The Call of the Trees: Wooded Walks in Everett

Sometimes, you just need a walk in the woods.

After a summer full of sand-squished toes at the water's edge, the crisp-cut of fall air left me wanting to retreat. Not to retreat inside and isolate. There’s been enough of that lately. But to retreat into the cover of the trees.

My first stop was motivated by an afternoon with a couple hours to spare and a good book in need of a sturdy bench.

I opted for Forest Park. One of Everett’s largest and more historic parks with wooded trails. After parking in the main lot, I walked past the newly-finished playground and had to pause. The chain link fence surrounding the playgrounds perimeter felt eerie on this gray day. Sometimes I forget what strangeness the world is navigating. I was happy nature wasn’t closed, and continued into the woods.

There’s something magical about the distinctive first-crunch of walking over freshly fallen leaves. As if one's feet are the instruments of nature; naturally emanating such a subtle soundtrack whose soft crunch is swiftly sunk into the choir of nearby timbers.

The same timbers, of course, who offered the leaves to begin with, making this moment of meandering into a melody premeditated by nature itself.

And so it goes. As my feet aid in composting life to death as effortlessly as the flow of my own breath.

I walked the windy wooded trails down the first hill and up the next, heading East toward the park's edge where a paved path running North/South leads to a visually vandalized but sturdy bench. And I read.

Vandalized, but sturdy bench at Forest Park // Garret Hunt

It was peaceful. But the white-noise of the cars buzzing down Mukilteo Blvd. was always in the background.

The following week I felt the trees calling once more. I only had about half an hour, so I racked my brain for something simplistic and remembered Forgotten Creek. A short downward switch-back found on the west side of Providence’s Pavilion for Women and Children.

Forgotten Creek, a very urban hike // Garret Hunt

There are things to be appreciated about this short jaunt, for sure. But it’s so short I want to be careful to not talk it up too much…I don’t want to set-up first-time visitors for disappointment. So rather than emphasizing what I like about this respite, perhaps I’ll share about the woman talking on her cell phone taking a smoke break. She was highly apologetic as I passed by. I could hear her talking almost the entire time as the sound of her voice reverberated up and down the whole hillside. How's that for putting the urban in an urban hike?

At the bottom of the descent, across the creek, the trail leads to a large grassy opening. I decided to keep walking and stopped to smell the roses at Depot Park, one of Everett’s tiniest parks. I thought about how it's a place I never think about. I paused long enough to think fondly of the benches, flowers, and water views. Maybe I should remember this quiet little gem overlooking the Port next time I need a sturdy bench.

Pondering these recent wooded walks, the thought emerged to craft them into a story. I spoke to my teammate Linda War Bonnet, AKA the South Everett Specialist about other possible treed walks to include. Particularly in the South of Everett. We talked about North Creek trail and Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary, but the one Linda mentioned that most caught my interest was Big Gulch. Not far from Linda’s stomping grounds in SW Everett, but technically in Mukilteo.

I had never been to Big Gulch, and wanting to share this story while the leaves are still falling, I decided to convince the family it was a worthy outing for our weekend explorations. So rather than solo contemplations I enjoyed snapping ‘cute kid with sticks’ pics while making sure my toddler didn’t fall in the creek.

We parked at the Mukilteo Library, but there are multiple access points, the main one being 92nd street park. We did a loop of about 3 miles. I always love a good loop. Of my three recent wooded walks, this was the longest and quietest (minus the toddler). There’s also an off-shoot from the loop, an additional one mile trail that runs West toward the water.

I didn’t make it that far, but we thoroughly enjoyed the loop. It was fun to contrast my experiences, short contemplative walks by myself vs a longer walk with my family. Equally enjoyable in vastly different ways. The call of the trees remains the same.

Sometimes, even if you don’t have a lot of time, you just need a walk in the woods.

Where do you like to go for a quiet walk in the woods?