Today's hike covered the Techmo Trail, North Trail and Middle Fork Trail in Island Center Forest. Overcast and cool for an August day, but it made for a nice cool hike. My hiking companion, Koda, enjoyed the squirrels and other dogs along the way.

There will be many reports of my hikes in Island Center Forest. It's a stone's throw from where I live and a great place to explore. I plan to cover all 10 miles of trails in the system by month's end. Today I went deep into the Valley of the Firs. Absolutely stunning! The smell of the forest after rain is wonderful. We also got rained on, but it wasn't too bad as the trees protected us. My hiking partner, Koda, agrees that the forest is the best place to visit!

I'll be submitting a few of these as I put in a bunch of miles for the WTA Hike-A-Thon and this is practically in my backyard! Early morning walk with my dog - trails are in great condition, quiet and peaceful. Went through the Gateway Trail to the 188th trailhead and then around to the 115th trailhead. I didn't go far on this hike, but wanted to start the month with a hike. I'm looking at covering all 10 miles of trails in this system over the course of this month.

I loved this hike, there's about 10 miles of trail and I did 9. There were very few people on the trail. I passed a couple people on horseback and a jogger and that was about it. Lots of birdsong and quiet. The bugs weren't bad for most of the hike but towards the end of it I hit an area where they were everywhere. Ended up with lots of bites on my legs, bring your bug spray.

Island Center Forest made for a very easy and very pleasant hike to fill a couple hours. There was minimal altitude gain, so it would make a great hike for children or those with physical limitations. The trails were overall in very good condition, with only a few boggy spots to navigate through. There were not even any fallen trees to contend with. There were a couple piles of horse manure along the way, as the trail is also open to horseback riders. In fact, I encountered two of them while I was out. The trails are generally well-marked at intersection points, although there are several spots where I'd come to a fork in the road and there would be no sign to indicate which way I should go. As such, I'd highly recommend taking one of the free trail maps that are located at the trailhead (I started at the 188th Street trailhead). Overall, it's a pleasant walk through the woods and makes for a good reason to explore Vashon Island if you have a free afternoon.