Why Do They Call It Poo Poo Point? And... Can Our Kids Get to the Top?

When Erin was here a couple of weeks ago, she and I hiked to the top of Poo Poo Point. Since then, I've learned how this mountain got its funny name. Here's the scoop:  

According to one of the hiking guide books written by the late hiking and environmental advocate Harvey Manning, the name "Poo Poo Point" came courtesy of the logging industry about a century ago. Loggers used whistles to communicate from the logging tower operator to the workers down the hill. According to the Issaquah Historical Society, the whistle would be a signal that two logs were tied to a cable, ready to be towed. The whistle made a sound like "poo poo," hence the name Poo Poo Point. Today, Poo Poo Point is a popular launching location for paragliders. If you aren't feeling like that much of a daredevil, it's a great photo op for views of Lake Sammamish, the Cascades, Olympics and Seattle. (source)

Rated as a moderate level trail and a little over 7.5 miles roundtrip, we wondered how our kids would do with this hike. They. Rocked. It. Mike and I were totally impressed. There was a tiny bit of whining here and there and some pleas to "Carry me, Daddy!" but, we rested frequently and pushed through and they both did it! 

Merrit, who's joined the Cub Scouts, should be able to get a badge for this. And Ollie? He just had fun saying "Poo Poo Point" all day! 

One of many brief stops to have a drink of water and catch our breath.

The men blazing the way.

The trail is very nicely maintained and goes through
a lot of different areas: very steep rock steps, lazy soft
paths (like this one), narrow switch backs, wide meadow
walks, and leaf-strewn expanses.

About a half-mile from the true top, there's a nice overlook that looks
out toward Mt. Ranier (I think). We couldn't see the mountain today;
too overcast.

Another reason they might call it Poo Poo Point.
(Are we bad parents that we took this picture of our
kid emerging from the woods and
then laughed about it?!?)

At the very top, we roamed around the chilly, windswept meadow,
took pictures, ate protein bars, and enjoyed the view, which looks out
toward Lake Sammamish and Bellevue beyond.

Lake Sammamish.

Clif bars for all!

We are getting some really nice fall color now.
What a view! Our kids were both pretty proud of
themselves and we kept building them up, "You did it!
You hiked all the way to the top! You're so strong!"

The town of Issaquah is directly below. On nice days, this spot where we're
sitting (on the green Astroturf) is a take-off point for paragliders. Too
cold and windy for that today, but that would totally be something cool
to see... Next time...