I headed up the dirt road, enjoying the lush vegetation and wonderful fragrance of the forest.  The road was lined with beautiful ferns.

This swing was a real surprise.  I would have loved to try it out, but apparently the giant old tree in which it was hung has grown quite a bit since it was installed, because you would have to be about 8 feet tall to reach it.

The cruising guide made it sound like the trail and road were mostly flat.  Well, I have a totally different idea about what flat means. To make matters worse, it was hot, over 80^oF.   Luckily, there was a lot of shade.

The first thing I came to was the historic school house.  Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, the school was closed.

By the time I got to this half-way sign, I was beginning to think I might not be able to make it to the lighthouse. 

I started worrying about whether I’d be able to make it back to my kayak before the tide came in.  But, I soldiered on.

The scenery was beautiful and bucolic, with farms overlooking Prevost Harbor and spectacular Mount Baker.

Then I came to this sign and hoped I had the worst behind me.

And, the road did get flatter for a while.  

I was really surprised when I came upon this airplane and grass airstrip.  The owner must be a real hot dog pilot, or he has a death wish.

After what seemed like an eternity, I came to this sign.  Surely, it can’t be too much further.

Then, just up the last hill, there was this sign.  I had finally arrived, huffing and puffing, but I’d made it.

The views alone were worth all the pain.

The lighthouse itself was not all that impressive.

The lighthouse keeper’s house, however, was lovely.

I would have loved to sit down and take in all the beauty, but the tide was coming in, and if I didn’t want to have to swim to retrieve my kayak, I had to start heading back. My body was hating it.

I had noticed two benches not too far from the lighthouse, at the top of steep inclines.  When I reached the first one, I just had to rest awhile.  Someone had been kind enough to place this bench here with the following thoughtful inscription.

As I was puffing up one hill, I spotted the remains of this very old automobile discarded in a ditch.  Someone apparently felt it was too expensive to pay to have it hauled off the island.

The beautiful scenery, and the fact that there were fewer inclines, made the walk back to the harbor less difficult.

When I got to this sign, I figured I was going to make it.

All of the homes on the island have to provide their own utilities.  I’d wondered what they do for water.  Well, apparently there is some water on the island, as evidenced by this pond I discovered.  They must drill wells.

When I finally reached my kayak, I found that I need not have worried, as it was still way up the beach, high and dry.  Yay.  Though painful, I felt the walk had been well worth it.  A little Aleve tonight, and I’ll probably be ready for new adventures tomorrow.