a smile to my face.
I ran into a dead end so I turned around and pointed myself in the direction of the ferry that will take me back to the mainland. I probably should have planned that a little better or at least looked at the return ferry schedule… I got to the terminal around 2 pm and the next ferry didn’t depart to Anacortes until 5. Oops! Luckily I brought a book. Looking back I should have left and found something to do in town but that would have required me to admit my mistake to the ferry people and the one other person in the queue with me.
By the time we were heading back the light had faded so there wasn’t much to see out of the ferry windows but of course my eyelids stayed open for this trip.
All-in-all a trip to Orcas Island (or any of the northern San Juan Islands) is a bit of a journey for a day trip but I will definitely be back to explore the hikes in that area again. There are some great looking camping areas that are perfect basecamps between different trails you can adventure on. Though perhaps not as scenic. I also highly recommend checking out these trails during the “off” season. Having a trail all to yourself is an incredible feeling and since this trail is also accessible to mountain bikes and is so accessible in general I can wager a guess that it can get quite busy during the warmer spring and summer months.
