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Turtleback Mountain
Orcas Island
| MAY 4, 2008 A Mountaineers CHS hike.
Our second official hike of the Orcas Island weekend took us to
Turtleback Mountain near Eastsound. The weather was much better
for this hike, and although it was partly cloudy, we enjoyed
sweeping views of Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and Canada.
This trail has very steep sections that are mercifully short and
tempered by more moderate stretches. The woods are not
particularly pretty, making the expanding view the star attraction of the
Turtleback Mountain trail. We hiked it from the south trailhead to
Ships Peak, then hiked the loop trail counterclockwise back to Ships
Peak. Many wildflowers were in bloom including fawn lily, camas,
calypso orchids, Oregon grape, striped coral root, woodland star, buttercups, and some
really pretty purple flowers.
After returning to the trailhead, we drove straight to the ferry
terminal where we secured one of the last places on the early afternoon
ferry back to Anacortes.
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