6-13-21
Last
Saturday I helped re-roof a house. Sunday it rained all day. This
Saturday I worked from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm on the roof. I really needed
to get out hiking on Sunday. The forecast was for rain all day long.
Lots of rain. Heavy rain. I was up early and it was raining in Seattle.
The weather radar showed it was raining almost everywhere in western
Washington. I debated for a while then headed out anyway. I pulled off
I-90 at High Point and found several cars in the lot. I put on rain
pants and a wind shirt at home to save putting them on in the rain. It
was just very light rain as I set out down the old railroad grade. The
tall deciduous trees along the grade had enough leaves to block most of
the rain. I could hear it but hardly felt it. My umbrella remained
closed. After half a mile I turned right on a trail that starts
climbing immediately. It was already 8:37 am when I started. I hoped
the damp weather would keep folks home and not on the trail.
In the forest most rain was again blocked and I stayed dry without my umbrella. It was near 60 degrees at the start and became warmer as I rose out of the valley. It was muggy at first. Higher up it went away. After about .40 miles from the grade I had to stop and take off the rain pants and wind shirt. Much more comfortable without them. At the 1.5 mile junction the forest became more open. I did need the umbrella there. I crossed the one paved road and continued to the first end of the Water Tower Loop Tail. I decided to keep on going. About half a mile farther I came to the other end of the WT Trail. Following the WT Loop would give me about 7.4 miles. Not enough to round up to 8. I continued on the main trail. I went a bit farther than necessary and reached the junction width the Spruce Coaster Trail. The trail has been around for a year or two but I had not hiked it. No time for like the present.
So far I had seen several runners and a few more mountain bikers. Not crowded but the rain was not keeping everyone away. The on and off umbrella was on again. Steady though light rain. One benefit of hiking on a rainy day is the darker sky and wet leaves really brought out the colors. Lots of bleeding hearts in bloom though near the end and not many others. The trail soon met up with the Water Tower Loop. This trail I have hiked quite a few times. I passed several biking groups that I had seen earlier. I'm not sure how many sighting were of the same people two times. As I neared the end of the loop the sky temporarily cleared a bit. No rain and even a little sunshine This did not last all that long. Lots of rain form most of the day after my hike. I did have a dry hike the rest of the way out.
My legs were feeling the long day of roofing the day before. This was not as fast as most trips on these trails. I was happy to reach my car at 12:11 pm. On a very rainy day I had a lot less of it than I expected. The conditions were actually pretty good. I don't usually take photos on Grand Ridge but I may not get in any really scenic trips this month due to roofing so I took a lot more on this trip than I otherwise would have. The lighting and colors were really good too. I was happy to get in an easy 8 miles with 1200' of elevation gain. I had a fun day. It was a good rainy day hike.
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Trips - 2021
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In the forest most rain was again blocked and I stayed dry without my umbrella. It was near 60 degrees at the start and became warmer as I rose out of the valley. It was muggy at first. Higher up it went away. After about .40 miles from the grade I had to stop and take off the rain pants and wind shirt. Much more comfortable without them. At the 1.5 mile junction the forest became more open. I did need the umbrella there. I crossed the one paved road and continued to the first end of the Water Tower Loop Tail. I decided to keep on going. About half a mile farther I came to the other end of the WT Trail. Following the WT Loop would give me about 7.4 miles. Not enough to round up to 8. I continued on the main trail. I went a bit farther than necessary and reached the junction width the Spruce Coaster Trail. The trail has been around for a year or two but I had not hiked it. No time for like the present.
So far I had seen several runners and a few more mountain bikers. Not crowded but the rain was not keeping everyone away. The on and off umbrella was on again. Steady though light rain. One benefit of hiking on a rainy day is the darker sky and wet leaves really brought out the colors. Lots of bleeding hearts in bloom though near the end and not many others. The trail soon met up with the Water Tower Loop. This trail I have hiked quite a few times. I passed several biking groups that I had seen earlier. I'm not sure how many sighting were of the same people two times. As I neared the end of the loop the sky temporarily cleared a bit. No rain and even a little sunshine This did not last all that long. Lots of rain form most of the day after my hike. I did have a dry hike the rest of the way out.
My legs were feeling the long day of roofing the day before. This was not as fast as most trips on these trails. I was happy to reach my car at 12:11 pm. On a very rainy day I had a lot less of it than I expected. The conditions were actually pretty good. I don't usually take photos on Grand Ridge but I may not get in any really scenic trips this month due to roofing so I took a lot more on this trip than I otherwise would have. The lighting and colors were really good too. I was happy to get in an easy 8 miles with 1200' of elevation gain. I had a fun day. It was a good rainy day hike.
 Issaquah Creek |
 Railroad Grade |
 Dark Forest |
 Misty |
 A Green Day |
 Bleeding Heart |
 Forest Roof |
 New Trail |
 Colorful Ferns |
 Narrow Trail |
 Left Turn |
 Just More Greenery |
 Devil's Club Leaf |
 Luminous Leaf |
 Raindrops |
 Yellow Leaf |
 Spring Beauty |
 Stinky Bob |
 Fern Wall |
 Out Of Forest |
 Getting Wetter |
 Fern Contrast |
 Backlit |
 Bridge |
 Great Colors |
 Mossy Tree |
 More Devil's Club |
 Arbor |
 Last Mile |
 Mossy Border |
 Grade Is Below |
 Cathedral Roof |
Trips - 2021
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