My second visit in 3 days. This time we did an afternoon hike starting at 2pm and getting back to the car at 5:30pm. We were a bit nervous that the gates to the parking lot might be locked when we got back but fortunately they were still open.  I would suggest parking out side the gate if you might be getting back to your car after sunset.

We hiked up the very steep and eroded Cable Line Trail and down the much nicer and more civilized W Tiger 3 trail. I just love hiking above the inversion layer.  Today we got above the fog at an elevation of 1300 ft.  It was sunny warm and windless at the top just like it was on Sunday.  

Today, it was time to leave the persistent fog and go on a hike that would reach at least 2,000 feet.  West Tiger III seemed a perfect candidate.  Post-noon traffic through Seattle and through Bellevue and Issaquah on I-90 was moving at or well above the speed limit.  The Round the Lake Trail head parking lot was 1/3 full.  Went up the West Tiger No. 3 trail and down the Cable Line Trail.  Both trails had been cleared and there had been a lot to clear. 

At the start, the fog was thick with visibility ending at or just before the tops of the tallest Douglas-firs.  It was a raw cold demanding either a steady pace or lots of clothes.  The fog had the effect of greatly reducing one’s focus.  Understory plants and epiphytes on the bigleaf maples commanded greater attention than normal.  Everything had a film of water on it, which made some of rocks underfoot slippery. 

From a tree or plant’s perspective, fog has two positive attributes.  It reduces or stops water loss (but this is not a problem now with all the rain we have had) and it diffuses the light so that light intensities are more even throughout the canopy and can even be greater near the ground than that noted on clear days.  A contrast between direct radiation and diffuse radiation.

In the winter and most often in January, inversions, especially high pressure or subsidence inversions, do a very effective job of trapping cold, damp, foggy air along with pollutants close to the ground.  The inversion traps the air and does not allow it to rise (wind or long, bright warm days can break this winter-time inversion).  The lid in winter is usually lower than 5,000 and often closer to 2,000 feet.  When reaching the top, I could clearly see that the top was between 1,700 and 1,800 feet. Unfortunately, the air pollutant form of ozone had formed and had accumulated at this boundary -- I could taste it.  The air was bright and it was warmer, but not by much (see below for an example from 2013).

This was my first trip up West Tiger III since 2018.  I was shocked by how much had been cut, BUT I was rewarded with views that I had not seen even during my first trip in 1995.  I understand this is a working forest by agreement and I respect that.

What I did appreciate from the cloud cover was a sense of what the Puget Sound looked like during the last Ice Age (Vashon Stade of Fraser Glaciation).  At its maximum, about 15,000 years ago, ice cover the Puget Sound to just south of Olympia.  Along the present-day I-90 corridor, the Cascades would have been visible, but not Cougar, Squak, West Tigers I, II, and III, Main Tiger, and most of Rattlesnake Ridge except for the last 200 vertical.  This afternoon as I looked west to the Olympics, I saw a layer of cloud with only the upper 300 vertical feet of Squak showing.  Seattle was invisible. 

There have been some impressive inversions in the last decade.  For example, on January 19th and 20^th, 2013, the average temperature in Seattle was 38oF, mid-day at the base of Alpental, it was 29.5oF, at the top of uppermost chair, it was almost 49oF; at Paradise on Mt. Rainier, it was 63.1oF, and even at Camp Muir it was 40.1oF!

Thank goodness I remembered that the weather can be wonderful above an inversion.  The Cascades had a late April or even May look versus a late January look!  Lets hope for wind to break up the inversion and snow to cover the hills.

Spectacular sunset this evening up on West Tiger 2. Wowza!!!! I got started at 2:30 pm and took Cable Line up to WT3. Trail is snow free and clear of debris. Thank you to whoever cleaned up the deadfall. When I got to WT3  at 3:20 pm, there were about 20 other hikers on the summit, so I took off to WT2. Just a couple of snow patches, otherwise it is snow free all the way to WT2 and WT1.

When I got to WT2, the sun was still high on the horizon, so I headed on the road over to the hikers hut on WT1. The views on the road walk between WT1 and WT2, are now just fantastic. Pretty sweet. Didn't spend much time here at the hikers hut, and went back to WT2. Now with the clearcut, the views from West Tiger 2 are fantastic. I think it has the best view now. I was on the summit for about 30-40 waiting for the sun to set. Just beautiful up there!! Caught some final colors on WT3 on the hike out(pic 1). Hiked back to car in the dark with headlamp via Cable Line

Excellent vert to keep those hiking legs in shape during the winter. Not super muddy but still some slippery spots. Some of the log steps were questionable and falling apart so don't put your weight on them. Lots of rocky spots. Poles were helpful, my husband who doesn't usually use his poles said he wished he had them.

Great views at West Tiger 3, plenty of room for people to spread out. Took the longer easier grade back down and would be perfect for trail running. Soft trail, wide.

Would definitely go back to this one

With some mask fatigue going on and a chance to see the first light this am, I headed up the Cable Route at 0700.  There were 3 other cars there and it was VERY dark and foggy on the drive.  Donned my headlamp and started up on the spongy trail with no running water today.  It felt like a true PNW experience with the dark mud, surrounding greenery and heavy mist.  I think there is only 1 tree over the Cable route and I could walk under it. Off to the east I noticed the light orange sky get deeper in color as I ascended.  I was also above the cloud layer and realized perhaps I could have left a little earlier from home cause the sky was lighting up at about my 1/2 way point.  I enjoyed the first light and sky while on the trail and there was a hint of early spring in the air reminding me of backpacking.  Only a scant pile of snow on the Cable route trail in the last 0.1 mile.  Had the summit to myself for about 30 minutes and the views were nice!  There was a cold breeze, the new normal on this transformed summit.  Two Jays were looking for food and perched on my arm whenever I would raise it to do anything, i.e., take a picture.  Took the WT3 trail down and saw that kind hardworking people have removed all but 1 of the many trees that were down on the trail (thanks!). Scant snow present in the first 0.8 mile or so but not a problem.  The forest looked extra green and open with leaves down, sun coming up, and no snow.  Such a great morning hike.  Home by 10 so pretty nice to have the rest of this day off.