Narrows Park – New Perspectives and Reminders

I hadn’t been down to Narrows Park since last October.

The drive down to the park is through a winding forested road. At the bottom, the parking lot is to the left; in past years, that meant turning into the lot and getting only a glimpse of Puget Sound over the tops of the bushes.

As I made the turn this year I was surprised – the bushes and trees were gone and Puget Sound spread out below. It was a dramatic change and it felt as if I was someplace new. (Just as an aside, the vehicle in the photo above isn’t mine. It was just in the way).

The Parks crew was out cutting grass and doing cleanup, and I asked if this was recently done and if it was done for safety (prior to this, anyone below on the beach would not have been able to see any car prowls).

The friendly guys they had started late last year and would be keeping it cleared from now on.  And no one had explained the reason for removing the bushes; as is usual, the people doing the work are never told the why.

I got geared up, continually looking toward the Sound and noticed how much things had changed. It might sound silly, but it felt as if blinders had been removed. The elevation of perhaps 30-40 feet above the beach provided a different perspective on the Sound with a much wider view.

As I made my way down to the beach and then walked north toward the Narrows Bridge, I watched a tug pushing a very large barge south.

There was no sense getting into the water until the wake reached the shore where it caused a series of breaking waves; generally they’re not large enough to knock you down, but paying attention is vital; and as I mentioned in my previous post I was wearing new boots without studs, so no reason to take a chance.

Sea birds on the beach squawked as I walked toward them – they continued doing so even into the water and as they flew away.

I had intended this first trip to be an equipment shakeout – and it was. All the little things like pack strap adjustments, where to put tippet (in wader pocket or in the pack), how tight the waist belt should be – they all add up in terms of regaining that easy familiarity so they become routine.

I also discovered my skill with know my knot tying (e.g. for tying a fly onto the leader) was rusty.  Practicing knot tying is on the list of things to do before the next trip.

As I sat on a log to replace a fly lost during casting (see knot tying issue above), I stopped a looked around.

I felt peaceful and it was even better when I realized I was the only person on the beach as far as I could see north or south.

No matter where you live and what you do – getting away and sitting (or walking) and just being in nature is the perfect antidote to the bullshit that surrounds us daily.

The photos don’t do it justice, but a few more views of the changes at Narrows Park.

 

Author: Tom

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.