Day Hike - Forest Park, Everett

Wednesday August 9th after work in-town hike - part of the "Staying Fit Series."

Weather: over 51 record settings days of no rain; dry foliage; a week of record setting temps (was 84); a week of no wind that kept smoke from BC forest fires throughout Puget Sound; air advisory alert; and muggy.  I had to successfully beg two members to join me with chance of finding the burial site for the by-gone zoo.  The park is over a 100 years old.  At one time Mountaineers used park for climbing course.  

We started at the Recreation Office and entered the established 19 indicator post circuit created as an Eagle Scout project in 2003.  We had a double sided educational color photo brochure to follow along.  Some of the plants no longer existed but a fun route to follow.  We had an aerial map to follow trails north of the park then west.  We did not cross over E Mukilteo Blvd into the Pigeon Creek basin but SW of the park was another basin.  We started into it but backed out as it was steep and hilly.  We walked the road to the back side of the Animal Farm .  The Farm was closed and did not see any animals.  We stopped in at the Pool and picked up a Park & Rec  Fall Guide loaded with lots of community activities to do.

We also had a Orienteering Guide for the park which had 14 markers and covered about 1.5 miles.  We saved it for our next visit, during cooler weather.  Might be a fun hike to do with teens or part of a Nav Course.  No bugs on the trail, anywhere!  Not like the previous Saturday near Stevens Pass where bugs devoured us.