Cougar
Mountain Regional Wildlife Park is King County’s largest park,
covering 3,082 acres, with more than 36 miles of hiking trails and
around 30 geocaches (several near the CITO location). Bordered by
Bellevue, Newcastle, and Issaquah, Cougar Mountain is a natural
oasis today, but this “Issaquah Alp” has a rich mining and railroad
history (highlighted in park exhibits and some of the caches).
This is the first CITO at Cougar Mountain, and our first CITO in
partnership with King County Parks' volunteer program. KCP has been
very receptive to geocaching, so let’s thank them by making this a
hugely successful work project! And, if you haven't been down this
way to cache, now's your chance - the CITO finishes at 2:00 pm,
leaving you plenty of time to find some of the many great caches in
the vicinity.
Time and place? The work project is 10:00 am – 2:00 pm on
Sunday, April 20. Meet at the Red Town trailhead (posted
coordinates), at the information kiosk. Please arrive promptly at
10:00 am, so KCP can get us organized and maximize the work time.
Carpool if you can, as parking is somewhat limited at Red Town, and
we’ll be sharing it with regular park visitors.
When you RSVP, please note how many are attending, so I can
provide a head count to the KC folks. Thanks!
Everyone will need to sign a liability waiver on-site. If anyone
under age 18 plans to attend without parent or guardian, I have a
form you must get signed in advance in order to participate. I
can't upload the PDF, so please email me.
Work project? We will be divided into groups, doing trail
maintenance and invasive plant removal under the guidance of KCP
staff. We may be grubbing knotweed, hauling gravel for trails, and
correcting tread slopes on trails. Kids are welcome, although if
they are too young, they might get bored or worn out.
We won't know exactly where we'll be working until we arrive.
I'll post a notice at the kiosk so late-comers can find us.
What to wear and bring? Long pants and boots are a must.
Dress to get dirty! Raingear and layers depending on weather. Bring
work gloves and hand pruners if you have them; KCP will other
necessary tools (like shovels). Bring water for the trail, and
snacks/lunch if you want to hang out or hike/cache afterward.
More about Cougar Mountain? Visit the park
website. And here’s the park
map.
