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In for a Loop: McCollum Park Forest Loop

When we first arrived at McCollum Park, the northern terminus of the North Creek Trail, we were greeted by a pleasant sunny day with clear, open fields full of green grass. However, things started to look a lot more gloomy when we approached the trailhead. One of the first objects we found was a syringe lying on the grass, an ominous sign for what was to come. Then, we entered the first wooded section, and the amount of trash we uncovered grew exponentially. There were dozens of assorted bottles and bags in a very small section where the trailhead was still visible. Our endeavor was not assisted by the dense brush with thorns that we had to venture through to pick up the litter. And of course, there were a multitude of dog bags that added a distinct scent to our adventure.

Bad Omen

Our greatest find of this trash cleanup was an old Forever 21 bag that contained the materials necessary to grill. This peculiar discovery demotivated us even more, for the people who frequented this trail had such little regard for the environment as to leave an entire bag in a creek bed. Eventually, we cleaned this section of the hike to a satisfactory level, though the three bags of trash we had because of it did not make us optimistic for the rest of the hike. Due to the fact that we did not want to or have the time to spend 10 hours cleaning the trail, we decided to hike another, shorter and cleaner, trail nearby.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

This trail, the Forest Loop, is a quaint trail that takes you in a short loop in the neighborhood. Though houses are visible for most of the hike, the trail still gives the hiker a nice experience in nature. There are also many side trails on this rather short trail, providing one with more potential opportunities for hiking than one would expect at first glance. This is a small section of rather pleasant forest in the massive urban sprawl that is the Seattle Metropolitan area. It is a very relaxing and accessible reprieve from the hustle and bustle of living in one of the largest cities in the United States.

These two trails can both be accessed at McCollum park, located off of 128th St SE, a mere half mile away from I-5. The North Creek Trail, however, has many access points littered through the duration of the trail, thanks to its close proximity to many apartment complexes along the Bothell-Everett Highway. The southern terminus of this trail is near the junction of 164th St SE and the Bothell-Everett Highway, along Mill Creek Boulevard. The flat, sloping nature of the trail also makes it a perfect place to bike along or take young members of the family.


For the Future of Tomorrow

Overall, we believe that this hike had the most egregious example of trash of all the hikes, which would be logical considering its close proximity to thousands of residents living in the apartments near to the trail. This means that the trash in this trail is endemic to the urban lifestyle present in the area, and one would have to educate the residents to reduce the trash on this trail. Because of the high traffic and potentially dangerous nature of the trash of the trail, we would recommend official trash collectors with adequate safety equipment to clean the trail.

We hope that you continue to follow us in the next hike!

Click here for more photos from this hike!

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Location: 600 128th St SE, Everett, WA 98208, USA

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