5-04-24
Kim
was free for a rainy day hike on Tiger Mountain. We decided on a close
in trip on Tiger. We arrived at the East Sunset Way Trailhead and were
on our way at 8:44 am. Not early but we did not have a lot of miles to
cover. This trip starts with a quick climb up to the Tradition Plateau,
gaining 270' in less than .40 miles. On the flats we took the Wetlands
Trail. We saw a bunch of blooming honeysuckles on this trip in late May
last year. We saw the beginnings of the flowers but they are still a
week or two short of full bloom. What we did see were a whole lot of
bleeding hearts. These sightings kept up most of the way around our
route. We also saw a few starflowers. Those were the first I have seen
this year. Back near the start we saw a flowering crabapple tree. Two
more flowers seen at the start of the plateau were Oregon grape and
forget-me-nots. Oregon grape were also prolific on this loop. At the
Adventure Trail junction we had a decision to make. Last year we did
the loop counterclockwise. I decided to do the same this year.
Hopefully we would be up the Section Line Trail before the rain arrived.
We went right on the Adventure Trail. There were a lot of trillium in bloom along here. There were also some mushrooms. The trail climbs to a high point and then drops quickly to the High School Trail. We went left on the High School Trail. At the junction of the Poo Poo Point and Section Line Trails a big group nearly caught up with us. We went left on the Section Line and they too the PPP Trail. The Lower Section Line is not very busy most days. This day it was. We saw hikers and runners going up and down the trail. Way more than I have ever seen on this route. The Section Line is really green this time of year. Grass, new leaves, moss, and more everywhere. The trail is an old road but is pretty steep.
On the Section Line Trail we saw lots more bleeding hearts and trillium along with salmonberry flowers, spring beauty, and yellow violets. I saw these flowers on Tiger three or four weeks ago. They seemed later on this side of the mountains. At the next junction we exited the Section Line just as it gets really steep. We headed over to the talus rocks. One more short climb brought us to the highest point of the trip. We wound through a cut between rocks to our lunch spot. It was now 11:08 am. The forecast rain still had nor arrived. We took a 21 minute lunch break. Several hikers went on by. Now our trip was nearly all downhill. We retraced our steps to the top of the Nook Trail. That was our route down to the Tradition Plateau. The trail provided more of the same. It is much busier than the lower Section Line, so of course, we saw almost nobody on it this day.
At the bottom we took a left turn onto the Bus Trail. From there we took the Around The Lake trail up to near the High Point Trailhead. That led to the Swamp Trail. When that split we took the right trail. Soon we were on a long wooden boardwalk through the swamp. There were a lot of skunk cabbage leaves but only one yellow spathe was still standing. We now had some light off and on mist but not enough for rain gear. We crossed the power line and the gas line then turned left up to the start of the Big Tree Trail. Last year's trip report showed wild ginger in bloom. So far I had seen only a few leaves and no blooms. Part way along the trail Kim noticed a bunch of leaves and then the flowers. They are unique. We slowed for a look at the big tree and kept on going. At the next junction we headed left to the road and across. The trail quickly reached the four way junction of the Wetland Trail and Adventure Trail. Our loop was closed. A right turn took us to the edge of the plateau. Now it was steeply down to the trailhead. We arrived there at 2:07 pm.
We hiked a little over 6 miles with 1300' of elevation gain. I told Kim we had one more place to go. We drove less than a mile to the Community Center and parked. A short walk down the old railroad grade brought us to Jacob Two Trees, the recently built troll. I had seen it once before but it was Kim's first visit. We were not alone as folks came and went to see it. It is pretty neat. There are five more that we have not yet seen. One is not far from my home. That took care of the day. The washout rain never happened. I was okay with that. It was a slow paced trip with lots to see. A fun day on the trail.
Click on thumbnails to get
larger pictures.
Trips - 2024
Home
We went right on the Adventure Trail. There were a lot of trillium in bloom along here. There were also some mushrooms. The trail climbs to a high point and then drops quickly to the High School Trail. We went left on the High School Trail. At the junction of the Poo Poo Point and Section Line Trails a big group nearly caught up with us. We went left on the Section Line and they too the PPP Trail. The Lower Section Line is not very busy most days. This day it was. We saw hikers and runners going up and down the trail. Way more than I have ever seen on this route. The Section Line is really green this time of year. Grass, new leaves, moss, and more everywhere. The trail is an old road but is pretty steep.
On the Section Line Trail we saw lots more bleeding hearts and trillium along with salmonberry flowers, spring beauty, and yellow violets. I saw these flowers on Tiger three or four weeks ago. They seemed later on this side of the mountains. At the next junction we exited the Section Line just as it gets really steep. We headed over to the talus rocks. One more short climb brought us to the highest point of the trip. We wound through a cut between rocks to our lunch spot. It was now 11:08 am. The forecast rain still had nor arrived. We took a 21 minute lunch break. Several hikers went on by. Now our trip was nearly all downhill. We retraced our steps to the top of the Nook Trail. That was our route down to the Tradition Plateau. The trail provided more of the same. It is much busier than the lower Section Line, so of course, we saw almost nobody on it this day.
At the bottom we took a left turn onto the Bus Trail. From there we took the Around The Lake trail up to near the High Point Trailhead. That led to the Swamp Trail. When that split we took the right trail. Soon we were on a long wooden boardwalk through the swamp. There were a lot of skunk cabbage leaves but only one yellow spathe was still standing. We now had some light off and on mist but not enough for rain gear. We crossed the power line and the gas line then turned left up to the start of the Big Tree Trail. Last year's trip report showed wild ginger in bloom. So far I had seen only a few leaves and no blooms. Part way along the trail Kim noticed a bunch of leaves and then the flowers. They are unique. We slowed for a look at the big tree and kept on going. At the next junction we headed left to the road and across. The trail quickly reached the four way junction of the Wetland Trail and Adventure Trail. Our loop was closed. A right turn took us to the edge of the plateau. Now it was steeply down to the trailhead. We arrived there at 2:07 pm.
We hiked a little over 6 miles with 1300' of elevation gain. I told Kim we had one more place to go. We drove less than a mile to the Community Center and parked. A short walk down the old railroad grade brought us to Jacob Two Trees, the recently built troll. I had seen it once before but it was Kim's first visit. We were not alone as folks came and went to see it. It is pretty neat. There are five more that we have not yet seen. One is not far from my home. That took care of the day. The washout rain never happened. I was okay with that. It was a slow paced trip with lots to see. A fun day on the trail.
 Hooker's Fairybells |
 First Bleeding Hearts |
 Crabapple Flowers |
 Forget-Me-Nots |
 Mushroom |
 Starflower |
 Honeysuckle |
 Oregon Grape |
 Mossy Arbor |
 Moe Bleeding Hearts |
 Past Prime Trillium |
 Trillium & Fern |
 Very Green |
 Spring Beauty |
 Winding Trail |
 Very Mossy Tree |
 Yellow Violet |
 Narrow Passage |
 Great Bleeding Hearts |
 Bus Trail |
 Skunk Cabbage |
 False Lily Of The Valley |
 Wild Ginger Flower |
 Better Hooker's Fairybells |
 Devil's Club Reflection |
 The Big Tree |
 Kim On Trail |
 Issaquah Troll |
 Back Of Troll |
Trips - 2024
Home