Youth lead Roche Harbor hike

By Theresa Simendinger

Special to the Journal

The San Juan Trails Committee and Island Rec sponsored a family event, hiking out to Briggs Lake for the Family Nature Club on June 4. The Land Bank and the National Park Service conceptualized the great idea.

On a bright spring day, youth leaders Giana Moalli, Grace Eltinge, Maggie Zehner, Ava Martin, Katie Ryan, and Milo Martin set a bouncy pace out to Briggs Lake in the Roche Harbor Highlands. Roche Harbor allows hiking, biking and horseback riding.

This group was made up of families. There were 44 in all and 24 kids under 15.

The groups came together to get everyone outdoors, lamenting the fact that not enough kids spend time outside. They asked the kids to lead, promote and scout the tail in advance. And they did; they hung posters all over town and schools and talked with their friends and families.

Raena Parsons of the NPS gave a well received, short talk on frogs, newts, and lizards. After lunch some with very small children walked the mile back to the parking area. But the group leaders led the rest around the complete lake loop of five miles. By all accounts, it was a great day outside.

Many thanks to San Juan County Public Works for fixing the storm-ruined parking area just in time for the event.

The next monthly Family Nature Club Event, featuring tide pools, is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, July 22 with long-time Friday Harbor Labs researcher Dr. Erika Iyengar. Meet at Lime Kiln Point State Park to walk down to Land Bank’s Deadman Bay Preserve.