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 the Red Town 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.
Work project? We'll be renovating the Red Town meadow, part of the historic Red Town mining area. This may include: working on the access trail, split rail repair, barking the meadow trails, identifying areas where special plants are, adding native plants, and removing invasive plants. As in previous years, Ranger Kevin will be our boss.
Souvenir? Yes! Everyone who logs an “Attended” at this CITO Event earns this year’s CITO souvenir for their Geocaching.com profile.
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 has over 60 geocaches. Some are near the trailhead, others are nice leg-stretchers (hikes). For a complete list of Cougar Mountain caches, 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 60+ 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.
 This event is sponsored by a member of Washington State Geocaching Association. If you are a geocacher in the state of Washington, please consider joining WSGA. See the WSGA website for details. |