I hit many trails today.  Found an empty parking lot (High Point Trailhead) very early and hit the trail a bit before 5:30 AM.

Went east via the TMT, Lingering Trail, and Dwight's Way.  Then turned south on the Lower Bootleg Trail which is not signed at either the N or S ends.  I missed it at first and had to go back.  Lower Bootleg is quite overgrown and I got pretty wet (I'd stay that way until mid-afternoon).

From there I continued south on the Middle Bootleg Trail and then the Paw Print Connector.  It was at the Paw Print "Rest Stop" where I saw my first humans (group of 3).

From there I caught the 15 Mile RR grade for a short time before turning south on the TMT.  At Hal's Cove I took the short downhill connector trail to the Hobart Middle Tiger RR Grade.  The north end of this trail is very overgrown and it made sure I wouldn't dry out.  It could be easy for less experienced hikers to get lost there. The south end of this trail appears to have had maintened pretty recently.

I then took the Middle Tiger Trail NE to reconnect with the TMT looping back to the north. Just before Custer's Bridge I saw my second humans (group of 2). I'd gone about 11.5 miles by that point and had seen just 5 people! I stopped at the bridge for 30 minutes and ate lunch.

From there I reconnected with the 15 Mile RR Grade trail going west. This trail is extremly overgrown. In many places the (thorny) plants were as tall as I was. I worried I'd get lost or hurt. I couldn't even see the ground to look out for trip hazards. Eventually I made it to the Hidden Forest Trail where I turned north. Heading up this trail was just as bad. It is very overgrown and steep. I saw my third humans (group of 2) headed down hill. They weren't wearing pants and were getting scratched up by the thorns.

Once I hit Larry's Crossing I continued north on the much cleaner Poo Top Trail all the way up to West Summit #1. I saw human #8 on this section. I passed by the antenna installation and went down hill to the NE on the West Tiger #1 trail which was fine.

I took a left to Fred's Corner and continued on the newer by-pass trail all the way up to Tom's Crossing where I'd encounter human #9. Why do I point out how many people I saw? I'm just trying to note that there is solitude to be had on Tiger Mountain if you get off the "main" trails.

I kept west on the TMT, crossed over the West Tiger #3 trail, and then took the Seattle View Trail downhill to connect up with the West Tiger RR Grade Trail. I saw humans 10 and 11 here and then 12-14 on the trail up to Poo Poo Point. Once I get there I stopped counting because the point was covered up.

This was actually my very first time up there. Great views. Lots of parasailers (is that the right term?) and gawkers. I'd gone 18.5 miles by that point and took the opportunity (meaning the bench) to have a snack and change into dry socks and remove the very wet lower half of my hiking pants.  The sun was out and I was actually kind of dry for the first time all day!

From there I headed back down the Poo Poo Point Trail (nice long straight trail I was able to pretty much run down) all the way to Tradition Plateau. I'd never been in that area before but really liked it. I meandered along various flat trails logging easy miles. There were actually very few people. I hit the Adventure Trail, Brink Trail, Swamp, Big Tree, Wetlands, and Bus Trails. There is actually a section of Swamp Trail that is closed but I went anyway not understanding the closure until it was too late. There is a sign that just says "Seasonal Closure Oct 15-Apr 15" which I took to mean it was open. It's not. It was a slimy dirty overgrown boardwalk that was busted it lots of places. At the other end it's very clearly closed and I had to climb through the fence to get out.  Oops!

Then as I was on the Bus Trail headed back to the car I passed the Nook Trail intersection. I looked at my map and my watch and thought, "why not get a couple more miles?" So I turned south on the Nook and powered up 600 ft or so to the intersection with the Talus Rocks Trail. Cool area that I'll want to bring my boys back to. The rock loop has lots of little places to explore. Kinda reminded me of The Goonies.

By that time my phone (and my GPS tracker app) were running on fumes (<5% battery) and since I really wanted to save the track I pretty much ran the rest of the way along the Talus Rock Trail and back down the West Tiger #3 Trail to the car. Got there right around 6:30 PM with about 2% battery left. Funny when I got back to the parking lot it was mostly empty (just like when I started this morning).

Got pretty much no pictures because I was trying to preserve battery all day (also kept mostly in airplane mode except when I sent a couple status/location messages to my wife when I had service). But I am adding a picture of my route at least. I cross referenced my GPS tracker w/ my Green Trails map on distance and they actually agree to within 0.1 of a mile!

Final stats: 28 miles, 7000 ft of elevation gain, about 13 hours on trail, best mile 14:14, worst mile 29:38.

Time for a shower beer.

The southwest side of Tiger is my favorite to explore--unlike the crowded north side there is plenty of isolation on even the busiest of weekends. This weekend was more of the same--the Chirico trail was very crowded up to Poo Poo Point, but past that I only encountered a handful of people the rest of the way. From Poo Poo I headed up the One View and then took the TMT to the 15 mile RR grade. Instead of cutting back to the TMT on the way back, I took the hidden forest trail down to the west side road which leads right back to Poo Poo. 10.4 mile round trip, about 3K feet of gain, mostly on Chirico. The reason for writing this report is that the 15 mile RR grade from the TMT to Hidden Forest is quite overgrown with numerous snags and blowdowns. While it is still passable for hiking I was getting close to losing the trail in a couple spots--although one simply needs to remember that it's called "railroad grade" for a reason. I cleared some of the easy blowdowns myself but there are still a number of 6-10" ones that need to be sawed away. If only I had brought my handsaw along... As a trail runner, any flat trail where one struggles to do 12-minute miles is best to be avoided. The nearby TMT will suffice for now, but it's nice to have the parallel RR grade to mix it up on the return trip.

Made myself a custom little loop and hiked from the Iverson Railroad trail head to West Side Rd to Tiger Mountain Trail to 15 Mile Railroad Creek to Main Tiger Mountain Road. Logged 11 miles total and took about 4 hrs 45 min with a few stops for snacks and watering the dog.

Left the trail head at 8:10 am, there were a handful of cars in the parking lot and a group getting ready to go. I didn't see ANYONE else until I hit Main Tiger Mountain Rd. It was very cold and there was some snow on the ground in places. The Iverson trail and West Side Rd were both clear, just snow on the trees and bushes. Very pretty, in my opinion. Got to the train wreck with no problem, though around the wreck was very muddy/mucky. More snow as I started to climb. Once I on got TMT and past the intersection with Middle Tiger, there started to be more snow on the trail. None of it was an issue, did just fine in hiking shoes.

There were a couple trees across the trail at an angle that you have to choose to go over or under. TMT from Hobart to 15 Mile is pretty overgrown, though still easily hike-able. Just think long pants/long sleeves if you're passing through this section. I only hiked a small section of 15 mile, which was just fine, then hit Main Tiger MT Rd to get back to the car. It was slightly muddy in spots, but pretty easy to avoid. There were a couple logging trucks on the side of the road in once spot, but that was all the traffic I encountered until I was within a mile of the trail head, then saw a handful of mountain bikers and quite a few hikers when I was almost to the trail head. Cold, but nice hike overall.

 

My car was in the shop for the day so I set off from my house on Squak Mountain and walked across Issaquah to the High School trail. I took the following route: High School Trail --> Section Line -->WT3-->WT2-->WT1-->Bootleg-->PawPrint Connector--> Fifteenmile RR Grade--> Hidden Forest--> Westside Road-->Poo Poo Point trail-->High School Trail and then back across town.

Things to report on: There was a bear sighting by others on the trail near the Section Line/WT3RR Grade intersection. The person who saw the bear urged me to be quiet! Wait! If you see bears, make noise! identify yourself as a human with noise and actions. I asked her if she knew bear safety skills, she said she did (?!) but obviously not. 

Fifteen Mile RR Grade is seriously overgrown. I was here just a few weeks ago without any issues but now there are tall bushes, salmonberry shrubs with small thorns and nettles. I usually enjoy this trail but it was a challenge this time. Ah, spring! I was wearing shorts and even though I tried to avoid, a few nettles got me. The trail is a little mucky in places too. Needs a bit of a weed whacking. Quite a few bear signs on this trail too- poop and torn/chewed shrubs. I sang loudly to myself and slowed down during the 2+ miles I spent here to make sure I was identified as a person to any bears in the area. Wished I had my bear bell in my running bag- this is a good reminder to get it out every spring :) 

Hidden Forest trail also could use some weed whacking, but not as bad as the Fifteen Mile RR grade. 

Rest of the trails all in good condition with no problems to report other than a few minor blowdowns here and there. From my house and back on this loop it's about 18.5 miles, 4500 elevation gain/loss. 

 

I believe this is a new record for me in terms of number of different trails used in one day! Twenty! Among trail runners (and perhaps some hikers) there is an infamous route called the Issaquah Alps 100. A hundred mile route that winds it's way from Mailbox, Teneriffe, Si, Little Si over to and traversing Rattlesnake Mountain, then wandering it's way around Tiger before heading over to Squak and Cougar before winding it's way back. It's a beastly route that only ten or so people have accomplished. The brain child of George Orozco who likes to challenge us with routes like these in this area. Being familiar with the first 60 or so miles of the route but very unfamiliar with the last 30 or so. I decided to take the day to trace it out starting from the High Point Trailhead, up and over the West Tigers before crossing over to Squak and Cougar before returning back to High Point. Surprisingly, I have never stepped foot on Squak or Tiger so this day was long overdue. The familiar climb to West Tiger 3 via that trail. Good news, all snow and ice is gone. The trail continues to be clear all the way over to the Hikers Hut on West Tiger 1. The only snow to negotiate is on the Bypass Trail, Bootleg Trail and a small portion of 15 Mile RR Grade. Traction is not required though. Taking a right at the junction with Tiger Mountain Trail and following that to One-View and then dropping down Poo Poo Point. Again no snow to be found on any of these trails. It was here that the trails were "new" to me. I followed High School Trail passing the usual Saturday morning crowds before winding my way over Front Street, up Sycamore and working my way through the residential area to the Sycamore Connector Trail. While I enjoyed the route, this part somewhat detracted from the flow. However, I don't see any other route over to Squak from that area that wouldn't be more of the same. Began the climb up Sycamore, onto the East Ridge Trail and finally to the East Side Trail. A blowdown or two to get around but nothing serious. Unlike Tiger, these trails were virtually empty. Following East Side, I found myself trotting with map in hand to verify I was on the correct route as there were a few junctions that could lead to wrong turns. The timely arrival of a duo of trail runners at one junction confirmed one of the trickier junctions at the Bullit Fireplace Trail. I then made my way down the West Side Trail towards Hwy 900, taking a left on this road then linking up with the Squak Mountain Connector Trail. I followed this to Wilderness Creek Trail and on to Deceiver Trail. Again, a lot of trail junctions to chose from (which is a good thing!) but can be tricky. At each junction there were groups of people referring to their maps and phones. These trails are less technical and very easy going compared to what I am use to and I enjoyed the new scenery. I wound my way down to Indian Trail then cut back east on Quarry Trail following that to Shy Bear and finally taking the Wilderness Peak trail towards that summit. Nothing notable on any of these trails to worry about. Again, a blowdown or two to scamper over. I then backtracked my way back down Cougar, over to Squak using the same trails I came over on. Finally back down to the High School, then cutting north on that trail, until I linked up with the trail climbing to Power Line and finally taking Brink Trail and Swamp Trail back to High Point. The total was a little over 34 miles with a surprising amount of cumulative gain at 8k. Great portions of trail to explore and get some early season conditioning in.