The Rock Trail is nearing completion (think of it as approaching an asymptote, because there is always more work to be done on a trail), and today we conducted an abbreviated work party followed by a celebration of those who have worked many hours to make the trail a reality. Arlen was the crew leader, with ACLs Rick, Jon, Terry, and Mike. We started with a brief safety lecture (we only had one first-timer, who was a hiker who joined the work party and got a safety lecture mid-morning) and the awarding of hardhats to Marjan and Frank, who have worked on this trail through both WTA and the Chuckanut Conservancy. Well-deserved hats! The work of the day was conducted mostly near the trailhead. A few sections with ups and downs needed flattening and filling in, respectively. I worked with Pete and Laura Leigh to move the tread outward from a mischievous hemlock that was positioned to "elbow" hikers. We extended the rock underlayer outward and packed new dirt onto the trail surface. Afterwards, we re-vegetated the downward side of the trail to improve appearances and stabilize the soil by performing fern transplants. At 1:00 we met in the picnic shelter for a potluck celebration coordinated by Jon. The "official" celebration/dedication will be April 26. We presented appreciation certificates to Rangers McEvers and Forest. Our hardest-working (most trail days put in) volunteers won prizes--cans with rocks on the top (see picture below). Arlen also received an award from us, best Crew Leader of the year (I hear it was a very close vote). There have been 30+ work parties, with more than 200 volunteers and 4000 hours put in.

This was a WTA work party to make improvements in the Rock Trail connector to Lost Lake. The trail is complete from the Cyrus Gates Overlook to the Lost Lake trail, but the trail is subjected to high rainfall, so many places need revision to optimize drainage; several sections become slick, muddy, or waterlogged in rainy conditions. We met at 8:30 am at the overlook for the safety lecture. Arlen was the crew leader, with ACLs Rich and Marty. We divided into two groups. One group loaded buckets with mineral soil and rock from a pit. The buckets traveled by zip line (easier than hauling them down steep, muddy trail) 120 feet, as the bucket flies, to the second group, where the buckets were taken off the lines, emptied onto the areas of need, and then returned by zip line to the first group. Two zip lines were assembled, and two turnpikes were nearly complete by the end of the day. I spent the morning harvesting dirt and rock, and then I migrated down to the turnpike crews to assist with hauling a cedar pole and digging a drainage swale (depression) to help out a muddy section. The pole would later become the side of a turnpike. I spent the afternoon on bucket brigade for turnpike building. Many friendly hikers passed by during the day, which was partly cloudy with moments of sunshine. The rain stayed away for the most part, which made the work possible. We wrapped up at 2:30 pm, had to lug our tools back up to the overlook, and were treated to snacks and apple cider. Side note: this work party featured Taum Sauk's first slug sightings of 2014 (Arion ater and Arion rufus).

We attempted the new Rock Trail today from Cyrus Gates Overlook. Due to snow, the upper gate was closed. We parked and hiked up to the parking lot, got lost for 45 minutes because of non-existent signage and outdated maps, and eventually found our way :) From Cyrus Gates Overlook, walk to the south end of the parking lot. At the fork, go right and follow the trail to a four-way intersection. Continue straight through this intersection and you will find a set of 100 or so stairs leading down, down, down the Rock Trail to the Lost Lake Trail (1.2 miles). From there, go left and follow the trail around to the right for views of Lost Lake. For more hiking info in Bellingham and the PNW, visit our site: www.beersatthebottom.com

The Rock Trail connector to Lost Lake has unofficially opened. Sunday's Bellingham Herald carried a story and pictures of trail work on the front page (http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/02/09/3463378/new-and-rugged-12-mile-trail-connects.html#), which brought out the Bellinghamsters to spin their (bicycle) wheels and hike the new trail. The Cyrus Gates Overlook parking area was packed with cars on a snowy and cold February Sunday by the time we left. The snowy and cold weather brought out a dedicated corps of 10 trail volunteers. It was snowing when we arrived, and it snowed after we broke work, but our work day was thankfully spared from precipitation. We started as always with our safety lecture, and then we set off to reroute two segments of trail, one at the very start of the Rock Trail and one a few hundred yards downtrail. Our goal was to clear organic soil and duff and reach the mineral soil layer to build the final remaining segment of hiker-only trail. Clearing the organic layer was more challenging, because our grubbing tools wanted to bounce off the frozen ground! Nevertheless, we de-rooted and double-dug the mineral soil, and we "mined" additional mineral soil for packing. We also mined rocks from the hillside to build a boulder retaining wall for the side of the trail segement, and then we filled in with smaller rocks. The final step was dumping several buckets of mineral soil to form a walking surface. As we worked, hikers and bikers passed by, drawn to explore by the Bellingham Herald story. Everyone noticed the stunning trailwork architecture and views from the new trail, and many of the users expressed their appreciation. We ended the day as is tradition with apple cider and, in a new twist, crackers and homemade goat cheese from Arlen's farm.

I went to the Cyrus Gates Overlook above Chuckanut Drive to hike the new connector trail to Lost Lake. I found the new trail a short way down the trail at the South end of the parking lot. The new trail is great! There are many new stairs on the steep areas, and they are well made. After the initial descent, the trail passes close to steep cliffs and weaves past large fern-covered boulders. The trail ends just over a mile at the regular trail that approaches Lost Lake from the South. The work crew did a terrific job on this trail. The trail is scheduled to open in the spring, but all it needs is signs. This is without a doubt the most interesting trail to Lost Lake. I met two couples planning to hike the connector trail when I returned to the Overlook trail. Contrast that with the 60+ cars (I counted them) at the PCT trailhead at the 10-mile marker on Chuckanut Drive... It was a beautiful day and a rewarding experience. I even found some Hair Ice. It is about 4.75 miles out-and-back from the Overlook to the outlet waterfall at Lost Lake with about 1,200' of elevation gain.