The south parking area off of Tester Road from Monroe looks like it was recently regraded but it is STILL not open for parking. Snohomish County Parks claims there is too much vandalism. So they are just 50 feet farther away from vandalism. And dead-end Tester Rd. says no parking but people tend to ignore that. Only a few other people encountered in the park, and on such a beautiful day. While the vine maple foliage is past prime the big leaf maples are gorgeous, as is the view from the top of 630' bald mountain.

After reading the trip reports for the last few days, I made good use of today's sun.   Me and lots of horses and their riders.  After several visits previously, I finally went to the lookout.  Lovely mountains in the distance.  One tree down Pipeline Cutoff trail, but it was easy to get around.  Lots of bikes too. Few hikers.  Stayed mostly on the main trail, pipeline cutoff, viewpoint trail, and Pipeline with a few jaunts off on unmarked trails.  Went for fungi, but found little.

If you're not sure what to do on a rainy day, I recommend a mushroom hunt at Lord Hill. Pick one of the side trails off the main road, listen to the rain on the forest canopy, and keep your eyes peeled for mushrooms hiding in the fallen leaves. 

Today I spooked a black-tailed doe who bolted across the Red Barn trail in front of me.  A short while later I saw a big black shape in the distance.  Excited that I might be encountering my first bear, I froze in my tracks and tried to clean off my soggy, foggy glasses. I just had to laugh at myself when I got close enough to see that it was a horse.

I walked a little while with the gal and her horse, then carried on solo. Considering all the rain, the trails were in decent shape. There are some pretty good mud puddles on the way to Temple Pond. Plan on getting wet if you take the Midway trail. The sword ferns are like a car wash for your legs.

All in all a good day.  Happy mushrooming!

'You're going on a hike?! But it's raining!"

And that, my friends, pretty much sums it up - summer's over and the sun is gone; but so are the crowds. Saw a guy with a Lab on a leash near the boardwalks, but that was it. Not even hikingwithlittledogs, who apparently took the Red Barn/Temple Pond/Midway loop also.

I extended the loop a little by taking the Ear Therapy/Easy 8 trails to the Red Barn. The stream is flowing again, which gives the trail it's name. (Don't know what "Easy 8" is all about... )

Just off the Red Barn Trail, there is a sheltered spot under a large fir that overlooks Beaver Lake Marsh. (It used to be Beaver Lake, but that's another story) Years ago I had cleared it out and put a board down to sit on; and it's still there. I noticed  two young bucks on opposite sides of the meadow. They met in the middle, and spent the next hour hangin' out and wrestling. Seemed like a pretty friendly affair, and they were still there when I left.

Hung out at Temple Pond for a bit, then hit the Midway near Crossroads Pond. Stopped off at the viewpoint (yep, no view today) and Hidden Pond. Then Midway Cut-off to horse lot and parking. As noted in the other report today, the Midway has a lot of overhanging ferns. Guess I need to brush it again, but it looks so ugly afterwards. What do you think?

Here's my route, clockwise: Boardwalks/ Beaver Lake/ Ear Therapy/ Easy 8/Red Barn/"Trail that has no name"/Gravel Mine/ Temple Pond/Pipeline/Midway/Midway Cut-off/Road.

A great day in the rain!  Didn't see a soul...  

What a gorgeous weekend! Unfortunately, I had to work both days trying to finish up some last minute painting before the rain. But I was thinking of you all; up looking for larches or whatever...

Anyway, that left me with a few hours today to do my weekly trail check at Lord Hill. Since this is my "first" report, I thought I would do my favorite trail. ;)  The Midway is in good shape, as well as the Midway Cutoff. Didn't have time to go all the way to the Riverview, which is my usual route. (I have to keep recalculating the sunset each week.)

With the short daylight hours, and snow in the mountains, I've already noticed an uptick of reports to the usual lowland hikes. Since I frequent LHRP a lot, I'll try to post some helpful tips on the trails. Here, the forest isn't something you walk through on your way to your destination; it is the destination. Slow down and enjoy the woods. Walk instead of hike...

(I am taking over the duties of reporting on Lord Hill from "mato", who refuses to do them anymore. Something about "too many of them". How can that be?)