first real hike of the season with friends. started at the May Valley TH and got our cardio up the access road, not scenic but a heart-pounder if you want that in your day.
at east peak, started down the mountain toward the fireplace for re-grouping and then on to debbie's lookout for lunch. rainier was out and just beautiful. lots of wildflowers blooming.

recommend this hike for a large group as it is easy to find places to pause and re-group--on the other hand, there are lots of trail intersections for people to go different ways so the re-grouping is needed.

either way, nice way to get 7 miles in, your cardio and also exceptional views.

trail was in great shape, not muddy except for a few places and those were easily skirted. no bugs, got some sun. no wildlife visible beyond birds. saw about 15 hikes in the first 6 miles, another 15 in the last mile coming down. many dogs, all well-behaved.

great hike close-in if you do not have time to get farther out the 90 corridor.

Bullitt Fireplace Trail from Sierra Court access to Bullitt Gorge Tr junction:

In good shape. Blowdowns have been removed. I noticed that some recent drainage work had been done, too...always nice to see. Trails made out of old roads (like this one) can have severe water runoff problems, and it is good to keep on top of the drainage issues.

West Peak Trail:

This mostly old school trail marches over hill and dale without much regard for switchbacks. Some sections are ridiculously steep...but it's a fun hike. Nice big old trees and peekaboo views. The old shack on top of West Squak Peak has been reduced to a rotting pile of wood. The westernmost section of the trail was rebuilt by the WTA and actually is pretty plush. Blowdowns have been removed from the trail.

Chybinski Trail:
Good overall, but there are several new blowdowns west of the Chybinski creek crossing. Damage where rootballs ripped out of the trail. A little muddy in places.

Coal Mines Trail

Good condition and the frog ponds (old coal digs in the hillside) are full of water

A Squak Day is always a good day!

Trails were in very good condition, with some mud in spots. I don't know if this was because it was my first time on Squak, but the amount of horse dung on the trails was absolutely disgusting. You couldn't go five feet without having to dance around giant steaming piles of it, and it smelled awful. Once I got past the 'no-horses-allowed' point it was much better, however in my opinion there should be a horse-on-trail permit that requires a certain amount of cleanup every month. I also was very confused by signage and the online map that the State of Washington supplies, as on the map the trails are not named, so I ended up getting a little lost, but it was a fun hike.

Loren, Jeff and I did a loop hike on various trails to the Squak Mt. Central Peak and back to our vehicle on Mountainside Drive.

The hike started on a gravely, slightly muddy trail but continued to the snow line (about where the trail to SR 900 connects) and then up in snow for the next mile or so past the Bullitt Fireplace where we had lunch (only picnic table in the area I know of) and then up to Central Peak and down via the Central Peak trail to the East Access and Coal Mine trails which connect to the Bullitt Access trail and parking on Mountainside Drive.

The trails were in decent shape but with more snow than I have ever seen on these trails. Weather was fine, no rain, sun and only a few snow bombs.

There are some muddy places on these trails, and they were more evident on the downward journey, as the temperature was above freezing melting snow and increasing the mud holes.

A great and short trip, about 1200 feet of elevation gain and 4.5 to 5.0 miles of walking. The real treat for me was using my newly resoled boots (thank you Dave Page). Parts of the snowy trail were a bit slick but none of us fell or slipped.