West Tiger Mountain on a gray day

Steve Hannan joined me on an after-work hike yesterday and after fighting our way through pre-Mariner's traffic on our way out of Seattle we made it easily to Issaquah.  We pulled off of I-90 at the High Point exit and drove to the upper lot where we encountered new signs requiring parking permits. Having neither a permit nor the desire for a $200 ticket, we returned to the frontage road and walked back to the lot.  We continued on the flat section of the trail network heading toward the West Tiger 3.  A few short steps later we turned left onto Tiger Mountain Trail (TMT), the namesake trail for the mountain.

 One of the great things about the TMT is that so few people use it compared to the West Tiger 3 trail.

TMT starts out fairly flat with a few short steep grades until it crosses the Cable Trail about 1/2 mile from the start. A couple of hundred yards later, a series of 14 short, relatively steep switchbacks begins to climb.  At this point we discovered that stinging nettles were in their full glory: some were low attacking our ankles, others were high, threatening to leave a burning track across our faces.

Did I mention the weather?  cool, and drizzley! gotta love Seattle summer weather.  It left the understory drenched. Soon, the leader, that would be me, was as wet as the forbs I was trampling through.

At the top of the switchbacks the trail levels as it crosses the side of a steep forested slope. In this area, called Anschelles Allee, the understorey is absent as are the deciduous trees.  Second growth conifers rise vertically from a floor of stumps, blowdown, and needles- a welcome and unexpected change from the claustrophobic vegetation on the lower flanks of the mountain.



Soon we came across a group of woman hikers with their Golden Retriever, the first folks we had seen since we left the main drag over  a mile ago, Shortly after we crossed the a bridge that spanned a small deep-cut creek.
 
After a second bridge we reached a decision point: right up K-3 or left to continue on TMT?  We went left in spite of the sign warning that the trail was closed ahead.  I let Steve know that the trail closure was due to a bridge,which had been knocked off its abutment during a storm a year ago or so.  I had previously braved the crossing and was prepared to do it again.When we reached the bridge there was another hiker on the far side of the bridge who warned us off crossing it, so instead we hopped a few rocks under the bridge and went merrily on our way. 

We continued to climb the TMT past the High Point access trail down to the road and past the Lingering Loop trail.  About 3/4 of a mile later we crossed a small bridge over what is one of the prettiest spots on the mountain.  In spite of our proximity to civilization, it seems to be miles, or a lifetime away from the City.


We continued on for another 1/2 mile or so where we stopped to consult our watch and map.  The watch showed 8pm and the map showed that either loop I had been contemplating would require another 2 1/2 miles of trail work.  Instead, we chose to backtrack our steps to Lingering Loop, which we followed down to the access road.  I told Steve about one of my first visit here,when Andy Nichols and I came across a strange structure built from logs.  Here is Andy, showing off his new summer home.

One half mile to the west we reached my car, tired after six miles in the bush, but grateful for the exercise and a much-needed respite from the big city grind.

Snow and sun but no Snow Lake

My son Austin and I went hiking today on the Snow Lake trail.  It was great to have him along and it was probably the nicest day so far in 2011 on the west side of the Cascades.  We left the parking lot about 11:30 and it was in the the low sixties with a clear blue sky.  Within 100 feet of the trailhead we hit the first bit of snow and it was increasingly patchy for the first 3/4 of a mile or so. Torrents of water were cascading from the steep, rocky cliffs to our right, and new vegetation was beginning to poke through the soil where the snow had been clear for more than a few days.

It was Austin's first time in the mountains for the summer and his first time hiking on snow. He was struck by the beauty of the scenery and the oddity of being on the snow without skis.  We past a few hikers going up and down the trail but the numbers were fairly low for this trail, which often feels like an Interstate highway on a summer day, presumably because of the amount of snow. 

After a mile and a half or so we began to approach the area marking the end of the long gentle climb up the creek valley where the trail splits, and the switchback to Snow Lake cuts sharply to the right and upward at a steeper grade. As I surveyed the snow-covered terrain, I concluded that the track we were on was not following the usual alignment, which was not too much of a surprise, given the amount of snow.  Below to our left we could see a second, faint track that seemed to me to be the proper location for the true trail.  I suggested to Austin that we boot ski down to that area, and lent him my poles for stability.  He pointed his boots down and make it 100 yards or so without incident.

He used my camera to film my descent:

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We continued on until we rejoined the previous trail and made our way toward Source Lake.   We reached an overview but the lake, which is really a pond at the best of  times, was covered with several feet of snow and avalanche debris.  We were both tired and getting hungry so we turned back toward the car.   Many more people, including families with young children and couples poorly dressed for the trail conditions were on the trail as we we made our mid-afternoon descent.  Austin was chatting about food on the way down and at one point was recounting a recipe for Japanese fried chicken.  He was describing how he "cooked the chicken in olive oil until the batter is golden brown" and a young woman we passed commented that his description was making her hungry.  By the time we made it to civilization we were starving so we stopped in Bellevue for pho at the Lotus Square.  It was a delicious end to a spectacular day.

Ducks, llamas, slugs, and ferns

Martine went hiking with me today for the first time in a couple of years.  We choose Rattlesnake Ridge because it is close and easy.   The weather was great leaving Seattle but got progressively worse as we approached North Bend. I pointed the ledge out to Martine, it was hidden behind a curtain of clouds.  As we pulled into the parking lot, a few drops fell on the windshield but nothing to get excited about.  The trail approaching Rattlesnake Lake passes over the outlet stream where a couple of ducks paddled in a pool.

 My guess is that there will be some ducklings in another month or two.  Onward to the trail.  As usual, we were not alone, but the second group we encountered was a first.  A couple of hikers were escorting three llamas up the trail.

They created quite a commotion and more than a little stink.  I noticed the lead llama seemed more skittish than the others, which was confirmed by its handler.  It was also pretty damn ugly, and seemed to have a single upturned tooth.  A moment later it opened up its mouth and there were a couple of other scraggly teeth in there too. 

We let the llamas pass by and left them a wide berth to let the scent dissipate.  I stopped a while later to take some closeups of ferns and flowers that are beginning to pop out as the weather warms.

We decided to turn around early but not before I scoped out a slug, sliming its way up a rotten log. 

Here is a picture of Martine at our turn-around point, proving to all that she made it to the trail.

On the way down a squall passed over dropping rain and hail.  Within 10 minutes the sun poked out and the rest of the hike was a breeze.

Just because it's April don't mean it's spring.

The weather summary for March was in the Seattle Times this morning.  There were only three days when there wasn't even a trace or rain and they were cloudy too.  The rain in the last week of March was particularly intense, especially in the mountains where copious downpours caused many rivers to leave their banks. As an example, the hydrograph for the Snoqualmie River at Carnation crested several feet above flood stage. Thankfully, it's on the way back down as of noon on 4/2/11.

Unfortunately, the snow level rose and soaked the ski areas so I needed an alternative to get some exercise. I drove off early in the morning, intending to go to Poo Poo Point but my pedal  hit the metal and before I knew it, Rattlesnake Ledge loomed into view. It was 37 degrees and drizzling at the parking lot, where a car full of young men headed up as I arrived. A UW Law School sticker made me wonder if any of them knew my father, who is coaching a team of students in a moot arbitration competition in Hong Kong.

I felt lethargic as I worked my way toward the ledge but it was good to be moving and it was interesting to not the transitions as the trail ascended.  After gaining a few hundred feet a thin layer of slush coated the undergrowth in areas with few trees.

Further up, small torrents crossed the trail where runoff was concentrated in small gulleys.  Rain gave way to small snow pellets and eventually transitioned to flakes near the top. 

The students were just leaving as I arrived after staining the fresh snow with an odd yellow tint (isn't there a law against that?)  The next several few were peaceful as the clouds swirled about, obscuring all but the nearest trees.

The wind began to pick up, whistling through the snow-covered branches and the silence was soon broken by the next group of hikers.

It may have been a little early in the day (8:30 AM leaving the car) and early in the season, but it was good to be in the hills again.