Clay Pit Road, Mine Shaft Trail, East Fork, Fred's Railroad, By Pass Trail & Old Man's Trail — Monday, Dec. 7, 2015

Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain

This was a wet hike on which I tried to follow the "Black Bear" Loop but missed about 2 miles of the loop (guessing I should have gone down to Coal Creek Falls and then back up to the "Old Man Trail". Lots of puddles on the trails and some mud (much more in the way of puddles). Water Proof Boots and rain gear were required but my pants were soaked after the 3 mile loop I did so this is a hike better done during a dry spell. The big surprise to me was that the lot at Sky Country Trail Head had quite a few cars and there were runners, dog walkers and hikers out. While a soggy hike on Monday, its still nice to get out in the woods and enjoy a Washington Winter. Note: Big Surprise for me was the Beaver Dam on the East Fork of Coal Creek (off Clay Pit Road)! Wow what a magnificent piece of engineering.