West Tiger Mtn Three Loop

West Tiger Mountain Three Loop

Today is September the 4th, 2010 and we continue our journey of hiking in the great Pacific Northwest. It was supposed to rain today so we were not sure if we would be able to hike today, but we decided not to let a little rain stop us and it turned out to be a great decision. The weather was fantastic! We dropped off Kayla, Ken and little Z at the airport at around 9am. They were off to see their friends in Utah. During the drive it started raining near Kent but only in small amounts. We were sad to see them go but excited to be off on another hiking adventure. We had purchased new backpacks this week and we were all very eager to try them out.

We picked a moderate to difficult hike this time around. We wanted to get a good workout in and we were not disappointed! The hike has an elevation gain of over 2,000 feet. The starting elevation is a little over 500 feet and ending up at the summit at 2,522 feet. There is a variety of trails to choose from, with picnic loops and small walks around Lake Tradition. We decided to take the direct route to the summit and then loop around on the way back via Talus rocks and Nook trail.

The hike to the summit is like a smaller version of Mt. Si, not as many switchbacks because of the smaller elevation gain, but still a good workout with a backpack and 2 liters of water in the Camelbak inside the backpack.

Within 5 minutes of the hike I had already made a wrong turn, which did nothing to please Heather and Eli... After a minute or so we made it back to the main trail and proceeded with the hike. We stopped quite a few times to rest, find walking sticks and eat some beef jerky. It is amazing how many stupid people we saw today. From the people with no food, no water and no first aid kits. Now granted, this is a day hike, but things can still go wrong. Maybe I am in the minority, but it is still stupid in my mind not to be prepared for the simplest of emergencies.

I have noticed that when you are hiking uphill, smiles are hard to find for me.....it seems ALL the people going downhill are smiling and saying things like "You guys are close, only a little ways to go and you are there".....It is 3 miles to the summit and people are saying that after only 0.9 miles up....I really hate those people...and their stupid smiling.

Anyway, most of the hike is on a large trail that closely resembles a road more than a trail, at least until the 2 1/2 mile mark. Then it switches to single track the rest of the way up. There are lots of rocks and roots near the top and the view to the East is pretty incredible.

We arrived at the summit around 2:40pm. We found a nice large rock to sit on and then an amazing thing happened. We were instantly surrounded by birds and chipmunks. They circled us like a fresh carcass for a few minutes, then decided we were ok because the chipmunk jumped onto the rock I was sitting on and stole part of my trailmix...the thiefs!!! The same chipmunk hit me up at least a half a dozen times, each time with no fear at all.....I think they were players! Heather started to feed the birds right out of her hand, so I did the same. It was awesome!!!

The view from the Summit is pretty cool. You can see part of Lake Sammamish in the distance if you look Southwest and a cell tower on another mountain to the Southeast.

We stayed at the summit for 15-20 minutes and headed back down. Around the 2 mile mark there is another trail leading West to Talus Rocks. If you take this trail you will not be disappointed! This trail has a cool wood bridge with a running stream. It also has underground cracks with a labrynth of caves to explore. Part of the cave system is blocked off to hikers, but it looks like it had been part of the trail at some point. This trail is more my style, with lots of boulders, large roots and steps. It is not just a traditional day hike trail, as it affords you lots of cool things to explore and look at. Eli and Heather did a little exploring of the cave system while I changed the batteries in the camera.

We finished up the hike around 5:30pm. I estimate the total mileage around 5 to 5.5 miles round trip and well worth it. We got a workout and we had a lot of fun. Now it's time to hit the couch, cuz it's nappy time!!!!!!