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Hike 11/15 Orcas Island - Mount Constitution Loop
Took the 7:30 ferry from Anacortes. Low clouds obscured the island views
Foggy view from the Mountain Lake Trailhead
Mountain Lake was our starting and ending point
A shelf fungus clings to a cut log
A small creek crossing on the trail up from Mountain Lake
Varied Rag Lichen, a common sight on the trees
Yeah, it's been wet up on Orcas
After a 1600-foot climb, the Mt. Constitution lookout tower comes into view
The tower was constructed in the 1930's by the CCC, and includes nice interpretive displays inside
We were pleasantly surprised that we could actually see the surroundings, given the persistent fog all day
View from the Mt. Constitution lookout
We could see parts of Lummi Island, Cypress Island, and even a piece of Mt. Baker
A bit of sunshine, for a few fleeting seconds
It does get snowy at the 2400-foot top of Constitution, but nothing yet
The eerie sight of the stone tower in the fog made it look medieval
There's now a nice visitor center at the top of Constitution (with flush toilets!)
View of the lookout tower from below
We walked past Twin Lakes on the way down, but couldn't see much
Mushroom show-- an amazing cluster of amanita mushrooms near Twin Lakes
Huge colony of mushrooms on a fallen tree
The trail conditions were great, aside from a few big puddles
Arriving back down at Mountain Lake
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