Arrived at the trailhead on a sunny Friday afternoon at about 5:30 PM - lot was about half full. I followed the instructions on the Nook Trail WTA page to the summit of Tiger Mountain 3, so went Bus Trail > Nook Trail > Section Line Trail > Tiger 3 Summit > Tiger 3 Trail > Bus Trail > Trailhead.
The trail starts out mellow, Nook Trail gets a little steeper, then...the Section Line Trail hits. The grade is no joke - I am fairly sure it's the steepest trail that I've been on in years! But the trail itself is in wonderful condition - not at all overgrown at any point, and really easy to follow. I was really glad that I had my trekking poles - they helped with some of the larger step-ups. Also, beware of bugs at the summit; I only stopped for a few moments given the appearance of mosquitoes.
I had the Nook/Section Line portion entirely to myself on the ascent, which was not a surprise given what I saw of the Tiger 3 trail on the way down. I can see why that trail is so popular - it's wide, well-maintained, and well graded. Also travels through some beautiful forest.
All in all a short but very challenging hike, great for getting some steep climbing in after work.
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