March 6th, 2008 - Fidalgo Island and Mt. Erie

I have known about this place ever since I was in high school. My then boyfriend's parent's had property on Whidbey Island so we would drive up there on weekends to camp and hang out. One of my favorite stops before getting to Deception Pass (which is the bridge to Whidbey Island on the north side of the island) was Mt. Erie. You can drive to the top and on a clear day you can see all of the San Juan Islands.

My back was still hurting from my driving up from L.A. just a couple days before, so I knew if I wanted to go anywhere it would have to be close. Of course when asked, I decide to go to a place 80 miles away.




Mt. Erie is on Fidalgo Island and is it's highest point. The main reason for going to the top of the mountain is the view, and specifically the view of the only island within an island in United States.
Located in the center of Campbell Lake, the island is actually listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The day was very hazy, and seeing as I only have the use of my iPhone for a camera the pictures didn't turn out as clear as I would have liked.

What I love most about being at the top of this mountain is how expansive the world looks. Almost like you are standing in front of a movie backdrop, it's hard to wrap your head around it and it looks a bit surreal. I tried to shoot it with my friend in the foreground as he was taking it all in, but it doesn't really capture the feeling that almost makes you aware of how small we really are.





On the other side of the mountain you can look out towards the oil refineries, but in the background you can also see Mt. Baker. On the drive up to our destination, I saw Mt. Baker
looming on the horizon and I was in awe. Just like when I saw Mt. Shasta a few days ago, I was blown away with the idea that I could actually see that much of the mountain. My memories of Washington while I was living in LA consisted only of Mt. Rainer and vague ideas of places I had spent time in. I knew they were beautiful, but wasn't able to appreciate how much nature I was taking in everyday. Visiting these places now is almost like seeing them for the first time.



On Mt. Erie there is also areas to climb around on rocks and my friend took the opportunity to do that, while once again proving that a fear of heights can be conquered, if only while having a camera in your hand.

My back was hurting so instead of heading to Deception Pass, we decided to go back home. Both my friend and I get afflicted with the grumpy's when we don't have food in us, so we stopped at a restaurant on the way back and had a burger and a laugh with the waitress. We were the only customers in there, so she chatted with us. It was nice to be in a small town again, and in the distance I could see the bay. I just felt really lucky to be there in that moment, with my good friend, in that beautiful space. It will always be a good memory.