Hiking in the Puget Sound

View from the Ledge

I got out to the Middle Fork today to do Garfield Ledges. I parked at the Middle Fork parking lot at about 7:40 am. There was one other car. When I got back to the car about 2 hours later the lot was almost full. And it is a big lot.

I took the connector trail to the Garfield Ledges trail head in order to avoid the massive potholes just after the bridge over the Taylor River. Every trip report I read for Garfield or anything beyond complains about the potholes. I just add the little .5 hike along the connector trail, flat, wide, beautiful 2nd growth forest. I mean, I am out there to hike, why skimp on the mileage?

The Garfield Ledges trail is also very nice and also in the forest:

Forest

On the way back I took a detour through the Middle Fork campground (closed to camping right now) and zigged up to the CCC Trail.

Exactly four miles on the button, nothing amazing but a good workout and a fun outing. I saw no one on the way up to the ledges, six people going up as I was going down, and no one near the campground. Sweet.

Track below.

Track

Former Seminary

It was a nice day today but I didn’t feel like a long drive so I headed to Saint Edward State Park. This park is built on the site of a former seminary (see above) that is now a hotel.

I did not bring my Garmin but the loop I did was probably about 4.5 miles. I got to go up a couple of steep trails along the way so it was a decent workout.

The basic topography of this place is that the seminary was built on a tall bluff overlooking Lake Washington. The trails mostly go up and down the bluff at various angles. From near the bottom, when you look up, it is like you are in a bowl:

Looking Up

It is a fun place and a nice change from driving into the mountains. But those mountains – they call.

Mini-Fall

I got out today, ahead of the rain, on a loop I did a couple of weeks ago. I parked at the Teneriffe parking lot and went up the Teneriffe Trail to the Roaring Creek Trail, turned right on the Talus Loop Trail, and, when that trail met the Teneriffe Trail, I went back down to the car. Just under 5 miles, not a huge amount of elevation gain but a decent workout.

Below is one of the actual talus fields on the Talus Loop Trail.

Actual Talus

A fun hike, we’ll see what happens next week.

Track

I did a local hike today, parking at Bothell Landing. I went thru Blyth Park, up Norway Hill to the Tolt Pipeline Trail, then down the Woodinville-Juanita road to 100th, to the other end of Blyth Park, etc. I walked over to the library to drop off then pick up a book.

Norway Hill is a nice little jaunt:

About 7 miles, a fun outing and not much of a drive.

I’ve been doing a lot of driving lately and will be doing more tomorrow so I chose a closer hike today. Saint Edward Park is a nice place, I have hiked there a few times before. Today I did a 3-mile loop (see track below). There were a few people around and I saw some great-looking pooches.

Tomorrow I will be taking Brittany and Dean to the grocery store and then I will drive to Issaquah for a hike. A good week so far!

I got out to Cedar Butte today. Beautiful sunny day. I saw no one until I started coming down, and then only 5 people all the way back to the car.

This is a nice hike, as always. I took the steep route up and the not-so-steep route down. The forest is beautiful the entire way but this little stand:

Is almost spooky because of all the moss. No big deal, a conditioning hike, but I am ramping up for summer. I am driving Brittany and Dean to Dean’s doctor tomorrow (it is in Seattle and Britt is not a fan of driving in Seattle – not to mention the fact that Dean and his car seat are heavy and it is a long way from garage to Doc’s office on the 8th floor). But I am thinking of taking the bike out to the PTC on Wednesday – I got a new, and hopefully softer, seat cover – and I will see how far I can go.

I love summer and it is on the way.

I pulled Brittany’s old bike out of storage, hauled it to a local bike shop for a tune-up and, today, I wrestled it into my car, drove out by Rattlesnake Lake and headed north on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. I now have an extra outdoor option and it is excellent.

I did not carry a GPS along but, looking at the map, it appears I did about 10 miles, out and back. It is a bit downhill going north from the Cedar Falls trail head and, thus, a bit uphill coming back. My legs were fine, no problem peddling but I definitely need to upgrade the padding on the seat. I will do that tomorrow. I also need a more efficient way to carry my gear.

Other than a few little tweaks like that I think I am good to go. I already bought a helmet, lock, extra inner tube and a tool kit (which I hope I never need to use). I am looking forward to a summer of biking near the mountains and forests of our beautiful Pacific Northwest. Hike one day, bike the next. Sweet.

And I got to hear the rushing South Fork of the Snoqualmie River:

It was a nice day.

I did my usual Section Line conditioning hike today.

It was uneventful except for the fact that I found a phone on the trail. I picked it up and intended to create a ‘lost and found’ trip report on the WTA web site but the phone rang as I was leaving the E Sunset Way parking lot and it was the phone owner. She was not far away, we hooked up and she is now happily re-united with her phone. I think we can all empathize with the prospect of losing our phone. Disaster!

Spring is tomorrow and I am planning to get bigger and bigger in my hikes. The hike I did today is just a little conditioner when I am in shape but these days, it was a challenge. Next time I do this one it should be easier.

And here is a great picture of my new grandson Dean – what a cutie!

I was back on a mountain today and it felt good.

I parked at the Teneriffe trail head and went up that trail to the Roaring Creek Trail. This is my first time on this trail but I hope it is not my last. This is a beautiful trail; the photo above shows the forest view, lit up by the morning sun.

The actual creek itself is pretty nice:

I turned right at the intersection of the Talus Loop Trail and followed that back to the Teneriffe Trail.

All told it was about 4.7 miles and about 1,200 feet of gain. I am looking forward to ramping it up in the coming days and weeks.

Track below.

St. Edward Park today, a relatively local hike. I did about 4.5 miles, down and up and across and up and down and across again. Not sure how many trails I was on. A fun day.

I got here at 9 am; it opens at 8. Plenty of parking but when I left at 11 every spot in sight was taken and it was a little sticky getting out from where I parked. Note to self: show up (on the weekend) earlier and park in a different place in the lot.