Swamp Trail, Big Tree Trail, Brink Trail, Puget Power, High School Trail, Bonneville Trail, Wetlands Trail & Tradition Lake Loop — Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022

Decided to do a loop trail starting at the High Point Trailhead parking lot. I headed down the Swamp Trail with the sign telling about "Zoe and the Swamp Monster". There are story boards along the trail for children to read. At the first junction I went left while the trail right goes over some wetlands on metal bridges. I met two City of Issaquah Park employees out checking for down trees. Some of these trails are on city property.  After crossing under two power lines, one BPA and the other PSE I was on the Ruth Kees Big Tree Trail. There is one huge old growth Douglas Fir tree that the loggers of Tiger Mtn. never cut down. The tree is around 400 years old with a wood pole fence around it to protect it. There is a wood bench nearby if you would like to sit and view it. After leaving the big tree (there are several other large Doug Firs in this area, but not as large) I came out on the Brink Trail. There were two trees down across the trail before getting out to the Puget Power Trail. I then hiked west on the PPT to the viewpoint with a bench where I had a snack break. From here you have a view down to old Highway 10 through Issaquah and out to Lake Sammamish. 

I then continued on the PPT to the three-way junction with the west end of the Wetlands Trail, the trail coming up from Sunset Way and the Park Pointe Connector Trail. I took the PPCT and headed south. Along the way are some old roadbeds (no longer trails) with posted signs saying "Trail Closed. Restoration Area". I passed a round cement concrete slab that had an old logging block in it. The block was used for wire robes (cables) during the logging operations on Tiger Mtn. Further on I came to another junction with a kiosk. There was a new trail map board on a post (and at other junctions in the Park Pointe area) furnished by the City of Issaquah and the Issaquah Alps Trails Club. I took the trail to the left which went up hill for a little distance then leveled out. Before going back downhill I got to a junction with a side trail going out to a "viewpoint" shown on the new trail board map. The only view was through the trees out west to Squak Mtn. There was another wood pole fence across the trail with a trail closed sign. I then headed back to the PPCT and went downhill to another trail junction with a horse gate. I turned left here and hiked down to the High School Trail. I went up the HST to where it met the Bonneville Trail at the junction with the Section Line and Poo Poo Point Trails. There was a DNR truck parked here, so they must have been doing some work on one of those trails.

I then hiked the BT to the east end of the Wetlands Trail and stopped at the bench at Round Lake for lunch. Only a couple of ducks paddle around the lake. The lake was a mill pond when a sawmill was located here during the logging days on Tiger Mtn. After lunch I continued on the Wetlands Trail to the next junction and took the trail northeast to meet back with the Puget Power Trail. I went east on it to get to the junction with the Around the Lake Trail to get back to the parking lot. Part of this trail on the southeast side of the Tradition Lake was relocated uphill from the lake back in 1992 to give the wildlife more space by the water. At the view platform along the way I could see down to the lake and spotted a kayaker fishing. I did not know that there were any fish in the lake. Then it was back to the parking lot to finish my hike. I lucked out as it did not rain. Made for a nice loop hike on the lower portion of Tiger Mtn.

I only met a few other hikers, some dog walkers and several groups of trail runners. I had a nice chat with a young couple who had a red Siberain Husky. The wife's baby was about due, but they still got out on a short hike. Found out they were snow boarders and had snow boarded up on Mt. Si last winter.

I had not hiked the Park Pointe Connector Trail before, so got to do a new one for me. This next year, 2023, will be the start of my 70th year of hiking. George