First trip as a family. Beautifully sunny day. Two parents sorely out-of-shape. Pretty simple trail with great views of Eatonville. It was a little tough at first, due to the many breaks needed by those out-of-shape, but anybody in decent hiking shape should be able to fly through it and just enjoy. A little muddy, so if you are trying to do it in a nice pair of sneakers they are likely to get ruined. The summit is a tad disappointing, but ultimately worth the hike.

Rufus and I enjoyed a lovely hike to Hugo Peak and we were the only ones on the trail! Although a little muddy in places, the trail was in great condition. It was a great workout, mostly uphill but not very steep, and a wonderful day for a hike. After finishing, I checked out the building at the entrance of U Pack next to where I parked and it had a notice about ticks. Sure enough, the next day I found a tick lodged behind my dogs ear. It was a great hike for Rufus since no one else was there and he got to go off leash, but be wary about ticks!!!

Excellent short hike this time of year. There was a lot of fall color, plus some clearing of the clouds allowed good views to the south of the Olympic Peninsula. This hike is steep and a little slippery but well maintained. On a Sunday, I only saw 3 other people on the trail - not bad for a hike that is only 30 miles from the Puyallup/Sumner area. The trail is well-marked & easy to follow. It is steep enough to provide a decent workout. No bugs, lots of birds, some hunters off in the distance. Wear orange if you do this one during hunting season. It is about 3 hours (give or take) from the gate parking area to the top and back. Yes, it is dog friendly (on leash).

First off, ignore the WA-7 closed ahead signs when you get to Eatonville. Don't take the detour. The entrance to Pack Forest is right before the road closed sign. We didn't actually hike the Hugo Peak trail, but we hiked several other trails in the forest. We parked just before the gate on 1000 road, then hiked up the road a little way to an unmarked trail on the right. We followed this trai/road in a little way and found the intersection with the Wildlife trail which we followed to the Resevoir Trail. We saw some of what I think were Cougar tracks along the trail, my pictures came out horrible or I would post them here. Something to keep in mind. The Resevoir Trail is great, a little steep in places and some blowdowns, but a really pretty hike. There are also some interpretive signs along the way that really help you "see" what you are looking at. At the top of the Resevoir Trail (near Kirkland Pass) we took the one mile hike along the Trail of The Giants. There are some amazing trees here that are hundreds of years old, parts of the trail has you actually walking on huge fallen trees. We then hiked back along the road back towards Kirkland Pass, where we took the "Advanced" Horse trail. This is a very steep, rocky trail. There are also some serious mud holes along the trail too. I don't know anything at all about horses, but I couldn't imagine a horse going down this hill on such a narrow trail. Near the end of the horse trail there is some serious mud and muck, which is mixed with lots of horse poop. My husband in boots made in through okay, but I was wearing Five Fingers. Let's just say, they went into the wash as soon as we got home. Sound a little confusing? Yeah, get a free map when you first enter the Forest, you could be in there for days if you don't.

I had a business meeting Saturday morning in Puyallup so afterward I continued south to Pack Forest. A drizzly day with moments of sunshine. I saw only one group on 4 other hikers in 6 1/2 hours. A nice long loop of 13.5 miles with 2650' of elevation gain. Wildflowers are in bloom in many places. I made a first visit to the New Forestry Trail. It could use more boots as the tread is being swallowed up by low brush. As always I finished the day with a visit to Little Mashel Falls. More water coming over the falls than I have seen. Thanks to the four kids I met at the falls I made a first time trip behind a waterfall (video included). This forest makes for a fine hike with few people, lots of looping roads and trails, and a nice falls. I have posted a more detailed report including 36 annotated photos, two videos, and a GPS track on my site at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips - 2012" on the left margin.