Margaret's Way and Debbie's View

At 7:30 am, the trailhead's parking lot was almost empty. Shortly after 8am, our group of six Mountaineers walked up an old road. We passed a detour sign. At about 0.5 mile from the trailhead, we connected with the actual trail, built by WTA volunteers. The first mile was slightly slick in spotty areas, probably due to a combination of wet and packed clay dirt, covered with soggy fallen leaves on a steep section. There are only a few spots with small flat rocks. Otherwise, most of the trail sections were soft dirt with a gradually increasing inclination and comfortable switchbacks. It was a delight to walk on the trail. There was no rain until we reached the last mile to Debbie’s view. At Debbie’s overlook we enjoyed a short break in the rain without an open view.

We hiked total of 7.5 miles, gained 1,700 ft, in approximately 4 hours, including a 10-min break at Debbie’s view.

The thick, healthy forest, abundant with western hemlock with graceful pendulous branch tips and healthy vibrant green short needles, captivated and charmed us. We encountered a few solo slugs crossing the trail. The quiet nature and upper parts of trees bathing in fog were mystical.  We enjoyed the forest while socializing as a group. Thank you to my amazing hike leading mentors and hikers of this group for making this trip a success. Thank you to WTA volunteers for building a beautiful trail that absorbs storm water and has very few rocky sections, and to Margaret MacLeod for her efforts to preserve this land.