Did anyone at the Whittaker TH on Saturday, 4/26, find a black Brooks running hat? I seem to have lost it beore leaving at around 11:30am. Please message me if you did!

We ran/hiked here after our original plan at Squak was dethroned by news from a sheriff in the parking lot upon our arrive at 8am saying that a bear had been charging people just up the trail and that Fish & Game was on the way. I haven't seen any updates about this. Does anyone know what happened to that bear? 

Nice Sunday hike, vertical enough to be fun and short enough to be kiddo-friendly. Lots of mica caps and oyster mushrooms!

WTA was at the trailhead this morning, but they headed south while we headed north. A few soggy, mushy places along our route but only Shy Bear Pass had a big, muddy puddle that required stone-stepping to cross. Lots of cleared debris at the sides of the trail.

All the waterfalls were gushing: Coal Creek Falls video. The favorite was Far Country Falls with it's luscious moss and licorice fern vestments: Far Country Falls video. It's been almost a year to date since completing this same route. What's new is the handsome retaining wall, stairs & railing at Doughty Falls: Doughty Falls & new construction video.  Today's trip: 8.8 miles with 1166' gain in 4.5 hours including a snack break.

Sadly, food waste trash greeted our arrival at Wilderness Peak. Suspect that those who do this also don't read WTA trip reports ... but if you do, know what citrus peels do not decompose in the forest and the tomato & sandwich waste doesn't go on the ground, it packs out with you 😠 Today I packed out the citrus peels, but if I catch you doing this, I'll offer you the bag so you can pack it out, yourself 😒

Eight of us enjoyed a magical snowy hike from Whittaker Wilderness Trailhead to Whittaker Peak (via Gombu Cliffs), looped to Shy Bear Pass, and over Deceiver to Doughty Falls. We had a good 3-5 inches of fresh snow for over 90% of the hike. On the way back much of it was melting or falling from the treetops - most of us put on shells since our down coats were getting wet. Sunshine and snow made for a wonderful adventure.

With the cold temperatures and thaw/freeze the trails could be pretty treacherous in the next few days. On the drive through Issaquah, I hit one patch of black ice that slowed me down about 20 mph. Please drive safely.

We all had poles, waterproof footwear, gaiters, and traction devices. About half of our party members chose to use traction; I only needed one pole on the descent and did not use traction. AllTrails had us at roughly 7.9 miles and 1608 gain cars-to-cars 5 hours with 3-4 sensory pauses, 10 minutes at the summit register, and 20 minutes at the Falls. With the blow-downs, heavy snow-laden limbs, and slick trail in places, our pace was about what I'd expect for 8 in unexpected snow.

We had one person slip (no injury) and one scary moment when, behind us and off about 40 feet, a massive tree split in two and crashed to the forest floor. Overladen by snow. It sounded like a gunshot from which we quickly recovered. Be aware and ready to react.

We had 12 bird species including a hairy woodpecker, northern flicker, stellar's jay, kinglets, and chickadees. Beautiful snow photo opportunities. We only saw two other humans all morning, and plenty of critter tracks in the snow including raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, birds, and coyotes.

My mom and I hiked the Wilderness Peak loop on this foggy, mid-January Wednesday morning starting at 10:00 am sharp and ending at 12:45 pm. Moments upon our ascent, the fog started lifting as gentle rays of run cut through it, creating a gorgeous effect among the trees. Compared to another nearby Squak Mountain trail I'd recently hiked (Margaret's Way), the trees were less dense, making this trail a good option for when you want to hike but want to soak in some morning sun instead of being obscured by tree cover.

Although traffic is audible in the first mile or so up to the first crossroads, it quickly gives way to a bubbling creek running alongside the path. At the intersection, we took the Gombu route per the WTA description; at 1.3 mi rather than 1.4 to the top, this is the slightly steeper way up--perhaps helpful for avoiding overly steep descents. This stretch contained most of the switchbacks, which numbered few, but nevertheless provided a satisfying workout at a faster pace. Before we knew it, we had reached the bench that comprised the "summit," beyond which we couldn't see any higher point.

We got kind of lost on the way back. Immediately after the intersection with Shy Bear Pass was another sign bearing the eponymous name of the trail above two subheaders: one directing to the trailhead, the other to a "High Point Peak." With the arrow denoting the trailhead rubbed out and my mind distracted by our conversation, I forged ahead to the unplanned High Point, which led to a bench at the top of a dead-end hill. No worries--this detour set us back only a quarter mile each way. Soon we were back on the Whitaker portion of the loop back to the trailhead. This side offered novel sights from the Gombu path, including a set of boardwalks amid a gorgeous swampy area in which laid an impressively sized boulder, covered top to bottom in ferns. Descending, we re-entered the fog in full force, admiring the accentuated sunbeams and contrasting foreground-background effects.

At the last half mile, we enjoyed a light lunch on a trunk supporting the first bridge you pass on the trail. Although we started shivering shortly after sitting down, we still count it a win to be able to eat a light meal by a water fall in January! As for gear, I got by great in normal, slightly elevated sneakers. It hadn't rained heavily in about a week, so most of the muddy areas were not slippery. Poles recommended for the way down but no complaints without.