Tolmie State Park - Four Cedars Trail — Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023

This was my first hike after a total knee replacement two months ago.  It was a gorgeous fall day although there was not much foliage color yet.  As the name of the trail says, it is mostly surrounded by cedar trees.  A couple of the helpful interpretive signs describe the adaptive resiliency of these amazing trees.  The trail is mostly flat with just a few slight elevation changes.  With trekking poles, I was able to navigate the ups and downs with minimal knee pain.  There were thoughtfully-spaced benches along the trail also so I could sit and give my knee a brief rest. One of the benches and a nearby boardwalk were Boy Scout Eagle projects from 15 years ago.  I saw a small number of other hikers, some with dogs, but I had the trail to myself for the most part.  Logistics: Tolmie SP has two parking lots. I parked in the "upper" lot. I crossed the entrance road to the trailhead signed "temporary trail" which I hiked for about a mile until it intersected with the Twin Creeks Trail. I took the latter trail about .25 mile to the "lower" parking lot which has access to the beach.  I had to walk a short distance uphill on the road to get back to the "upper" parking lot.