Hiking, biking or horseback riding directly from the end of Port Townsend's Larry Scott Trail, at Milo Curry Road, to the Olympic Discovery Trail, at the head of Discovery Bay, is practically impossible.  Only one public roadway -- State Highway 20 -- runs south (from the end of the Larry Scott Trail) to the head of Discovery Bay, seven miles away.  Those seven miles of Highway 20 are always frightening and sometimes terrifying for hikers or bike riders (and impossible for equestrians).  The highway shoulder, which is rarely wider than three feet, narrows at times to a few inches, often on steep uphills or downhills, with steel guardrails to the right, cliffs or steep drops outside the guardrails, and 50-mph cars, RV's and trucks to the left.  Traffic both ways is sometimes heavy, so even courteous drivers cannot easily veer across the highway's double yellow lines and rumble strips to give hikers or riders a wide berth.  E.g. http://rp.bikepdx.net/2014/08/21/day-9-epic-solo-bike-ride/#respond:

Yet, this section of Highway 20 has been federally designated as link in the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (PNNST):(http://www.pnt.org/files/2214/1238/2135/PNT_Sec09.pdf maps 09-02 and 09-03); 

identified as the first section of the Olympic Discovery Trail's (ODT) connection from the head of Discovery Bay to Port Townsend: http://www.olympicdiscoverytrail.com/trail_maps.html; 

and mapped by the Port Townsend Bicycle Association as its Discovery Bay bike route:
 http://ptbikes.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NJC_BikeMap13_3s.pdf.

Why?  Because there is no suitable alternate route.  One alternative is to walk or ride southeast to Rhody Drive, then to Chimacum, then south down Center Road to US Highway 101, then northwest on the shoulder, eight more miles to the head of Discovery Bay.  This detour gives little relief from highway travel, substituting twenty miles for seven, with eight miles of the substitute on an even busier federal highway -- albeit one with a wider shoulder.

Like many others, I want to find a suitable alternative to Highway 20 -- a Discovery Bay East Trail (DBET) that will safely carry hikers, bikers and equestrians from Larry Scott to the head of the Bay, allowing vehicular traffic unimpeded use of their narrow road.  Properly done, the DBET will join with the Pacific Northwest Trail, the Larry Scott Trail, and the Olympic Discovery Trail and make a lasting contribution to the recreation, education, and enjoyment of present and future generations of hikers, bikers and equestrians.

I want to see this done in six years, so I can ride the DBET when I'm eighty.

This blog will chronicle my efforts to get it done.