Forum Index > Trip Reports > Issaquah to Bellevue via Squak/Cougar 12.27.18
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williswall
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Joined: 30 Sep 2007
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Location: Redmond
williswall
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PostThu Dec 27, 2018 9:05 pm 
One of the necessities when my daughter is home is to get in some outdoor time, so we decided (after skiing for 4 days) to reverse our trip from a few years ago and hike from Issaquah to home. My wife dropped us off at the Squak connector trail in Issaquah (off Newport Way) and we hiked through Squak, crossed HW900 to the Cougar complex, and continued past Red Town to Coal Creek where we were able to do the short walk home for a 19 mile day with 3700' of climb. Cool, fresh air with occasional light rain was perfect for this 7 hour jaunt, with few people encountered during the entire day. The Squak complex had fantastic moss covered trees, rivaling anything we've seen in the Olympics with the exception of size. I've been hitting the Tiger complex recently with a buddy, reminding me that these 3 areas are prime ultra training ground and perfect for keeping in shape during the winter months. Sure, one can get in more vert by doing single climbs like Mailbox or Si, but it's nice to cruise along for some distance through these areas, especially doing point to point with no backtracking (remember, one of the most essential skills). After spending 5 days in the snow, this was the perfect NW forest hike for the LA girl. Happy New Year!
Moss8
Moss8
Moss7
Moss7
Moss6
Moss6
Moss4
Moss4
Moss3
Moss3
Moss2
Moss2
Moss1
Moss1
More fungi
More fungi
Green fungi
Green fungi
Droplets
Droplets
Droplet on Berry Cluster
Droplet on Berry Cluster
Coal Creek
Coal Creek
Coal Creek Falls
Coal Creek Falls
A few days prior
A few days prior

I desire medium danger williswall.com
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Damian
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Damian
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PostThu Dec 27, 2018 9:14 pm 
up.gif Nice report. I love those long hikes you can make out of our local Alps, especially when Coal Ck is involved. That was my back yard as a teenager.

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Sculpin
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Sculpin
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PostFri Dec 28, 2018 4:15 pm 
I can attest that it was a great day to be hiking Coal Creek! I was back at my car at CC Parkway at 2:30 pm so I'm guessing I left before we crossed paths. This was my first time in there, I really liked the lower falls and I was the only one there at the time. I was gob-smacked by the scale of coal mining, 10 million tons! I topped out at "Cave Holes" (per the map) in Cougar. I was expecting limestone because of the name but as far as I could tell all the holes are mine shafts.

Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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Forum Index > Trip Reports > Issaquah to Bellevue via Squak/Cougar 12.27.18
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