Jim Kuresman and I wandered over to Taylor Mountain on this cloudy day. We've both been curious about Taylor Mountain - according to Tim Van Beek of WTA, King County logged the alder and sold it, and planted fir trees in their place. I'm think of it as a human-engineered bypassing of the alder stage of succession and diving into the next stage. An interesting experiment.
Knowing much of the trail winds through a recent logging operation, it was a perfect choice for a cloudy day when you don't want to get up early.
Close to town (Highway 18, exit Issaquah-Hobart, turn left, and see the trailhead a little ways on the left), it's easy to get to.
This is an equestrian/hiker/bicycle trail, and this day, we shared the trail with equestrians and a guy on a bike. Hikers step off the trail on the downhill side. Funny hats spook some horses, so it's best to take off your hat, if you think about it. If you forget, and the approaching horse acts wiggy, doff the hat. Most equestrians know what makes their horses nervous, and will talk you through the hat-doffing, if necessary.
There were no maps at the trailhead, so we just went straight, first in scrubby forest, then the trail opens to the logged hillside, where the views open up to the farms around Hobart and Mt Si in the distance. The trail winds around the slope, and slowly descends to a beautiful unlogged area where a creek winds through, and where large cedars, black cottonwood, alder and big leaf maple grow. This portion of the hike was delightful, and still holds lots of yellow fall color.
We didn't go too much farther, time being an issue because of the late start.
Though its a gentle trail, wear boots, not tennis shoes. The horses churn up the tread and it's fairly muddy in places as a result. I assume equestrians and bicyclists join hikers on WTA work parties to help maintain this trail system.
Taylor Mountain is a good place for a rainy day; I'll be back.
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