Deception Pass course preview

Went out with a big crew today to check out the Deception Pass course....and it has some really beautiful sections.

Crossing the bridge with whirlpools below. 

Quite a few ocean-side sections.

Looking out toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Deception Island from Sharpe Cove.

Checking out a seal swimming through a kelp forest.

Besides the seal, we also saw beavers, deer, kingfisher and a rooster (!?). It was completely white, had lost a ton of feathers in some sort of scuffle, and was dominating the trail. I think we all agreed it was the damnedest thing we saw all day. 

The course trails are a mix of smooth dirt, some moderately technical sections, a lot of dead leaves and mud and a few miles of pavement. There are a couple blowdowns, with the only really bad one being where the trail pops out at the junction of Highway 20 and Rosario Rd. 

The Hoypus point loop (which the 50k does twice) has all the mud sections and I bet will be a big mess if it gets more rain in the coming weeks.

Thanks Dave, for organizing, and Greg, Matthew, Shane and Scott for coming along as well.