Did the 5 peaks working through the Issaquah Alps challenge. I went all over this mountain. Started at the Ballybunion TH and ended at the Cougar Mountain TH. Did as a point to point venture, including 3 side trips to see waterfalls.

These woods are beautiful. It was my first time at Cougar mountain and I got the full tour. I can say that these forests are quintessential PNW lowlands forests. I was alone most of the time, with the exceptions of Coal Creek Falls and Wilderness Peak.

Funny enough I preferred the Doughty Falls to CCF.

Of the 5 peaks I did(Marshall's Hill, Deceiver Ridge, Cougar Mountain, Wilderness Peak, Longview Peak) Wilderness Peak was the best, it actually has a nice little register at the top, and feels like a proper summit. The others are just high points on the trail. But I am a peakbagger, and a high point is a high point.

Of the trails I think the Wilderness peak loop was the best section, really liked the boardwalk bits through the wetlands.

Overall great trail system to explore, lots of options for any fitness level.

We began our loop hike from the Sky Country Trailhead by the former US Army Nike missile base where they had Ajax missiles to protect the Puget Sound area from incoming USSR Bear Bombers during the Cold War. We headed out on the Old Miners Trail passing the A-frame building from former Army guard dog kennel. On the Bypass Trail we saw that the North Fork of Coal Creek was completely dry. We had never seen that before, as there was always water running in the creek on our past hikes. We went south on Fred's Railroad Trail to the junction with the East Fork Trail and took that one to get to Jerry's Duck Pond. When we got to the pond, it still had water in it with lots of Alge, but no ducks. After passing the coal mine air shaft, we got to the Clay Pit Road. We hiked east out to the clay pit and found a big rock for a lunch time seat in the sun. There were views east to the Cascade Mountains, plus "The Snows of Tiger Mountain". You might have read the book and seen the movie. It is snowier now after the Weyco clear cut done this year.

The clay pit was used by the Mutual Materials Company for 50 years in making bricks at the Newcastle Brick Works. The clay pit was last used in 2015 then the brick works closed down. During that time, they made over 900 million bricks at 25 million bricks per years. Their bricks were used in many buildings in the Puget Sound area, like Bellevue High School, at the U of W Kane Hall and Red Square, and at T-Mobile Park (formerly Safeco Field). King County parks restored the clay pit and planted scrubs and trees.

After lunch we hiked down the Tibbets Marsh Trail, then took the Cougar Pass Trail out to the Klondike Swamp Trail. King County Parks has been doing some drainage work on the Cougar Pass Trail, so should help this trail when the heavy rains begin. We hiked the Klondike Marsh Trail north, then took the Coyote Creek Trail to the Clay Pit Road and back to the trailhead parking lot. Made for a nice loop hike.

We could see that King County Parks had been out with leaf blowers getting the leaves off the trails we hiked today. Any fallen trees had been cut out. We met a few other hikers on our trip and had a nice chat with two senior womans hikers at the Clay Pit. The only wildlife we saw were some gnats out enjoying the sun.

Today I hiked a great 6.8 mile loop on Cougar Mountain from the Redtown trailhead.  Ten cars were in the lot when I pulled in at 1:15.  It was 44 degrees with partially cloudy skies.  In a clockwise loop, I followed Military Road, Sky Country, Nike Horse Tr., Old Man’s Tr, Cave Hole, Coyote Creek, Klondike Swamp, Cougar Pass, Tibbett’s Marsh, East Fork, Fred’s Railroad, Quarry, Coal Creek, Cave Hole and Redtown Creek Trails.  Some trails seemed spotless (leaves blown off and side drainages diversions dug out) and many others were covered with a nice cushion duff of fallen maple and cottonwood trees.  There were several downed dead wood tree

Today I hiked a great 6.8 mile loop on Cougar Mountain from the Redtown trailhead.  Ten cars were in the lot when I pulled in at 1:15.  It was 44 degrees with partially cloudy skies.  In a clockwise loop I followed Military Road, Sky Country, Nike Horse Tr., Old Man’s Tr, Cave Hole, Coyote Creek, Klondike Swamp, Cougar Pass, Tibbett’s Marsh, East Fork, Fred’s Railroad, Quarry, Coal Creek, Cave Hole and Redtown Creek Trails.  Some trails seemed spotless (leaves blown off and side drainages diversions dug out) and many others were covered with a nice cushion duff of fallen maple and cottonwood leaves.  There were several downed dead wood tree trunks / branches to step over on Military Road, Sky Country Tr and the biggest a fir tree on Cave hole trail just past Redtown Creek Trail. I pushed off and cleared smaller branches that were easy to lift  in many places.  The last of the fall foliage color change still looked respectable on the Klondike Swamp Trail.  When I passed Sky Country Th just before 2:00 the lot looked 3/4 Full.  What I love about Cougar Mtn trail system is that there are so many trails it disperses all park users.  On the day I encountered 28 hikers and walkers.  The most being in the last 2 miles on the Coal Creek Trail loop. Wildlife sightings included: a Douglas squirrel, towhee, creeper and a woodpecker was tapping but not seen.  The water level is still extremely low and barely a trickle was flowing down below Coal Creek Falls.  At falls the headwaters on the East Fork Trail above the duckpond there was no standing water anywhere.  Every drop coming from the sky seems to be soaking into the soil.  A very encouraging territorial view at the clay pit. All the Cascade Mountains to the east were snow covered including Tiger Mtn summits. When I arrived back at Redtown at 4:20 22 cars were in the lot.  Another fantastic day to be out in nature. 

The splotchy alders sway and creak and groan, blending their low chorus with the crunch of rock beneath my boot, the patter of rain upon leaf, and the barely perceptible humming of my thoughts. That I, lonely and faithful sprite of this wood, should trace these footsteps once more, with gentle cadence abetting the preponderance of my lot, is sure evidence that Nature’s calming medicine has tempered my wayward impulses of late and composed my thoughts to more than the troubled meanderings of an old man. It has been nearly two score and three years since the passing of my dear wife and son to that great Beyond, but today their absence is a presence felt with fresh immediacy. And yet I go forth. For I am the lowly snail, plodding forward with steady conviction, delicate shell protecting me from that elemental Truth I cannot bear.

Beautiful afternoon for a ~5 mile day hike! Almost no mud on the trail and not crowded at all; arrived around 1:30 p.m. and parked at the Sky Country trailhead. A nice, easy low-elevation trek to get the season started. The falls were lovely and the mossy trees on the swamp stretch were especially interesting.