Monday, December 1, 2008

Shoal Bay to Westsound, Orcas Island

Friday November 28, 2008
Lv: Shoal Bay 1020
Raining and 6 degrees, winter weather.... uggghhh.
Arrive: Westsound, Orcas Island 1200
Lat: 48 36.59 Lon: 122 58.76
We are starting to enjoy this! Jerry is reading the book I bought him for his birthday.
We are hoping that the weather clears enough tomorrow that we can do some hiking on Orcas Island. Our aim is to hike up to the top of Turtleback Mountain, a very new park on Orcas. This 1,578 acre preserve came up for sale in the late 1990's and a group of islands banded together, raised the money and purchased it, saving it from developement. It was only just opened up to the public this past spring. But if the weather does not clear, we will have to wait until the next time, the reward at the end of the hike is the beautiful view.

Another day to relax, but that is what this is all about anyway. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Turtleback Mountain was purchased in 2006 from the Medina Foundation with donations from citizens all over the region that treasured its iconic place in the Orcas Island landscape. The San Juan Preservation Trust spearheaded the campaign and the San Juan County Land Bank, a public land trust that is paid for with a 1% fee on all real estate sales in the county contributed generously . The Land Bank now manages the property for public and ecological benefits. It is indeed a special place. There is now a trail to Turtle head once you get up there. Happy sailing!