I haven't posted in this blog for over a year. It's about time I get out and start walk again and exploring the beautiful northwest!
This trail is my new "Almost Perfect Walking Trail." I love it because it's just the right distance to have time to walk frequently, has enough woodsiness and hills to make it feel like I'm wandering in the mountains, has a significant loop, is located within a few blocks of my new home in Chehalis, and is hardly used by anyone else. It's close enough to civilization so that I feel safe being out there alone. I love the convenience of this quick getaway that I can enjoy in complete solitude. I decided to make a couple walking sticks out of little branches I found. I hid these in the bushes near the trailhead. Now I can get some arm exercises in while walking. Plus, I have weapons of self defense against gnats, spider webs, thorny bushes, and creepy bad guys. The sticks will unlikely protect me agains bears, though. I can also get some extra exercise by trail running, since this is a perfect trail to go running on. The hike is basically like a lasso, with a windy trail that leads to a good-sized loop, and then back again on the windy trail. Near the beginning of the hike is a grassy clearing with some benches and an old monument to some original park founder either Dobson or McFadden?). This is a perfect spot to sit down for a snack or a snooze in the sun. I am thankful that with my move from Bothell I was able to find myself a new outdoor sanctuary to replace what I used to have on the Sammammish River Trail, especially the Wetlands Trail at the Bothell Landing Park. I miss the river, but this park has other features that make it even better.
The only reason I say "almost" perfect is because at the beginning of the trail, there's a little spot where it's obvious that the local teenagers gather to drink and do drugs. I'm pretty sure I caught some kids doing drugs today, although they were trying to hide it. They didn't do a good job of hiding the guilty look on their faces, like they were going to get in trouble. I glared at them and hoped they got the message that I wasn't stupid and could figure out what they were doing. I will need to remember not to go up there too late in the afternoon.
The trail is about 1 mile total, and with the walk to and from my house, the entire walk is 1.5 to 2 miles total.
Location & Parking:
Located next to the Chehalis Scout Lodge on SE 3rd Street & SE Adams Avenue, Chehalis, WA.
