12-21-13
I
wanted to get in some miles but be home early. Grand Ridge was the
choice. The trail is graded or mountain bikes and the gentle grade
makes it very fast to hike. It was about 35 degrees when I arrived at
the trailhead off the High Point exit of I-90. Two cars in the lot at
9:45 am. The old railroad grade goes downhill making it hard to warm
up. It only took 8 minutes to reach the trail up grand ridge The cold
breeze in my face added to my speed. Once on the trail the lack of wind
and uphill tread warmed me up quickly. The temperature was just about
perfect for the rest of the day. No sweating and moving fast enough to
keep warm. Driving in I could see that the low cloud ceiling was half
way up Grand Ridge. I soon entered the clouds.
The mist remained for most of the day. It brought out some great colors in the moss and added a very different feel to this close to the city hike. It seemed much more like the high mountains. I was surprised to come upon a WTA work party. Just a few days before Christmas and folks were volunteering to do trail work on a near freezing day. Hats off to the crew. There was a little snow on the pavement where I crossed the road. Almost none on the trail. We had a few inches of snow in Seattle the day before but it warmed up and rained and the snow was nearly all gone.
I noticed more recent trail work. One section of trail was rerouted. There are now two switchbacks that were not there a few years ago. Traffic was light. Other than the work crew I only saw 5 people on my way out. Two runners, two bikers, and one hiker. There were the usual winter puddles. I took a little time and drained several. Just a little work can dry out the trail significantly. From the high point it is all downhill to the WTA Bridge. I reached the bridge in 1:27 minutes. Not bad for about 4.75 miles. It is a fast trail. I went on a little farther to round out a 10 mile day. The bridge itself had some slush on it. That was the only slick spot on the hike.
On the way back I passed one big group of 8 or 9 bikers. There were a few hikers and other bikers. All totaled not many folks seen on a 10 miles hike near Issaquah. When I reached the work party I asked permission to take a photo. It is in my report photos. One person even had a chain saw. Lots of work accomplished this day. I did not plan to do a trip report for Grand Ridge. I did not bring my good camera. All photos are from my phone. Not the best but the conditions were much better than expected. I'm just glad I had the back up camera. A fast and fun hike and I was back at the car by 1:05 pm.
Click on thumbnails to get larger pictures.
Trips - 2013
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The mist remained for most of the day. It brought out some great colors in the moss and added a very different feel to this close to the city hike. It seemed much more like the high mountains. I was surprised to come upon a WTA work party. Just a few days before Christmas and folks were volunteering to do trail work on a near freezing day. Hats off to the crew. There was a little snow on the pavement where I crossed the road. Almost none on the trail. We had a few inches of snow in Seattle the day before but it warmed up and rained and the snow was nearly all gone.
I noticed more recent trail work. One section of trail was rerouted. There are now two switchbacks that were not there a few years ago. Traffic was light. Other than the work crew I only saw 5 people on my way out. Two runners, two bikers, and one hiker. There were the usual winter puddles. I took a little time and drained several. Just a little work can dry out the trail significantly. From the high point it is all downhill to the WTA Bridge. I reached the bridge in 1:27 minutes. Not bad for about 4.75 miles. It is a fast trail. I went on a little farther to round out a 10 mile day. The bridge itself had some slush on it. That was the only slick spot on the hike.
On the way back I passed one big group of 8 or 9 bikers. There were a few hikers and other bikers. All totaled not many folks seen on a 10 miles hike near Issaquah. When I reached the work party I asked permission to take a photo. It is in my report photos. One person even had a chain saw. Lots of work accomplished this day. I did not plan to do a trip report for Grand Ridge. I did not bring my good camera. All photos are from my phone. Not the best but the conditions were much better than expected. I'm just glad I had the back up camera. A fast and fun hike and I was back at the car by 1:05 pm.
 Small Waterfall |
 Into The Mist |
 One Of Many Puddles |
 Nearing Bridge |
 WTA Bridge |
 Mossy Green |
 Winding Trail |
 Fungus |
 Old Trail |
 Misty Tree |
 Work Party |
 Posing |
 Issaquah Creek |
 Railroad Grade |
 White Water |
Click on thumbnails to get larger pictures.
Trips - 2013
Home