Found!! One Sony Camera out on Tiger Mountain Trail. Please call me if you lost the camera so I can get it back to you! 317-364-2284

The forests of Tiger Mountain are aglow with fall colors. It's a nice time of year to get reacquainted with our local mountain. Here are some trail conditions that I found on my latest ramble on Tiger:

High Point Creek:

This trail has received a lot of work in recent years, and is in great shape.

Upper High Point Creek, TMT junction to Fred's Corner:

More of an old school Tiger trail, this path is narrower and steeper than the lower High Point Creek trail. Still, it is in good shape. One long climbing section just beyond the Lingering Trail junction could use some drainage work.

West Tiger RR Grade, east section:

In good shape.

Preston Trail, uphill from W.T. RR Grade to upper Bootleg tr junction:

In good shape, a bit overgrown where this are some patches of salmonberry.

Preston Trail, downhill from W.T. RR Grade

In good shape, a bit overgrown-- except for the part of the trail built in an old skid road. As the trail approaches the lower Bootleg Tr. junction, the skid road becomes very steep and washed out. Logs have tumbled down into the trench, creating an obstacle course. This part of the trail should be rerouted out of the skid road.

A logical thing to do is to relocate the Preston Tr/ Bootleg trail junction farther uphill on the Bootleg tr about 150 yards, to where it reaches an old RR grade (the Bootleg Tr levels out here). Then, cut a short new section of Preston Trail over to the current Preston Trail. This avoids the worst of the skid road trench.

A fun little project for some trail crew!

Preston Trail, from Bootleg junction to Dwight's Way junction:

In good shape, although the skid road gets a bit steep on the final decent.

Dwight's Way:

In good shape.

Lingering Trail, from Dwight's way to lower end:

In good shape, though rather overgrown. Needs a long session with a weed whacker.

I didn't feeling like driving a long way to hike today, so I decided to take a nice long (9 mile) hike on Tiger. As usual, once I got away from the popular trails around Tradition Lake, I saw few other hikers. There was a mob of cars parked at the end of the paved access road (cable line hikers and adventure pass evaders), but the inner trailhead lot still had lots of space even at 10:30 am (adventure pass needed to park here).

In general, the Tiger trails were in good shape, although I was surprised to see a number of blowdowns that had not been cut. As one would expect, the trails have dried out and have even become a bit dusty.



Well, here's the rundown on trail conditions that I found on my long ramble:

TMT from Tradition Lake to High Point Creek:

In good shape. Steep climb beyond the Cable Line junction has sections of slumped tread, and a number of step-over blowdowns. Beyond the K3 junction, the trail is closed due to the damaged bridge over High Point Creek. This part of the trail is still quite hikeable, however.

K3 Trail:

Hikers have reported a bee nest on the trail

High Point Trail from TMT to Fred's Junction:

In good shape. I always enjoy hiking through the well-aged second growth forest here. Big, well spaced trees have the flavor of an old growth forest.

W Tiger RR Grade from Fred's Junction to Preston Trail:

In good shape. There is quite a durable spring that flows across the trail a quarter mile before the Preston Trail junction. Wonder if the water is drinkable?

Preston Trail from W Tiger RR grade junction to upper Bootleg junction:

In good shape. With this steeply inclined trail, maintenance of the drain dips is important. Someone should dig them out before the rainy season hits.

Poo Top Trail:

In good shape. Steep, narrow, old-school trail that is lightly used. If usage increases, this trail will have to be rebuilt.

Hidden Forest Trail above TMT:

In good shape. The lower portion is overly steep, needs rerouting with a reduced grade.

One View Trail:

In good shape. East end of the trail has a rooty, rough tread, and is steep in places. The west part of the trail has been rebuilt to a high standard, but sections are overgrown by brush.

Poo Poo Point Trail:

In good shape. One of the more heavily used trails on Tiger. Sections of the trail above the Many Creeks Valley bridge are excessively steep given the heavy usage, and could use rerouting. Below the bridge, drain dips need repair. This part of the trail is prone to erosion damage and needs good drainage. About 3/4 of the way up to Many Creeks Valley, there is a 100 foot section that gets a lot of runoff from a seasonal spring, and needs extensive tread repair and drainage features to remove water.

We almost didn't go today. While "sunny" was forecast, the morning sky was anything but. We had decided to wait until the next day, since "sunny" was again predicted. But, by mid morning the sky had changed for the better. My hiking buddy Marin and I reconsidered, opting instead for a late start today.

We exited I-90 at High Point Way, joining several other cars parked at the east end. We started up the High Point Trail, pressed on to the TMT, turned left and followed the TMT past Ruth's Cove to Fred's Corner. There, a left fork pointed us toward a railroad grade. The route merged eventually with the Preston Trail, then with the Bootleg Trail, and led us on to the Hikers Hut and sitting bench at the W. Tiger #1 summit (actually, just west of the summit. The true summit is occupied by a utility tower.)

The trails were soft, sometimes muddy. Beginning on the Bootleg Trail we encountered intermittent snow, up to about four inches. The north side trail approaching Hikers' Hut was partly frozen and in places somewhat slippery.
 
Emerging into the bright sun at the "summit" was a real contrast. The exposed ridge and south slopes were completely melted out, and we enjoyed the spring weather. We had the bench all to ourselves, apart from a Stellar's jay and three gray jays. Off to the west, near Poo Poo Point, we noted five parasailers aloft.

A few wildflowers were out today, at least at the lower elevations: a lot of trilliums, a few coltsfoot, salmon berry, bleeding heart, and skunk cabbage. And the first of the yellow violets.

Near Ruth's Cove on the TMT, we were startled to see "another" small tree decorated with holiday ornaments. This one was new for us, and an addition to its long-time counterpart near the intersection of the Bootleg Trail and Paw Print Connector.

This was a very enjoyable early season hike, and our first "summit" of the year. Less than 7 miles round trip, and about 2,400 ft elevation gain.