We hiked the loop from the Harvey Manning Trailhead on the H.M. Trail to the Clay Pit returning via Tibbets Marsh Trail. On this beautiful week day we expected only a few hikers and some solitude. We did not expect to be serenaded by a leafblower. King County Parks is actually "cleaning" the forest by blowing the leaves off the trails and consequently polluting the environment with noise and the nasty poison that comes out of small, two stroke engines (all at the expense of our tax dollars). The entire loop was "cleaned"! Can someone please stop the run-away County Parks bureaucracy?

It is still pretty in the forest, some fall color - and the last, sweet gasp of wildflowers.

We did a mid-morning loop timed perfectly for the few hour window that the forecast predicted the rain would hold back. It turned out the be the heaviest-raining part of the day. You can't win 'em all!

We ended up hiking a loop of upper Bear Ridge, West Tibbett's, Cougar Pass, Harvey Manning and Shangri La. There isn't a ton of mud overall, but in some places that's only thanks to the leaves covering it up - it pays to be careful with foot placement. The bridge over West Tibbett's Creek down at the Talus Bridge connector trail is very slippery under the leaves - it helps a lot to walk on the traction pad in the middle of the bridge. There was standing water in the trail in many places and all the creeks are running strongly. Shangri La has a thick layer of leaves for pretty much it's whole length to the point that it's hard to see where the margin of the trail is in some places.

There is one sharply-broken blowdown on the West Tibbett's trail just above the Bear Ridge trail junction that may be at many people's face level - be careful not to walk into that!

Overall it was a soggy, misty, and very Pacific Northwest-y day out on the trails.

NOTE: There is a trail running event being held on Sunday October 29th on most of the trails in this trip report - best to avoid if you're looking for a quiet walk in the woods.

Today, however, was a great day for a quiet walk in the woods, apart from one moment towards the end of our hike when a huge buck came charging through the forest and across the trail. At the rate he was going I was half expecting a cougar to be in hot pursuit, but nothing more appeared.

We did a loop up Shangri La, across Bear Ridge, up West Tib, Cougar Pass and Harvey Manning to the viewpoint and then back out on Shangri La.

The leaves are about a quarter to a third down at this point so there is quite a layer of them on some sections of trail, but underneath it has drained well so far so nothing felt too slippery or muddy. Compared to two weeks ago it is noticeably brighter in the forest with the reduced foliage. The Harvey Manning section looked really nice in the low-angle autumn light. And the air is finally clear enough to see Mount Baker from the viewpoint!

No obstacles to speak of - someone has sawed out all the recent blowdowns, so thanks for that!

Did a quick loop on the backyard trails in between the rains. Starting and ending at the French cafe at Talus, went up the upper half of Bear Ridge, then West Tibbett's, Cougar Pass and Harvey Manning up to the Million Dollar View and then back out via Shangri La. 5 miles, 1100 feet of gain.

The theme on these trails right now is MUSHROOOMS! So many different types have sprouted up all over the place, almost every log or mossy hollow has some.

There are two brand new bridges on Bear Ridge between the Talus Connector junction and the old bridge right before the West Tibbett's junction. Neither looks necessary - the lower one spans a massive canyon all of 18 inches across and 12 inches deep - but who doesn't love a nice bridge?

Trails are damp but no mud pits yet. Some slimy sections on Bear Ridge a bit below the old bridge, a few on Cougar Pass headed down from the West Tibbett's junction, and quite a few on the top section of Shangri La bear some caution as they are a bit slippery, but apart from the most of the loop still has great tread right now.

Did an afternoon exercise loop starting up Bear Ridge from the Talus Bridge trail, then Tibbett's Creek, Cougar Pass, and Harvey Manning up to the Million Dollar View and then back out via Shangri La. About 4.8 miles and 1120 vertical feet of gain.

The trails are smooth and dry-but-not-too-dry for the whole loop - perfect for a brisk hike or trail run right now. The recent rains have perked up the plants nicely as well - the ferns on the downhill side of the Fantastic Erratic really look... fantastic? right now, like a bunch of feathers.

The Million Dollar View didn't have much view as the trees are still in full leaf and the air was quite hazy - not even the slightest hint of Mount Baker was visible. I noticed when coming down from the Shangri La trailhead at the end that even Mount Si was barely visible through the haze. Also it feels like the trees at the Million Dollar View have gotten quite a bit bigger over the past few years and are blocking out the lower portion of Lake Sammamish now - will need to come back after the leaves are down to compare.

Not much fall color yet, but some of the trees look like they are at least considering turning. No bugs.