Route: Tarbell -> Chinook -> Ed's Trail -> Silver Star -> Chinook -> Tarbell. Had a few little detours along the way. :) 14-n-change miles total.
Humid and smokey in the AM, but got a bit more pleasant in the PM with a light breeze.
Trailhead at Tarbell was well maintained, I was the only person around for miles. Didn't see anyone coming or going until getting within about a mile of Silver Star. At and around the top it was pretty busy, but expected it to be so.
Trails were all in decent shape overall...little bit of overgrowth on the Chinook once getting on Forest Service land. Signage on DNR land was fantastic, on Forest Service land it was completely absent.
Ed's Trail was a blast! Haven't had that much fun on a trail since Goat Rocks Wilderness! Watch your footing in places as the trail is about as wide and stable as a tree root. Couple of spots for some rock scrambles, and the views were amazing, even in the hazy.
At the top of Silver Star the bugs were pretty awful, but nothing a few sprays of DEET couldn't drive away.
Hardest part of the trip was Silver Star trail...the rock for the trail is pretty wearying on the feet, but that aside the trip was great. It is a bit of a labyrinth around Silver Star of trails, but in most cases "all roads lead to another road", so I found just wandering around not to be problematic.
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