Life Over Coffee

Thanks to my amazing girlfriend we went and spent the night at the West Beach Resort on Orcas Island for my birthday. We got there on Wednesday just after noon, and left late on Thursday evening. We were able to check in as soon as we arrived, and I just want to commend Darcy at the West Beach Resort. She was very welcoming, and was very helpful in answering all of our questions. The cabin was just what we had pictured, small with 2 bedrooms right along the water.

Once we had unpacked we headed over to Eastsound to grab a bite to eat and do some hiking. Our lunch at the Madrona Bar and Grill was very good! Renee got Dungeness Crab Cakes and I got one of the best Bacon Bleu Cheeseburgers I have ever had.

After lunch we headed over to Cascade Falls and did a small 3 mile hike. The trail was in pretty good condition, although it was not the most scenic until we actually got to the Falls themselves. We decided to follow the road back to the car instead of taking the trail since it was shorter and we wanted to head back to the cabin. We got back to the cabin and enjoyerd a nice fire outside and then made dinner (grilled salmon!)

Thursday morning we packed up and headed back into town, grabbed bite to eat, then headed to the trail head for Mount Constitution. The route that we had decided to take started out at Mountain Lake, went up to Twin Lakes, and then climbed the Mountain to the Summit. The guidebook said this would be a “strenuous” hike, and they were not kidding. The first several miles were fairly flat, but after leaving Twin Lakes it was steady steep uphill for 2 miles. As we climbed higher we started to see snow and clouds. When we finally came out on the summit we could not see more than several hundred yards away because we were up in the clouds. It was cold and windy, but was very enjoyable!

On our way up we had met another couple who suggested taking a different route back to the car that would take us near Little Summit, and then would be a shorter route to the car. While we were heading back to the car a bald eagle flew up out of the trees about 50 yards in front of us just off of the side of the mountain. After a pretty steep downhill section we came out of the trees at the car, exhausted but feeling good about the day!

We decided to hang out in Eastsound for awhile and went to Bilbo’s Festivo, a Mexican restaurant that seemed to be themed as though it was in Middle Earth in the Shire. The food was good, and we headed back to the ferry full and sleepy!

It was an amazing 2 days, and I can’t thank Renee enough for the amazing birthday present!

Feel free to check out pictures, GPS tracks of the hikes, and Trail Reports at the links below.

Trip Photos

Cascade Falls
GPS Track
PNW Report

Mount Constitution
GPS Track
PNW Report