A beautiful spring Saturday morning in the Pacific Northwest has many people clamoring to get outside and I was no different. This year especially with the pandemic and feeling so shut in.  I wasn’t really housebound but it felt like it.  We had been rolling out of bed earlier even on weekends and this weekend paid dividends for doing so.  It felt as if the trail head was already busy as we arrived at 7:45 am but we managed to find a parking spot as someone else was pulling out. As usual I shrugged on my camera backpack, attached to camera to the front and adjusted my hiking poles. We took a look at the map, though we had hiked this spot before but out of habit checked it again. I lagged behind finding beauty in the trillium flowers that were on display at the edge of the trail and the amazing grove of Birchwoods that almost lined up.  Then there was the coin that fit snuggly into a mossy hole of a downed tree and the face drawn with marker on the bark surrounded with long strands of moss. Each time the trail rounded a corner or twisted back I needed to stop.  The ferns glowed in the early morning light as I listened to the woodpeckers hunt for bugs, flicking bark off the trees as they peck away. It felt magical and spring was opening it’s door to the lovely area that we call home. As we came to the overlook, we could see all of Lake Whatcom, parts of Bellingham, the Bay and many of the San Juan Islands. I quietly set down my pack and brought out our snacks.  Just to be able to sit and enjoy the view was something. It was overwhelming to think that I am blessed to be able to live in such a place. Not wanting to move on but also wanting to explore the rest of the trail, we pack up our snacks to discover the rest that we’ve never hiked.  Again each turn was another discovery in the quiet of the woods.  The sun would stream through the trees highlighting newly budded branches or a bit of snow that was left in the shadows that was quickly melting into pools of water. A mountain biker came past, and I could feel my legs burning as he churned up the path.  All of a sudden the trail dumped us onto a back mountain utility road and the end of the journey up.  What was around the bend of the road? According to our map our trail ended here but maybe there would be more in the future.