I recently moved to Seattle and decided to have this as my first hike in the area. My dog Argus and I got to the trail at about 10 AM on this lovely Sunday. We only encountered a few hikers but ran into several people who were running the trails as part of a race. Other than that, things were quiet and peaceful. The trail was well-marked, dry, and overall in great condition.

This is a nice rainy day ,viewless loop hike on the southeast side of Cougar Mountain. It is especially nice this time of year with the fall colors beginning to appear. This trail was renamed in 2013 for Jim Whittaker for the 50ths anniversary of the first American to summit Mt Everest. Gombu was his Sherpa. Many in the local hiking community, including myself, thought that this dedication was inappropriate since Whittaker really has nothing to do with Cougar Mtn. It would have been much more appropriate to name it after the late Harvey Manning who led the fight to protect the Issaquah Alps starting back in the 1970's. Oh well, that's politics. The trail is in exceptionally good condition thanks to fellow OCD Trail Angels who have cleared it of almost all rocks and branches. There is also a new beautifully constructed bridge across Wilderness Creek which I assume was made by WTA workers based on it's high quality. The one area of this trail that always needs some attention is the last 1/2 mi of the Wilderness Creek trail before is joins the Wilderness Cliffs trail. This section has several clogged waterbars that allow water to flow on the trail surface and cause erosion. I was able to unplug 5 of them but there are a few that still need attention. A pair of work gloves and a hand trowel does the job nicely. Just dig the sandy debris out of the trough and place it on the trail just below the trough to reestablish the water diversion. This kind of work is most satisfying on a rainy winter day so that you can immediately see the benefit of your labor. These waterbars have to be dug out at least once a year. 4 mi RT and 1200 ft elevation

Decided to do another urban hike to rack up my miles! Started at 11AM with only a few cars in the parking lot. The lot is about 3.1 miles off I-90, but it was easy to find because I saw the parked cars from the road. Took the Whittaker Wilderness Trail up. The signage is great and the trail is easy to follow! It's a good workout. Got to the top, and then things got a bit creepy. An older man was up there with, well, can I even write this? His shorts down while he was at the top by the bench. I turned around quickly, but I didn't know exactly what he was doing. It could have been very innocent, though most people who need to go to the "bathroom" go off trail. I kept my hand on my bear spray, and then he left. On a side note-don't forget to sign the log up there! Anyway, that whole incident ruined the rest of my hike, and I hiked down with a knife and whistle in my pocket and my bear spray close by. I'm hoping he just "had to go" and wasn't expecting another hiker to come up-though why wasn't he in the bushes then?? It didn't warrant a 911 call or anything (since I didn't see anything gross), but still gave me the creeps. Don't let this deter you from hiking this trail!!!!! It's a beautiful hike in the forest and very quiet once you get away from the traffic noise. Oh, and I took the Gombu Wilderness Cliffs trail back down. Once you get off the Gombu trail to the main trail when descending, go right and you'll get back on the Whittaker trail that will take you back to the parking lot. If you go left you'll end up at a different parking lot. The signs are easy though! Only saw a total of six hikers.

Go on a weekday and what's not to love about Cougar Mt. Close in, but still feels mostly wild, few people, tons of trails that are marked very well, complimentary maps that are kept stocked and always, always, something fascinating growing. Lots of ups and downs in this route, with a couple of elevated walkway marshes. The last couple of rainy, cooler days have made the mushrooms and slime molds start popping up. Found some truly fascinating fungi including an earthstar! (yes it's an ugly duckling, but so cool) more fascinating fugi, googly eyed bugs, fabulous flowers and even a few mammals at the link below

Gombu is a great hike. The climb is challenging enough and it's very peaceful as you ascent. I had to climb over/around a few fallen branches as the winds earlier than day had gusted to 45-50 mph. Combo this with the Whittaker wilderness trail and you go for about 4-5 miles. Be aware, the top of Whittaker peak is a bit disappointing. A bench and a trail log is all there is. No view, unfortunately. I did 1500' elevation with gombu and Whittaker together. Feeling it in my legs this evening.