Camp Long — Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012

Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area

Camp Long was a nice afternoon local park hike for this work-weary trip reporter who has done too many overnight shifts. I spent about 90 minutes at the park, and my first dilemma was which features to explore. I ended up staying in the eastern half of the park, following trails down to the Parade Ground, then exploring the Middle Loop and Lower Loop Trails, letting gravity take me to the Longfellow Creek connector trail, which took me out of the park's northeast gate, then 0.1-0.2 miles farther until I reached the creek, just outside the golf course. The total elevation change was about 240 feet, not too bad for a 1-mile roundtrip journey. Along the way, I explored Schurman Rock (a monument to the positive power of Keynesian economics) and the Glacier. There were a few other people in the park. The trails are in good condition, with a mix of broadleaf (alder, birch, maple) and coniferous foliage (Doug fir, cedar, pines, and sitka spruce). There are a few small wildflowers, and blackberries are ripening. There are some areas under active maintenance, which are currently off-limits.