Hiked this trail today with a friend.  We started at the Big Tree Ridge TH, hiking up the series of switchbacks up the trail that eventually connected to Red Cedars Trail.  The trail flattened up a bit once we reached Surprise Creek and Shangri La Trails.  We reached Harvey Manning TH aka Anti Aircraft Peak TH and had a snack at a picnic table.  Trail conditions were good and unremarkable.  The signage is also clear and well marked at the junctions.  Noted that Precipice Bottom Trail is still closed is still closed d/t storm damage to a bridge.  We spotted a cool colored banana slug and a snail.  Some wild flowers are in bloom.  We also ran into a WTA led youth trail crew working on tread on the way back to Big Tree TH and said hi to my fellow trail crew folks.  Looking forward to explore more of the Cougar Mt. trail system in the future.  Happy trails!

**Check out vlog link to my Youtube channel below

Jeno and I decided to check out the trails that head from Big Tree Ridge to the Million Dollar View this morning.   Since Maddy was up here on December 7th, all the trees that were down on the trails we took have been cleared out and cut up.  Thanks to the hard working King County crews who did that. (more on them later)

When we met at 6:00 AM the gate to the Big Tree Ridge trailhead off Newport Way was locked so we parked just down the road at a pullout that  holds about 4 cars.   While the trails are all clear there are two spots to watch out for in the first mile.   A large root ball has taken out part of the trail (see the photo of me measuring it) and the trail now goes to the left between the root ball and a previously downed tree which you can see in my photo.   Right past that is an area where something left a large crater in the trail and took out about half of it on the downslope side.   Both are easy to get around/through but just something to keep an eye on.

We got up to the Million Dollar View and enjoyed the lights.   While we were taking our break we saw a truck driving up the road to the park up there.  It was a King County worker who was opening things up and collecting trash.  We stopped and talked with him for a little bit before heading back down.

We only ran into two hikers this morning who wished us a Happy Solstice.  I am so used to saying Happy Holidays this time of year that their greeting threw me for a second before I figured things out and returned their greeting.  On our way down I told my buddy it would be funny if we ran into the King County worker in the Big Tree parking lot.  As we got down there sure enough he drove in to pick up trash and clean things up.  We talked to him and introduced ourselves and it turns out his name is Steve too (what a small world).  He told us he is responsible for 15 parks around the eastside getting them open, cleaned, taking trash, first thing in the morning.   Jeno and I want to say thanks to Steve and all the other hard working men and women from King County who do all those things so we can enjoy the trails.  We salute you and thank you.

I think our next hike will be after the holidays so to all the trip reporters and trip report readers Happy Holidays to all.  I hope Santa brings you everything you asked for.

Stay safe everyone.  See you on the trail.  SR

A Sunny brisk Sunday in the middle of December was the perfect day for a hike in the Issaquah Alps. The goal of the hike was two fold; assess the condition of the trails on Cougar Mountain about a month after the Bomb Cyclone windstorm and to see progress on the new steps & view landing at Doughty falls and the new bridge that was constructed this Fall.  The hike started at the Big Tree trailhead up to Harvey Manning Trail Head via the the Red Cedars and No Name and Shangri La trails .  There were numerous down trees all logged out and the trails were very passable and generally in good shape. There were a few areas where minor trail repairs damaged by the uprooting of trees. Million Dollar view was amazing. South on the Coyote Creek trail, a short stent on Freds RR trail over to the Shy Bear trail.  There was one down tree that had been logged on Fred's RR that impacted the trail and was a bit tricky but passable.  From Shy Bear, took the Deceiver Trail over to the Doughty Falls trail. The new steps and and rebuilt view point were very impressive and very well built. The most impressive trail improvement was the new low height bridge!!!.  It was amazing and a wonder how the metal decking and structure was transported to the site which is not near a road.  It also involves a hike down a steep trail  a challenge to transport all of the materials to the work site.  After admiring the new trail work, the hike continued back to the Shy Bear Trail, a quick stint up the Wilderness peak trail and then headed back to the Big Tree Trail head via Freds RR, East Fork Tibbets Marsh, Protector and Surprise Creek connecting back up to the Red Cedars trail.  Overall there were many down trees and significant log out work enabling all trails to be open and passable  

Family member and I decided to attempt to do some trail running today. We knew we had to be very careful, assess trail and tree conditions, and constantly be prepared for something falling after the recent storms. Kind of hard to bring myself to get out with all the craziness with power outages, but I think the only reason I’ve been able to persevere is my bucket gets filled regularly with my outdoor hikes. We decided to head to the Harvey Manning trailhead for a run from there and ended up doing quite a mishmash of various trails. Not sure I can call what we did as a run with all the obstacles we ended up having to go over, through, and under. Our route went in a counter-clockwise direction that had us ending on Shangri La Trail. The worst sections we encountered were on Precipice Top, Red Cedars, and Surprise Creek trails. The only creaking/moaning tree we heard was on the Precipice Top trail and the only large blowdown we had to go under was on the Red Cedars trail. On our way out on Shangri La not far from the trailhead parking we saw this large blowdown that someone’s chainsaw lost a battle to. My thanks goes to anyone and everyone who helps clear trails. On W. Tibbetts Creek Trail I attempted to pull a large hanging branch over the trail with eye level poking bits off of another tree and could only get it to fall on the side of the trail, making me wonder if that was really any better. I hope this trip report is helpful for anyone who services these trails. I also hope WTA puts together a new list of upcoming work parties to help clear trails from cyclone damage and gets the word out as I’d love to come help when and where I can!

RWHG had a great winter hike from the new Big Tree Trailhead on Cougar Mtn.  ❤️ Love Local Trails!  We pulled in at 9:15, it was 47 degrees with overcast skies and light rain forecast to start early afternoon. The 2 porta potties were being serviced as we drove up.  The lot wasn’t crowded for a holiday.  After gearing up we were on the trail by 9:30.  Our 7.8 mile loop hike followed Big Tree Ridge, Red Cedar and Shangri-La trail up to the Million Dollar View Pagoda. 
  Arriving at 11:15 we decided to take a short loop hike on Tibbet’s Marsh, Protector and Shangri-La trails back up to the covered picnic shelters at the Harvey Manning Th head lot. Five cars were parked there so we expected to see folks on the trail. The 2 porta potties there were clean and stocked with supplies. Rain started, so taking a lunch/rest break under cover felt just right. All the trails are saturated soil but well drained. It was evident KC Parks have been out removing downed trees and debris and widening drainage trail channels.  Thanks for keeping the trails so well maintained. 
  After a birthday celebration and yummy treats we put on rain gear headed back down at 12:30.  Trail traffic was moderate, we passed 2 larger groups of trail runners with dogs and several group of people hiking in 2’s.  Wildlife was limited to deer tracks in mud on the trail and a few birds - juncos, wrens and towhees.  I saw my first wildflower of spring, coltsfoot starting to bloom along the Shangri-La trail.  Our route down followed Shangri-La, Surprise Creek, Military Ridge, Harvey Manning and back on to Big Tree Ridge trail to our vehicles. Rain started coming down in earnest so we didn’t hang out after the hike.  Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.