"Nurse Log"

Fallen tree looks dead.

But, no, it's a birthing place:

Vital plants spring forth.

		KAREN SYKES
	An easy two-mile trail leads to the beach at Double Bluff State Park.

As Elizabeth read her haiku beside a nurse log at South Whidbey State Park, it struck me that big thoughts come naturally in small places. The Wilbert Trail inside the park is ideal for a walking meditation, and if you rush, you'll miss the simple elegance of a rock fern, a lacy branch of huckleberry, a wisp of lichen and the deep smell of earth.

Trees and poetry were the inspiration behind this hike led by Raelene Gold of The Mountaineers Naturalists group and Elizabeth Davis, author of "Wind Whispers Softly: Northwest Forest Haiku." Davis, a resident of Whidbey Island, turned to this Japanese art form to capture the transitions of the natural world.

Magic begins only a few feet from the highway, but you'll need to curb your impatience and walk slowly to experience the forest. Driving down the highway, you may not be inspired to stop -- you've seen this before, a highway slicing through what appears to be second-growth forest -- why bother?

A poet could tell you there are many reasons to stop, as could a naturalist with failing vision who could feel the roots of ferns with his fingers and tell the difference between one species and another.

Despite temperatures so cold our hands hurt, we were delighted with the haikus and the reflective stroll through unexpected grandeur of a forest that island residents fought to keep 30 years ago. Just last year the people of Whidbey Island, the state and county worked together to add 7.3 acres of forest to the park to help protect the largest old-growth forest on South Whidbey. That land had been put up for sale.

		KAREN SYKES
	The bluffs slough their stuff at Double Bluff State Park.

Raelene helped newcomers identify trees -- it is far easier to identify a conifer by its bark than the Braille of its needles. Look for the telltale jigsaw-puzzle bark of spruce; the pale, smooth bark of red alder; the deep-furrowed bark of Douglas fir; the dainty lace of lowland huckleberry; the red glow of cedar bark.

Ferns are everywhere and crumbling nurse logs are luxuriant with new life taking hold. Ever seen a line of trees in the forest and wonder why the line was so straight? Chances are, it's where seedlings took root on a nurse log, surviving long after the nurse log has decayed.

Here the forest is in slow but constant transition, from Medusa-like rootballs to delicate hemlocks clinging to nurse logs. Cedar snags and Douglas firs charred from fires have stories to tell, as do Quasimodo-shaped bigleaf maples standing beside the trail, solemn as stone.

A side trail led to "Ancient Cedar," where we stopped to pay our respects and listen to another haiku. The tree is at least 500 years old -- thankfully, a fence has been erected to protect it -- and a bench is provided to rest or meditate.

Our journey was less than a mile, but it took about two hours to experience the quiet trail and all too soon we were back at the parking lot. We sought a sunny spot for lunch, but the trail to the beach was closed and we had to make do with the dappled light in the chilly picnic area. After lunch we warmed up by hiking the Forest Discovery Trail, a short loop near the picnic area.

Some of us also stopped at nearby Double Bluff Park (Useless Bay Tidelands) before heading home. Here a two-mile stretch of beach sprawls below eroding bluffs on the southwest side of the island. The tide was low and ideal for beach walking.

		KAREN SYKES
	Hikers pause to admire Ancient Cedar, thought to be at least 500 years old, in the old-growth forest of South Whidbey State Park, which contains the largest chunk of old growth on southern Whidbey Island.

The double bluffs are aptly named and, as we strolled beneath them, small runnels of sand sifted down the sandy slopes, akin to sand in an hourglass, a reminder of how quickly time passes. These erosion processes have been occurring since the last ice age.

The beach grew rockier as we traced the shoreline, admiring patterns in the sand created by tides, tide pools, colorful scraps of seaweed and splendid views of the Olympic Mountains. We also saw clams, crabs, snails and anemones, including hundreds of thumbnail-size anemones clustered on a rock.

Hikers also can look for other wildlife, including crows, harlequin ducks, gulls, bald eagles, peregrine falcons and great blue herons.

As the afternoon wore on, the sky turned the color of a sherbet and in the distance Mount Baker was so white it almost hurt our eyes. From the parking lot we caught an ethereal glimpse of Mount Rainier, seemingly floating above the horizon.

While waiting for the ferry, some of us attempted to write haikus and were surprised at how challenging it is.

A haiku consists of three lines, 17 syllables, 5-7-5. Look easy?

Try one! Here's mine:

"Beach"

Sea squirts, cold geysers

Erupting from sandy shore,

Ancient tides come, go.

Poets who have mastered haikus needn't worry about this writer stealing their thunder.

Getting there:

South Whidbey State Park -- From Seattle, take Interstate 5 north to Exit 182 (Mukilteo, state Route 525 north) and follow signs to the Mukilteo ferry. After disembarking at Clinton on Whidbey Island, continue on Route 525 north. Just past the stoplight in Freeland, turn left onto Bush Point Road, which becomes Smugglers Cove Road, and in 6 miles from Route 525, turn left into the park. The Wilbert Trail is directly across the highway from the parking lot.

Double Bluff Park -- After disembarking the ferry, drive north on Route 525 for 8.3 miles, then turn left on Double Bluff Road and continue to the end, where you will find parking and facilities.

Trail data: The Wilbert Trail is .8-mile, minimal elevation gain. The Forest Discovery Trail is a short loop, no elevation gain -- it begins near the picnic area. The 1.9-mile Ridge Loop Trail, which branches off from the Wilbert Trail, and the Beach Trail are closed because of storm damage. The beach at Double Bluff Park is about 2 miles one way, no elevation gain.

Information: For general information on Washington State Parks, call 360-902-8844 or visit their Web site at parks.wa.gov. Double Bluff Park also provides an off-leash dog park. For shellfish regulations at Double Bluff Park, visit the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Web site at wdfw.wa.gov. For more information on how island residents saved old-growth forest in and near South Whidbey State Park, visit the Web site for Whidbey Camano Land Trust at www.wclt.org/news.

You can find "Wind Whispers Softly: Northwest Forest Haiku" by Elizabeth Davis (self-published, 69 pages, $9) at Moonraker Books in Langley and Book Bay in Freeland, both on Whidbey Island. It also may be found at Seattle outlets, including Elliott Bay Books and Seattle Audubon.