Hiking / Nature Walk @ Deception Pass!!! (Easy)

NOTE : I created a Discord community with a channel named "hikes" to facilitate communication for this event, since the meetup app doesn't always work well. You can join here:

https://discord.gg/HmkfXbyf

Come join us to explore Deception Pass State Park, one of the finest sights to see in Washington State! It's winter, so it should be fairly cloudy and vibe-y! We will be doing a series of nature walks / mini-hikes across the park that will most likely total less than 5 miles. I plan on playing it by ear - we can talk about it and do the trails that people are most interested in. We will also stop for a picnic at some point.

We will be going at a somewhat relaxed pace, aiming for 30 minutes per mile, maybe a bit slower.

Bring hiking shoes or at least tennis shoes, at least a half liter of WATER, and appropriate clothing. A decent portion of our hike will be exposed rock or beach, so please bring a rain jacket! Be sure to either eat a snack/meal before coming or bring a sandwich or portable meal! We can probably stop to purchase snacks, but it might not hurt to purchase snacks ahead of time.

We will be driving approximately 90 minutes each way.

Everything below relates to carpooling:

We'll meet at Caffe Umbria by the long narrow public parking lot along Westlake Ave at 9 AM and split into our carpools at around 9:15! Let us know before 9 AM if you are on your way. We generally wait 15 minutes for people to arrive. If you are arriving with your own car, be sure to park in a spot marked "ALL DAY" parking (in case you end up not driving)! Please coordinate carpools in the comments or better yet, the google doc!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CUOddAiAcAuwhFPfgGAzZGOaDbk53tCd0W5CbBhYN3k/edit?usp=sharing

Please post if you can drive or if you need a ride!

Riders are expected to (at a bare minimum) split the cost of gas evenly between the driver and the other passengers, as well as a reasonable amount for projected wear and tear on the vehicle.

If you are going to arrange your carpool to meet somewhere OTHER THAN the Caffe Umbria on Lake Union, I suggest a park and ride such as Greenlake, Northgate, Eastgate, or Tukwila/SouthCenter. Passengers, please do not ask to be picked up at your home; drivers, please don't offer to do so. It usually creates problems and makes the timing and logistics much more complicated, since people often aren't ready on time, cancel last minute, or just plain don't show up. On the other hand, dropping people off at their home after the hike is much easier.

I strongly discourage meeting at the trailhead unless you need to, especially if you haven't already been to one of our meetups before. People who drive themselves often arrive earlier or later than us, don't recognize us, go to the wrong place, and/or get stressed out. Most trailheads don't have cell signal, so we will lose the ability to communicate issues at some point during the drive.