Poo Poo Point — Wednesday, Apr. 3, 2002

Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain

Let's see, it will be 65 degrees and sunny today and wet and rainy for the weekend. It didn't take long to decide to close up the office early and head out for a hike. I left Seattle at 1:30 and was at the trailhead by 2:05. I was not the only one who thought sitting in the sun at Poo Poo Point was a good idea. The lot was full and another half dozen cars were parked on the side of the road. The trail is in excellent shape. Quite a contrast to the TMT trip I took on Saturday from High Point. That trail was very muddy and had snow for the last 500' to the top of Tiger 2. The Chirico trail has very little mud. I raced up and reached the upper viewpoint in just under 50 minutes. For a little more exercise I continued on to the intersection with the trail to the High School. No snow at all at the 1900' level. I returned to the viewpoint to watch the paragliders. It looked like Sea-Tac with 3 or 4 constantly awaiting take off. I counted up to 16 in the air at one time. I guess I was not the only one taking some time off work. There was a very clear view of Baker, Pilchuck, and Three Fingers to the north. From the lower viewpoint Rainier was also clearly visible. I had a good book, food, and water so I spent 90 minutes relaxing on the grass. On the way down I spotted the first sign of Spring. A sharp eye will see half a dozen Trillium in the first mile of the trail. It was a great way to enjoy the nicest day of the year (so far). Now I can get through the rain this weekend.