Hiking trails re-named in honor of local climber Jim Whittaker
ISSAQUAH - King County is honoring local climbing legend Jim Whittaker, on the 50th anniversary of his ascent of Mount Everest.
In 1963, Whittaker became the first American to reach the summit of the world's highest peak, along with Sherpa Nawang Gombu.
Today, the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks will honor their legacy be re-naming trails and trailheads at the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park near Issaquah in their honor.
The Wilderness Creek Trail and the Wilderness Peak Trail will now be known as the 1.9-mile Jim Whittaker Wilderness Peak Trail. The 1.3-mile Wilderness Cliffs Tail will become the Nawang Gombu Wilderness Cliffs Trail.
The Wilderness Creek Trailhead will also be renamed to the Jim Whittaker Wilderness Peak Trailhead.
The trails lead to the top of Wilderness Peak in the southeast corner of the park. The trails are among the most popular in the parks system, with an average of more than 100 hikers a day.
A ceremony recognizing the change happens at the Wilderness Peak Trailhead today at noon.