I could probably just write a whole post on how I am SO OVER ALL THIS RAIN. Enough!
I left work early today and headed home debating trying to get on trail. It had been raining all day and the thought of fighting afternoon traffic to get to the outdoors for just an hour or so did not seem worth it. However, when I got home there seemed to be a break in the deluge and maybe even the hint of blue skies (not sure if it was reality or wishful thinking on my part).
With yet another Mountaineers scrambling lecture reminding me to GET IN SHAPE, I loaded up my daypack with some weight and headed over to Lord Hill Regional Park a short 30 minutes away to get in a little time outdoors. I put on a short sleeve shirt and down vest with a light rain jacket; it was 50 degrees and I knew I would get warm on trail.
But of course, as is inevitable in the Pacific Northwest, by the time I got into the foothills of the Cascades and the trail head at almost 3pm, it was raining again. Just a little.
Suck it up, you’re here.
Every time I come to the Lord Hill park, I try and take a different route. There are miles and miles of trails to weave and wander, official and unofficial. This time, I decided to see if I could circumnavigate the park, so I took a right at the first junction to start a counterclockwise rotation.
Yep, it was a lot of this. Shortly after dodging a succession of mud puddles, where the trail bends to the left after the equestrian gate, there was a little unofficial trail heading off into the woods in the general direction I wanted. It looked good to me.
From here, I stayed on this trail as it crossed a few old roads as it made its way around the west side of the park.
I eventually did see a name for it…
I continued to take as any right hand turns as the trail would allow me and ended up in a section of the park I hadn’t visited before, Devil’s Butte. It had a rather nice pond with the mandatory ducks flying off as I approached. I could also hear owls and frogs dulled by the patter of the rain gradually falling harder and harder.
One of the things I noticed today that I hadn’t really noticed in all the other times I have been to the park is the number of old growth stumps covered with bright green moss and scarred by logging steps from the 1930’s when the logging industry came through and cut the forest down. Each remnant of the past was serving as a nurse log to a variety of vegetation and trees having a distinct personality.
I’m not sure why they hadn’t caught my eye before, but they seemed to be everywhere today. Not that I was dawdling. The rain jacket I had brought was already soaking through and my arms were wet. Not a big deal, but it wasn’t exactly a warm day. I had been out for about 35 minutes and a little over 1.5 miles now.
Continuing to take right hand turns, I ended up on top of a ridge where the trail petered out. Hmmm…
I could see the Pilchuck River down below so I knew where I was in general, so I turned a bit south and kept going along the ridge. There was somewhat of a game trail and a long ago abandoned logging road.
Eventually I came out to a more established trail and turned right again. I didn’t get far before I saw this…
Well, okay. I turned around on this trail and it headed back up and connected me with the trail I had already been on. Fun adventure but I was not getting as far around the park as I wanted to be. I checked my GPS and determined I could keep taking turns to the south and eventually get to trails I was familiar with near the far end of the park.
The trails varied from established trails to decommissioned roads and I even came to a scenic viewpoint at the intersection of three trails. I imagine on a nice day the views would look out at the surrounding valley and Cascades.
From here, the trail was mostly old road and I was getting wetter and colder. The wind and rain had both picked up and I was not sure it was worth it to keep moving away from my car. So, at about 4:10pm, I took a left and headed back toward the trailhead down the Main Trail.
You can see sort of what I did. Coming in from the main park entrance on the boardwalks, I went right by the private property, leaving the Main Trail shortly past. I was on the Springboard Trail past the communication towers and connected with the Devil’s Butte Trail. I must have followed along that faint drawn in line and with a bit of time off trail, connected with the Loop Trail and scenic viewpoint. West View brought me back to the Main Trail and out at 4:25pm.
It was a nice little ramble and I can head into a weekend stuck inside in class (Wilderness First Aid) at least feeling like I got out for a bit. It’s a good thing the weather forecast for the next two days is not much better than today. You can check out my page on Lord Hill Regional Park with information on miles, maps and directions, along with pictures from my previous visits. You can also check out my GAIA stats and a map of the park.
For more hikes in the area, visit my page on Snohomish County.
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