WSGA encourages you to attend our 8th annual Cougar Mountain CITO, part of Groundspeak's 13th annual CITO activities. King County Parks has been very supportive of geocaching, so let’s thank them by making this another successful work project!
This year, we're returning to Sky Country trailhead to fence and mulch vegetation we planted at the 2010 CITO and do other gardening tasks (noted below). After a previous CITO event, Niki McBride, Cougar's head ranger, said: "Your group is fantastic. They are, without a doubt, the hardest-working volunteers we get." High praise, and word has spread throughout King County Parks that geocachers are good park stewards.
Time and place? 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Meet at Sky Country trailhead (posted coordinates). Please arrive promptly, so KCP can get us organized and maximize the work time. When you RSVP, please note how many will be participating, so I can provide a head count to the Cougar folks. Note: Any minors unaccompanied by parents must have a permission formed filled out by parent or legal guardian in order to participate; contact hydnsek if you need the form.
Work project? Cougar's new head ranger, Duane Jay Evans, has planned several tasks for us: 1. Weeding, mulching, and fencing trees we previously planted; 2. Building a new foot bridge; 3. Removing scotch broom; 4. Thinning and cutting back snowberry and nooka rose at the entrance area; 5. Cutting back blackberries if time permits. As in previous years, Ranger Kevin will be our boss. We may have a group of kids (ages 6-9) from Pinnacle Explorers in Seattle helping us out; they are learning about geocaching and the environment.
What to wear and bring? Long pants, boots, and water are a must. Dress to get dirty! Raingear and layers depending on weather. Bring work gloves if you have them; KCP will provide other necessary tools.
Swag? Of course! There will be geo-goodies for our hard-working participants, courtesy of WSGA, Groundspeak, and your host.
Vittles? Bring something to eat and drink - you'll be hungry and thirsty afterward!
Hiking and caching? Cougar Mountain has more than 70 caches! For a complete list, see the Cougar Mountain bookmark list.
Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park is the crown jewel of King County Parks, with 3,115 acres, more than 36 miles of hiking trails, and 70+ geocaches. Bordered by Bellevue, Newcastle, and Issaquah, Cougar Mountain is a natural oasis today, but this “Issaquah Alp” has a rich mining and railroad history.
Here's a PDF version of the park map. If you use a Garmin or DeLorme GPSr, Northwest Trails could also prove helpful.
