Thank you for your great reporting on mountain bike opportunities in Issaquah.

My husband and I moved to Issaquah to be close to hiking and biking trails. We hike or bike once or twice a day in the Issaquah area, and we were thrilled when Duthie Park opened. Nothing makes me happier than seeing all the cars going by with mountain bikes on them, and all the kids on the trails at Duthie. On any given day there are numerous kids waiting to be picked up by their parents after an afternoon of riding.

I read The Reporter regularly, and I was ecstatic to read your article on the task force to promote mountain biking in Issaquah (“Gold in them thar’ hills,” The Issaquah Reporter, June 18). Particularly as it was on the heels of the articles related to creating a mountain bike skills park or skate park in the Highlands. Two amazing announcements within one month of each other!

We live adjacent to the Highlands, and we spend quite a lot of time there. One thing we have noticed is how many people walk or ride to the many parks in the Highlands. The Highlands seems like a perfect location to build a mountain bike skills park and a skate park. The kids in the area could ride to either or both, which is what I did when I was growing up.

As a hiker and a biker, I would also like to note that while I can hike a different trail in the Issaquah area every day for several weeks and not hit a repeat, on my bike I only have Grand Ridge, Soaring Eagle, and Duthie as options.

Given that road biking in Issaquah is generally a dangerous proposition (and I have biked several thousand miles through major urban areas with less trepidation than I have biking in Issaquah), I welcome more mountain biking trails.

Kathy Hardy

Issaquah