Peak to peak climb via the section line trail on the ascent. The section line was a great workout and not at all crowded. The weather got progressivley worse as we moved from West Tiger 3 to 2 to 1. We were greeted by strong gusts of wind and freezing rain on West Tiger 1. No views today. Still a lovely workout without the usual crowds of people.

We did an after work headlamp hike on Tiger Mt. From the High School up the Section Line Trail, the West Tiger Railroad Grade, Seattle View Trail to Tiger 2. Descending we went to Tiger 3 then down the Tradition Lake Trail to the Talus Rocks Trail over to the Section Line and down. About 8 miles with 2900' of gain.

No snow until right at the railroad grade. Deepening snow with about 8-10 inches of new snow near the top of Tiger 2. Slick slushy snow from Tiger 3 back to the railroad grade. Magically the snow all disappeared below the grade. Nice sunset from Tiger 2.

---On the way up I found a very small item off the Section Line Trail in the grass. It turned out to be an accessory that is only for a Canon full frame dslr camera. It costs $250. I would like to get it back to the owner. I can be contacted via the "Contact Jim" link on my website, http://www.hikingnorthwest.com.

Our Venturing Crew is headed to Philmont Scout Ranch this summer, so this was our second of five shakedown hikes. The teens' choice was Section Line, out of High Point, and who am I to say no?

Section Line ascends a bit over 2000 feet in 1.7 miles, mostly straight up the northwest side of West Tiger 3. The trail is listed as unmaintained, but it's in terrific shape. There is one stream crossing where you'll need to maneuver a bit around and along a few logs, but it's pretty basic stuff.

West Tiger 3 was its usual bustling self, with zero concerns.

Zero snow on any of the trails. No mud holes, only a little bit of water...just standard early spring fare. However, given the temperature drop on Saturday night, I am sure there's snow on top of the Tigers by now.

The parking lot was full with overflow on the road leading to the trailhead so I knew it would be pretty crowded. I decided that I wanted to avoid the West Tiger 3 trail if I could. Although I had taken the loop trail down the mountain several times in the past, I'd never accented that trail so I started there. From the Loop Trail, I connected with the Talus Rock Trail. Then, although I don't think I turned off the trail, I somehow ended up on the Section Line Trail. From there, I climbed for quite a while before meeting up with the Railroad Grade Trail. At that point, I became a little concerned because I hadn't seen another person for about an hour (on a crowded Sunday) and the signs said "unmaintained trail". Thankfully, I was able to pull up the WTA website on my smartphone and, from other trip reports, was able to see that I could continue up the Section Line Trail to the top of West Tiger 3. The Section Line Trail was steep but was in good shape with a small amount of snow towards the top. I would definitely take this route again when I want some solitude. It was snowing when I got to the top and I was feeling a bit less adventurous so I took the West Tiger 3 Trail down to the parking lot.