Hike 1 of 47 - Little Mountain

Today I was all set to hike in the Chuckanuts; trail map printed out, dog collar and leash by the door, CamelBak filled, stocked and ready to go.....and then the clouds rolled in. I decided to go more local just in case it started to rain. There are amazing views to be had from the Chuckanut trails, and I didn't want to miss them. I know most of you from other parts of the country probably think it rains "ALL THE TIME" in Washington, but it really doesn't.  Sssssh, just don't tell anyone that I told you.  We have many days of heavy mist, which count as rainy days. For the record, parts of Florida and Hawaii have more rain than Seattle does, it just happens to fall all at once in those places.

I headed out to drive the 2 miles to Little Mountain Road, here in Mount Vernon. Now, before you "glass half empty" kind of people ask me what kind of hike could it possibly be on a mountain called Little Mountain; let me assure you it's a hike!

Little Mountain Park is part of the City of Mount Vernon Parks & Rec Department  It's at an elevation of 934' and mostly all beautiful forest.  There is a paved road up to the top, for those who'd prefer not to walk. There are approximately 8 miles of trails of varying difficulty and 18 different single-track trails. Many trails are designated for hikers only, but some do allow mountain bikers. Up at the summit are two viewpoints; one looking southwest and the other looking north. Both viewpoints offer beautiful sights, especially on clear days. From the south viewpoint, one can see the Puget Sound, the farmlands of Mount Vernon, the tulips and daffodils in full bloom in April,  Mount Erie and Sugarloaf (another two of my 47 hikes). From the north viewpoint you can see our house, the Skagit River, some of the San Juan Islands, the refinery's of Anacortes, Skagit Valley Hospital and much more. Certainly worth a hike, walk, run, pedal or drive to the top.

For today's hike we parked on the side of the paved road and walked up and around the locked gates. Normally the gates are unlocked for vehicle passage around 10:00 a.m. Today I chatted with one of the Parks Depts workers who said they were building a kiosk just inside the gate and were blocking the road with their trucks. Yep...there it is...the new kiosk. Awesome!  I saw a total of 3 new kiosks on my hike today. So, that makes a grand total of......3 kiosks!

One of the new kiosks

Another trail, Upper Surfers Way

I generally start walking up the road to see how the asthma is going to behave. Once I was sure it was going to be a good breathing day, I walked up the road for about 1/2 mile to the hairpin turn where I veered left and picked up the trail called "Up Quick"...that should tell you a little bit that trail. Another new thing that the awesome Trail Builders are doing is replacing the wood plank signs that are nailed to trees with these fancy new things that you see here...I think they are made of a synthetic material, similar to Trex decking, that will probably last forever.

New trail signs

After a short jaunt on Up Quick, I took a slight right onto Julienne Trail. A sharp right would have put me on Ridge Trail which I've taken many times. I'd only been on Julienne Trail once before and I distinctly remember crawling up one portion on my hands and knees.  My doc, who is one of the trail building regulars  on Little Mountain, told me that they put some "steps" on this trail....I was looking forward to seeing what that meant.  Now,after a short while on this trail I felt like I was climbing up, only to descend, then up again. I started watching the elevation on my Garmin, and I was right, this trail undulates as it goes along the side of Little Mountain   750'.... 734'.....693'....710'....722'....680'....725' finally I quit watching it because it was irritating me! Although, I must admit, I do LOVE my Garmin Forerunner 305. I love being able to see where I've been, calories, elevation, distance, etc. I love it all!

This trail is marked as "difficult" on the trail map, so I was expecting it to be a good workout. I unleashed Jack since I hadn't seen any other people besides the guys working on the kiosk. It's safer for him and me if I'm not hanging on to his leash when I trip and fall, as I've been known to do.  I was enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest when I felt a couple of drops and wondered if it was going to rain, then instantly realized it was sweat dripping into my now-burning eyes.  Yep, this trail is a GREAT workout!  A few minutes later I heard some thunder boomers and wondered if being on the highest point in town, amongst the tall trees was the best decision I'd made today.  The wind was blowing, the trees were creaking and small branches were falling from above. As sheltered as I was in the trees, I still got wet. Although, I must admit, it did feel good!

Here my patient hiking partner, Jack, waits for me. He always waits, never runs off unless it's to the swimming hole. Any turns in the trail where he can't see me, I can always count on him to wait there for me and to come running back to me as soon as I call him. I'm sure he always puts in 3 times the miles that I do, with all the running back and forth. I think he feels it's his duty to watch out for me.

I followed Julienne Trail up past an old car....the only bit of trash that's left, thanks to the Trail Builders.  I don't know what kind of car it is, but something from the 1930's or 1940's, I'm sure my hubby Bruce or my brother-in-law Bud will tell me as soon as they see this picture.

What's left of the old car. Can anyone identify it?

We kept on going, up Julienne Trail until we got to those "steps" that Doc mentioned to me. Don't get me wrong, I love these steps! This is the exact spot that had me on my hands and knees, and Jack looking at me like I'd lost my marbles, the that last time I was on this trail. They are BIG steps, for someone vertically challenged like me. Here they are! 

Looking UP!!

Looking DOWN!

 This park is kept in such great condition by the trail builders and Parks and Rec employees, but they've worked hard at it and pulled out a lot of trash and debris left behind by some thoughtless folks. Julienne Trail was a tad overgrown in parts, but nothing to where I couldn't find the trail itself.  I'm sure it's not the most used trail in the park!



We made it to the top, covered in rain and sweat....well, just I was covered in sweat.  You can tell by the pictures at the beginning of our hike and the pictures from the top just how much the weather had changed.

When we got to the top, we were much more exposed so I snapped a couple of pictures from underneath the covered viewpoint, then stashed my camera in the unused doggy poop bag I'd been carrying.  Here are the shots from the top. The view is much better when it isn't raining.



Southwest view from the summit of Little Mountain. On a clear day you can see the Olympic Mountain range.



Farmlands in south Mount Vernon. That's I-5 in the middle of the picture and part of Puget Sound in the background.

Before heading down, I stood on the grass at the summit and turned my sweaty face skyward. I was thankful for the rain that made my hike much cooler than it would have been otherwise. I opted to head down the paved road, just in case there was anymore thunder and lightening.

All in all, I can always count on Little Mountain as a great local hike. It's close, it's beautiful and it's doable before work. What more can Jack & I ask for?

If you are interested in trail building, visit Mount Vernon Trail Builders. No experience necessary and it looks like they always have a good time! I will be getting out there to help soon. Next work day is September 10th.  Check it out!

Little Mountain Park Summary
Miles: 3
Time:  1 hour 15 minutes
Calories: 1,450

That concludes Hike 1 of 47. Stay tuned for more!