West Tiger 3

For a short day hike, we chose West Tiger #3. We arrived at the parking lot at 10 am; there were still spaces left for those with Discover Passes--other people were parked all along the frontage road, especially when we left. The trail was in great condition. There is no snow or water anywhere along the trail. Lots of people, dogs, and kids were out to enjoy the sunny day.

I made my first slug sightings of the year, Arion rufus (European brown slug) and Ariolimax columbianus (Pacific banana slug). As we neared the top, we could see the surrounding mountains (Mount Si, West Defiance Ridge) through the trees. At the top, we could see all the way to the Olympics. There were lots of hikers at the top, and the gray jays were capitalizing on the situation. We learned that they prefer grapes over trail mix, for one thing.

On the way down, we didn't pay careful attention and ended up taking the West Tiger Cable Trail down most of the way. It was steeper and rockier, with many mud patches, and poles were helpful. We reconnected with the main trail about 1 mile from the bottom.