What a fine day for a hike! Walked Tolt pipeline service road from Avondale eastbound to 232nd. There's big hunk of construction equipment (bulldozer? I'm no construction equipment expert) parked on the trail by 232nd. The trail was otherwise in fine shape. Next, dropped south on 232nd (there's a nice wide paved area on the east side) for a couple blocks, followed an unmarked trail west for about 1/3rd of a mile over the river and through the woods and decided it wasn't taking me to the watershed or Grandmother's house, so I went back to 232nd, headed south, then left on Trilogy st and went a block or two to a trail marked ""Redmond Ridge"" whereupon I embarked west through a greenbelt where houses are visible on both sides for some of the trip, the obvious trail crosses another street and jogs 1/2 block southward along the west side of that street then proceeds west again and eventually into the watershed. The watershed was quite pleasant compared to the greenbelt. I entered from the northeast along the collin creek trail, then headed south on Siler's mill trail, which headed south then bent around finished bearing westward. From there, went north a tad on pipeline regional trail, then hit the connector west to trillium trail, and went back north then east to the pipeline trail, came south thereupon and headed east 0.4 miles back to Siler's mill trail, then back north and out collin creek trail. Whew. The trails were in great shape. No blowdown, no bugs. There were a couple patches of light mud, but my boots came home clean. Siler's Mill is hiker-only, and was a pleasant walk amongst ferns and moss, cottonwood, cedar, and various other trees and shrubs. At one point there is a small pond to the east of the trail. Take a moment to stop and appreciate the tranquility of the water here. That is, unless it's mosquito season. At the far south of my loop and the far north, I could hear the disquieting sound of the modern engine as it relentlessly impressed its will on the ears, expunging any quiet solitude. Fortunately, the inner trails of the watershed do not suffer this blight. Throughout the watershed are many gargantuan stumps, telling a tale of a day when this was old growth, a day in the past. Nevertheless, there are several small to mid-sized trees sprinkled throughout, and they are a pleasure to behold. When I was munching away on lunch, a group of 4-5 horses and a cicylist passed. There were also numerous hikers and joggers out having fun in the sunshine. Alas, if I could only have spent more time there enjoying the peaceful forest. But time was not stopped and my few miles to return bade me hearken and exit, whereupon I encountered the ""Redmond Ridge"" sign and more adventure beckoned. Curious where the trail eastbound went, and trusting signs in the watershed that it eventually led to the ""tolt trail"", I decided to follow it instead of turning north on Trilogy. The trail meandered and varied between wooded areas and greenbelts and stormwater retention ponds. Eventually, I reached a sign from Quadrant Homes stating the trail was closed due to construction of a housing development. There was no date on the sign, which had the familiar green hue of a sign not maintained, so I proceeded anyway and emerged in the middle of a new suburb under construction with a fancy wooden sign posted ""Trilogy"" by the trail. I was trying to get back to the Tolt pipeline, so I wandered through the neighborhood sidewalks for a couple blocks in the general northwestward direction and someone drove by and helped (for which I'm grateful). Then it was back on the Tolt trail superhighway to that rather smelly Avondale...

This hike or bike trip is located east of Duvall near Stossel Creek Road. There are several possible ways to the ""canyon"" where the North and South Forks of the Tolt River meet. This is my favorite. Most of the route is on gated logging roads, some that haven't seen regular use in years. There is a beautiful river, some views, and lots of up and down. Driving directions: From Duvall, follow NE Cherry Valley Road or NE Big Rock Road to Kelly Road. From SR 203 between Carnation and Duvall, take NE Stillwater Hill Road to Kelly Road NE. From Kelly Road, drive east on Stossel Creek Way. The pavement ends at Stossel Creek Way and 348th Ave NE. Continue straight on the gravel road approx. 1 mile. Stop at the four-way intersection. Park without blocking the gates. Take the south (right hand) road. At 0.4 miles pass a right turn. It is a less interesting route to the Tolt Pipeline. At 0.8 miles pass a grassy swale and boulders marking the path to Swan Mill Pond. It is worth the short detour to the long ago abandoned mill pond. Instead of following the foot path through the woods to Swan Mill, follow the logging road UP. Remember, this is excercise. The road levels off, sort of, and at 1.8 miles pass a left turn. This is a scenic (and uphill) detour to several log landings, some with views to Seattle. Continuing on the main road, turn right at 2 miles. Go around a yellow gate and follow the partly overgrown road south to intersect wtih the Tolt Pipeline at 2.85 miles. On a clear day, there are views of mountains from this cleared plateau. From the pipeline, take the obvious road (right across from you) that runs along the east side of the fenced sedimentation ponds. The ponds are part of Seattle's multi million dollar drinking water treatment plant. This road continues around the ponds and ends at the edge of the bluff (just before a chain link fence gate) in another mile or so. If you are on a bike, hide it and follow the path down the hill. In less than 0.25 miles you will find an abandoned camp site where (really) several trees have fallen and squished a purple car door. Look for one of several faint foot paths leading to the rock outcrop over the forks, or the sand/gravel bar on the north shore. I visit this spot several times and year and have seen evidence of other visitors, but have never seen them. Obstacles: downed trees on the path down to the river, nettles, blackberry vines across the less traveled roads (bike tire hazard). Total round triop distance is approx 8 miles.

WTA was at this King County park located downtown Carnation. Out of the 18 folks working the trail, only Chris had pre-knowledge of this little-known gem. This is a very nice park, with a 'Galloping Gertie' type bridge that spans the Tolt, and wiggles as you cross it. There are lots of kind, retired gentlemen gracing the banks of the Tolt here, each with fishing pole in hand, each ready to tell their story. ""Any luck'"" I asked. ""Nope,"" he said with a big grin. ""But I'm enjoying the hell outta this morning anyway."" I had so much fun talking with him, the WTA crew leader had to come and find me -I was supposed to be on a quick bathroom break, and had been gone quite awhile. There is a series of bicycle and hiking trails through the park. The hiking trails are currently very muddy, so wear BOOTS for now. WTA is scheduled to do a lot of maintenance there this winter to spiff it up. Simply cross the bridge and begin wandering. Banter with the fishermen first, though - that's half the fun!

A gem in the King County Park System in Carnation. Spent almost two hours today with my 5 and 2 year olds hiking where I have hiked hundreds of mornings over the past 13 years. We hiked a nice riverside trail from the Tolt River to the suspension bridge over the Snoqualmie River, then did the 1.5-2.0 mile lower loop, taking one north to the ""primitive camp"" area, then entering decidous forest to trails end at the river. We backtracked and hiked up to the old RR grade on the hillside that takes you back to the bridge. There are vast trails and roads up above on the hilltop that can give you a good workout and if you wish, you could hike 3-6 miles total here. This is a fun hiking grounds for kids, close to home, and a wonderful (and VERY quiet) short hike for an after breakfast get-out. Save it for a foggy fall morning, or a rainy winter day when you are bummed you can't go hiking...you'll feel refreshed upon leaving!