12-30-18
I
had hoped to hike on Saturday and take Sunday off. Unfortunately,
Saturday brought high winds and heavy rain. I chose to take the day
off. That meant a hike on Sunday morning. With a longer trip planned
for New Years Eve I headed out for a short easy trip on the north side
of Tiger Mountain. I reached the High Point exit at 8:35 am and was on
my way within a few minutes. I headed up the High Point Trail and
turned left at the junction with the Lingering Trail. This is a
slightly longer and much less traveled trail up to the Tiger Mountain
Trail (TMT). The trail has a lot of green. Moss, ferns, salal, and
various other bright green plants. I was not in a hurry so I stopped
often for photos. There were signs of recent trail work. A big log has
been cut out. A short new bridge was in place. Some drainage work was
done as well. I found several patches of mushrooms still going too.
I reached the TMT and turned right soon dropping to the junction with the High Point Trail. From there a short ascent leads to Murat's Bridge. The big broken up logs are still blocking the trail though it's not hard to get through. I crossed 200' long Murat's Bridge. The water was running pretty high. Recent rains raised the level much higher than when I crossed just less than a week earlier. The TMT is dark and green. Some interesting photo opportunities. As I approached the junction with the K-3 Trail I saw the first people of the day. A big group started down the trail from the junction. In the lead was Steve Payne. I seem to run into Steve at least once each year. He was leading a Mountaineer group to Murat's Bridge. We said "hi" and his big group marched on by. I went back to total solitude for quite a while.
In addition to Murat's Bridge there are two more bridges that are about 50' long. One of them has a problem with the east end foundation. It is twisting. Level at the west end but slanting at the east end. The trail climbs to the high point at about 1500' before beginning the descent. I moved one log and a number of smaller branches from the trail. Most probably came from the high winds the day before. At the crossing of the Cable Line Trail I saw a singe and a couple hikers. I saw several more groups after them too. This is not a popular trail and so it does provide solitude. I reached the junction with the Tradition Lake Trail and turned right . Quickly I reached the Bus Trail and turned left. My basic route is about 5 miles. By taking the Bus Trail and Around The Lake Trail I added almost another mile.
When I reached the main parking lot it was full. A quick hike on the trail to the main road and I found a lot of cars there as well. I finished my trip with a walk along the paved main road back to my car. I was back by 11:20 am and home by 12:05 pm. A quick morning hike for 6 miles with 1200' of elevation gain. Steve's group represented about half the folks I saw on the entire hike. With no rain or wind it was a much better day to be on the trail than the day before. Now I'm down to one day left in the year and my annual New Year's Eve hike on Tiger Mountain.
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Trips - 2018
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I reached the TMT and turned right soon dropping to the junction with the High Point Trail. From there a short ascent leads to Murat's Bridge. The big broken up logs are still blocking the trail though it's not hard to get through. I crossed 200' long Murat's Bridge. The water was running pretty high. Recent rains raised the level much higher than when I crossed just less than a week earlier. The TMT is dark and green. Some interesting photo opportunities. As I approached the junction with the K-3 Trail I saw the first people of the day. A big group started down the trail from the junction. In the lead was Steve Payne. I seem to run into Steve at least once each year. He was leading a Mountaineer group to Murat's Bridge. We said "hi" and his big group marched on by. I went back to total solitude for quite a while.
In addition to Murat's Bridge there are two more bridges that are about 50' long. One of them has a problem with the east end foundation. It is twisting. Level at the west end but slanting at the east end. The trail climbs to the high point at about 1500' before beginning the descent. I moved one log and a number of smaller branches from the trail. Most probably came from the high winds the day before. At the crossing of the Cable Line Trail I saw a singe and a couple hikers. I saw several more groups after them too. This is not a popular trail and so it does provide solitude. I reached the junction with the Tradition Lake Trail and turned right . Quickly I reached the Bus Trail and turned left. My basic route is about 5 miles. By taking the Bus Trail and Around The Lake Trail I added almost another mile.
When I reached the main parking lot it was full. A quick hike on the trail to the main road and I found a lot of cars there as well. I finished my trip with a walk along the paved main road back to my car. I was back by 11:20 am and home by 12:05 pm. A quick morning hike for 6 miles with 1200' of elevation gain. Steve's group represented about half the folks I saw on the entire hike. With no rain or wind it was a much better day to be on the trail than the day before. Now I'm down to one day left in the year and my annual New Year's Eve hike on Tiger Mountain.
 White Berries |
 First Mossy Tree |
 Very Green |
 Fern On A Stump |
 Mossy Border |
 Small Mushroom |
 New Bridge |
 Hanging Ferns |
 Tiny Mushrooms |
 Closer Look |
 Mossy Arch |
 Nearing Bridge |
 Murat's Bridge |
 High Point Creek |
 Totally Moss |
 Next Big Bridge |
 Twisted Bridge |
 More Mossy Logs |
 No Underbrush |
 Another Creek |
 Tree Along Trail |
 Down On Flats |
 Twisted Branches |
 Great Colors |
 Trail Reflection |
 High Water |
Trips - 2018
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