The weather seemed fitting for a tour of a bog.

Rain poured from overhead, cascading its way down to the saturated earth below. With the loud reverberations of raindrops on nylon jacket hoods, the group had to listen closely to guide and general contractor Cliff Houghtaling as he led the way through the maze of construction underway at the West Hylebos Wetlands Park last week.

"Just walk where I walk and you'll be alright," Houghtaling told the group, pointing to the thick mud and sink holes normally covered by a mile-long wooden boardwalk that allows visitors to journey deep into the wetlands.

Betty Sanders, Parks Planning and Development Coordinator from the city of Federal Way Parks Department, Chris Carrel, executive director of the Friends of the Hylebos, and John Loy, a guest from Rep. Adam Smith's office in Washington, D.C., followed Houghtaling down the heavily-canopied mud trail where the aged and failing boardwalk once stood.

With so much moisture in the area, Houghtaling pointed out, the roots of the Hylebos' massive trees grow outward instead of downward. Their roots form giant wooden fingers that work like planks to give the moist soil enough support to walk on.

"We had a guy take bad step and sink up to here," Houghtaling said, the knife of his hand indicating the mark towards the middle of his thigh.

The city of Federal Way, concerned about the footing of the recreation area's 35,000 visitors as they navigate the dilapidated and storm-ravaged parts of the boardwalk, recently closed the popular nature park July 2.

Built in 1991 of wood and other materials prone to decay, the boardwalk has become unstable in recent years, and last winter's wind and rainstorms destroyed several large stretches, making it unsafe for visitors.

As of press time, crews had removed nearly the entire mile-long boardwalk, leaving a wet maze of mud, sink holes and exposed roots that made touring the renovation project treacherous.

Along with precautions for safety, Hougtaling's crew considers limiting environmental impact one of its principle objectives.

"We really tried not to remove anything in there," Houghtaling said, motioning to the giant groves of centuries-old trees that surround the boardwalk. "And we've pretty much got everything we need out."

The tour group came across only a few stumps where crews removed trees to disassemble the old boardwalk.

"You know, this whole project wouldn't have been possible without some outside help," Carrel said after the tour.

The Friends director pointed to the acquisition of local, state and federal funds as the multi-tiered effort that, in his opinion, saved the Hylebos park. The effort included contributions from Reps. Mark Miloscia, Skip Priest, Sen. Tracey Eide, US Rep. Adam Smith and the Federal Way City Council.

"We knew this had to be done to save the park," Carrel said.

"This would have never happened if (the West Hylebos Wetlands Park) was still a state park," Carrel admitted. "We would have never received the funding."

The city of Federal Way inherited the park from the state in September 2004.

The boardwalk renovation comprises just part of a widespread effort to restore and enhance one of Federal Way's most popular parks.

Last year, the city installed a new parking lot along 348th Street to provide improved access to the historic Denny cabin and streamline the large crowd of vehicles that would spill over the crude gravel parking area at the end of 4th Place South.

The new parking lot also features permeable concrete that absorbs rainwater and limits the rain runoff that could potentially send excess impurities into the wetlands and stream.

Sanders said the permeable concrete costs 20 to 30 percent more than conventional concrete, but she and Carrel agreed the benefit to the fragile area more than outweighed the cost.

The Friends of the Hylebos also orchestrated a broad-sweeping Himalayan blackberry removal project that has ridded the park of more than 80,000 square feet of the invasive plant.

Despite the rare August rain that saturated the guests on their Tuesday morning tour, the boarwalk project continues to stay on schedule.

"Our goal is to have the park open again by November 15," Sanders said.