Rock Trail starts from the top of Cleator Road and gives the most beautiful panoramic views of Puget Sound. This was my first hike since I had surgery to repair my meniscus and so I was quite pleased with how it went.  In the last 10 years or so hiking uphill has been easier on my knee than going down, and yet most hiking trails have you climbing first and descending on the way back.  This is the best trail for descending first and climbing for the last part.  It is easier on my knees to go this way. Starting off on the trail we cross the downhill bike trail which means making sure not to cross the path as they are flying by. Then it seems as though there are 1000 steps downhill.  We pass weathered rocks with dripping water, dotted with small holes that open to large rooms able to hold 5 people.  They don't look big enough for one person to climb in.  Lona and I both climbed in when we hiked this last year. (Rock Trail 2018) Once we reached the trail Rock Trail joins to, we headed left wanting to get to Lost Lake and let Skagit swim.  He was looking ready to cool off.  We made it but had to go off trail a little to get to the water just to let him swim. Then back up and climb the 1000 or stairs to the top.

I have been visiting the eagles every year for the last 4 years and I still don't get tired of seeing them. I pull up to the parking area, shut off my car and start gathering my stuff; camera, camera bag, coat, fingerless mittens, and rain boots. The most important thing I bring outside of my camera is my rain boots.  I usually end up getting my feet wet anyway but they sure do help. I may invest in waders though. Once out of the car with my gear, I start listening. I listen for the screech of the eagles. I imagine being terrified of that sound if I was a small rodent. They talk to one another and it is amazing to hear. I start scanning trees in the direction that the sounds are coming from. Then I walk around, looking for eagles soaring, feeding, or just sitting within camera range and determine the best place to watch. Sometimes, I can get close because of the access to the river. Sometimes I have to be content to view them from afar. People come and go, sometimes chatting, sometimes saying nothing. I watch people as much as I watch the eagles.  There are the professionals with their $3000+ lens, camera, tripod, and camo gear. There are people who show up with their cell phones. Sometimes the cell phones take better photos than the expensive camera! Sometimes people spend time there, sometimes they pull snap a photo, say something about being in the wild Pacific Northwest and leave. They are as entertaining as the eagles. Sometimes you start chatting with someone and then you share a tidbit about timing or location and they share a tidbit about timing and location and then you have another view of the eagles. You see them skimming small creeks with the sun highlighting their white tailfeathers and making the moss dangling off the trees glow. Sometimes, I 've seen the eagles clash their talons and fight over a particular dead salmon. I have come out when they have just been sitting and not active but calling towards each other. I look for them each time I drive down a particular spot on the freeway or a county road. Each time they amaze me and I don't think I will ever get tired of watching them or the people who come to photograph them.