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5/5/25 Fremont Peak Park |
“You’d have to be a squirrel to reach even that lowest
branch.”
Standing at the foot of a tree, he was looking straight up, a stance that piqued my curiosity. When I asked what he was looking at, he said it was just the sheer height of the relatively slender fir trees – so tall that neither of us could see their tops.
A young man staying in the area to take care of his grandmother, Isiah said he walks to Fremont Peak Park often to sit and think among those tall pines. I told him it was my first visit to the park, which was tricky to find even with Google assistance. Well hidden, this gem of a pocket park’s main attraction is a spectacular, unobstructed view of the Olympics (see below). Isiah encouraged me to come at sunset when that west view is even more spectacular. He said now that the sun sets so late, neighbors come by with wine glasses in hand to soak up the golden hour.
His favorite time, though, is right after sunset when color still lingers above the horizon, and Magnolia and Ballard shimmer below.
At midday, these round sculptures hardly cast shadows. Lines on the ground indicate the solstices and equinoxes – a year-round sundial (I plan to come back on the summer solstice). What struck me was that drawing instructors should bring their students here to practice shading spheres. More fun than the contrived tennis ball setup most instructors use.
My exploration of Fremont Peak Park was the result of reading about it in the Seattle Stairway Walks book. Yes, it involved some stairs – but only 77 this time (nothing compared to last week). More arduous were all the non-stepped, very steep hills in that part of Fremont/Phinney Ridge. Just like the Street Trees of Seattle book helped to guide my fitness walks last summer, I’ve decided to use the Stairway Walks book to do the same this summer. Most routes described in the book are fairly long (5 miles or 2-plus hours), so I don’t intend to do full routes as written. I’ll break them up into shorter routes to suit my available time and, of course, sketch potential.
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One of the best views in the city of the Olympics -- a well-kept secret! |