Chanting & Walking the Heart Sutra at Heart Lake
- 3 miles
- mostly level, gently rolling, with a steady 1/4 mile long incline near the end
- soft forest paths, old growth forest
Join Red Cedar Zen Community on a ritual circumambulation around Heart Lake, with ceremonies chanting the Heart Sutra: an experience of "Sutra Mapping", extending the words of a sutra across an area of landscape.
Heart Lake, a State Park managed by the City of Anacortes, is both heart-shaped and the heart of the 3,000-acre Anacortes Community Forest Lands (ACFL). The Lake is surrounded by a forest identified as the most intact Douglas-fir / cedar / hemlock ecosystem remaining in the state at sea level. Sangha board president Joden Bob Rose was a key player in getting this area protected many years ago.
We will walk in a clockwise direction, in silence, and stop at 6 points to ritually chant the Heart Sutra with mokugyo and incense, alternating between the English and Sino-Japanese versions.
This is an easy, mostly flat walk of less than 3 miles on a well-used trail with one significant incline toward the end. There are outhouses at both the Mt. Erie parking lot and at the Heart Lake parking lot.
Timing: Meet at the Sugarloaf Trailhead of the Anacortes Community Forest (Mt. Erie) to begin our walk at 10am. Or if carpooling from our zendo at Cedarwood, meet at 9am.
Carpooling: You can drive yourself to the trailhead (directions below), or you can carpool for this trip from the our 2509 Cedarwood zendo in Bellingham. You will indicate which during the registration process. Note that carpooling is an indoor "activity" - please be aware of our current Covid Policy.
What to Bring: Bring a trail snack and water. Wear good walking shoes, appropriate clothing for the weather, and bring water and snacks.
Lunch Option: After the hike, if participants choose, there will be an opportunity to have lunch together very nearby in Anacortes at an outdoor seating restaurant.
Directions to Mt. Erie, from Bellingham:
- West on 20, over Swinomish Channel Bridge until roundabout for Whidbey Island (towards Oak Harbor).
- TURN South on Hwy 20 towards Whidbey.
- Road drops towards Campbell Lake (visible ahead). Stay in right lane and turn right on Campbell Lake Road.
- Drive Campbell Lake Road along base of Mount Erie.
- Road will curve right at Lake Erie Grocery and becomes Heart Lake Road.
- Drive Heart Lake road, past two prominent old growth fir, about a mile until signs for Mount Erie.
- Veer right into parking area for Sugarloaf trailhead.
Registration: While our day hikes are offered without charge, we do incur about $10 of program administration cost for each registration. There is the opportunity during registration to donate to cover these costs for your own registration or, additionally, to help another cover their registration expenses. Everyone is welcome, and no one will be refused attendance for lack of funds. As we do on the trail, we support each other.
Donations to the Leader: As with all of our events, teachers/leaders are not compensated for their time. You can include a donation to the hike leader during registration or at any time through our Donate to a Teacher page.
Questions? Contact Wilderness Dharma Program Coordinator Bob Penny at wilderness@redcedarzen.org and see our Wilderness Dharma Program page for an overview of this program.
