Charles L. Pack Experimental Forest, April 22, 2009

For a detailed description of "Pack Forest" see my hiking blog at http://www.karenshikes.blogspot.com/

The Pack Forest is near Eatonville and makes an ideal early season hike when the trails of Mount Rainier are still snowbound.

Westberg Trail, revisited, April 19, 2009

We went back to the Westberg Trail in Ellensburg yesterday for a Mountaineers hike (Seattle branch).

For a full account of the hike, including an updated report on wildflowers, refer to my hike blog at http://www.karenshikes.blogspot.com/

Westberg Trail (Manastash Ridge), April 15, 2009

For details on this early-season wildflower hike on the east side of the Cascades read my review at http://www.karenshikes.blogspot.com/

Two recent hikes

On Friday, April 10, a friend and I made a loop on Squak Mountain. The weather was chilly and at times it drizzled. There are signs of spring here and there, including some trilliums at lower elevation that had been beaten up by the rain. For details on the hike see my hike blog at http://www.karenshikes.blogspot.com/

Today was Easter and as I am often alone on Easter, I usually go for a hike, often with The Mountaineers. Today, given the rain, Lincoln Park in West Seattle was perfect. While not a hike, it's a good setting to perfect my photography, even on a rainy day.

Two hikes

This past (sunny!) weekend I enjoyed two hikes. The first hike was another loop on Tiger Mountain (this one provided some challenges) and the second hike was a refreshing stroll through the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

For a description of these hikes see my hiking blog at http://www.karenshikes.blogspot.com/

A Tour of the Middle Fork Road, March 31, 2009

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to tour the Middle Fork Road past the road closure at Valley Camp, thanks to Dan Dovey, Professional Engineer, Traffic Control Engineer for King County. It's going to be a while before the Middle Fork Road is open for "business". The road remains closed at Valley Camp - it is too dangerous to hike/drive the road when contractors are at work. There have been about a dozen slides since January. Two of the worst slides are where the river bends near the roadway and the subgrade has been washed out below the road. Dan reports "The largest slide, which left barely a lane width of roadway on the uphill side, is expected to be complete in the next day or two." As of yesterday "they removed the failed roadway down to the river level and cut a notch in the existing rock to support the large and small rock that has been placed to restore the subgrade. Smaller rock will go on this and the new road will be completed with crushed gravel and compacted" Dovey explains.

In the meantime a Sheriff's deputy is stationed at the junction where the Middle Fork Road meets the Lake Dorothy Road (the Lake Dorothy Road is also closed due to a landslide). The deputy will be there through at least Wednesday. Dan said "the contractor hired them first for safety, keeping drivers from going past the closure and into their work zone, and second for prevention of vandalism and other undesirable impacts when major equipment is stored in a remote location."

According to Dovey the contractor is on week 2 of a 12-week project. Check back for updates.