Lake Whatcom Watershed Hike
A hike to perform rituals honoring the gathering of water in the Lake Whatcom Watershed.
The whole group begins together on this hike. Then there are two options, and the group can divide to each complete a different option, and the two groups will finish the hike separately.
Option #1 Hertz Lakeside Trail (Easy)
- a variable length of between 2 to 6.4 miles, depending on group choice
- Little to no elevation gain or loss
- Flat, wide trail, with a short boardwalk near the start, and a few places in the latter half where the trail is narrower and might be muddy.
Option #2 Lake Whatcom Overlook (Difficult)
- 5.4 miles round trip
- Very steep 1,000' elevation gain/loss over 1 mile
- Steep stair climb, and then decent, of 310 steps
Join us as we experience the views of the lake, the surrounding hills, waterfalls, and the surrounding forest of giant old Douglas Fir trees. This hike is an experience of the midland foothills terrain of our area, between the shoreline hills and small mountains at the edge of the Salish Sea and the high alpine ridges and back country of Mt. Baker. Lake Whatcom is the gathering place for the drinking water of the entire City of Bellingham, and is an important marker in our annual cycle of celebrating our local watershed.
Our climb up the 310 steps to the expansive view over the Lake Whatcom Watershed is suggestive of of many pilgrimage destinations in China, which involved completion of long flights of "Steps to Heaven" up sacred mountainsides.
We'll return to Bellingham by about 3:30pm.
What to Bring: Bring lunch, rain gear if warranted, good walking shoes or boots, and at least two liters of water.
Directions: Meet at 2509 Cedarwood in Bellingham or the Lake Whatcom Park trailhead. You will specify your transportation plan during registration. Carpooling is an indoor "event" please consult our current Covid Policy.
Timing: Be ready to leave Cedarwood at 9:15 am or to be met by the group at the trailhead at 10:00am. We hope to be back to Cedarwood at about 3:30pm but hiking times vary.
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.
