Did an exercise loop of Cable Line all the way up to West Tiger 1 -> Bypass Trail -> Preston Trail -> West Tiger RR Grade -> K-3 -> TMT -> Cable Line. It came to a total of 6.7 miles, 3,300 feet of gain. Route map in fourth image below.

Arrived at the Cable Line TH at about 1pm. There were at least 80 cars along the road there and 20-25 more at the High Point gate end as well. I expected a crowd on the trial but it wasn't terrible. Passed 12-15 people on the Cable Line to WT3 summit section, there were 4 parties at the WT3 summit clearing, passed 4 people between WT3 and WT1, and there were 3 parties at the WT1/Hiker's Hut overlook. From Hiker's Hut all the way around the rest of the loop I passed 2 hikers and 3 trail runners in total.

The trail conditions on most of the loop were great with a couple of minor exceptions:

• Cable Line from the power line crossing to the lower TMT junction was a bit greasy from the recent rains.
• The Preston Trail and portions of the TMT/RR Grade shared section had a few unavoidable mud pits (fortunately short)
• The TMT/RR Grade section has a few place of encroaching thorny plants that can scratch the skin or catch on clothing easily

This is not a fun hike. But it is a useful training hike, providing a good test of your hiking fitness before you hit even longer, more punishing trails. 
I was worried the trail might be slippery with mud following yesterday’s downpour, but all in all the trail was in good condition. There were a few spots were footing was slippery, but that had more to do with the steepness of the grade. (Good traction on your shoes is a must!)

The top of the mountain was awash in black flies. They didn’t seem to be biting, but I wish I had applied bug spray for my own mental comfort. 
Having proven my fitness on the ascent, I happily took the West Tiger #3 trail. It’s a longer trail, but your knees will thank you. If you do plan to descend along Cable Line Trail, hiking poles are very helpful. 

Quick afternoon exercise loop: Cable Line up all the way to WT2, then down TMT to K-3 to TMT again and back to bottom section of Cable Line for a total of about 4.5 miles and 2,540 feet of gain.

Arrived at the Cable Line TH at 4:35pm to about 15 cars. Trails were not crowded at all - passed 4 parties total going up, maybe 7 or 8 coming down. Cars at TH had almost doubled when I got back to the car at 6:40pm.

Trails on this loop are in great condition - all grip, no slip. Coming down TMT and K-3 is a great option as despite the steepness the tread is fairly soft for most of the way, so easy on the feet & knees.

A social outing (#tigertuesday) with kidzwonthike and a few other folks from a FB/IG group (a 10 hiker train :P).

A little bit of mud on the way up with rain earlier on in the day, made for fun on the way down Cable Line in spots (it sucks when your energetic dog drags you down a muddy hill :/..).

Route taken was: Cable Line -> West Tiger 3 -> Tiger Mountain Trail -> K3 -> TMT -> Cable Line.

Saw some bleeding hearts that were spent on the way down K3/TMT, with some thimbleberries starting to blossom as well.

The ferns and redcedars looked and smelled awesome :).

Parked at Cable Line 11:30 on an overcast windy day. Last minute swapped to long sleeves. I soon questioned that decision especially when the sun poked through, but the overall cloudiness and windy conditions justified my choice. Headed up Cable Line and out onto TMT. We saw 6 or 7 groups of people up to the K-3 turnoff all friendly and courteous. Apparently a new trail section is being finished between the High Point turnoff and Lingering Trail from TMT to..? Trail conditions were good with only several muddy spots, but Gore-Tex not required. We saw someone in one of the muddy segments with white Keds. Now she had to carefully plot her steps, but she made it - through that one spot at least - without spoiling her kicks. Continued on TMT and opted to skip the Tiger 2 summit. Along TMT just below that was a section of trees with chunks of bark removed - some painted orange and others not. Not sure if that's a health check or what. Headed over to Tiger 3 and took shelter from the wind and even got a bit of sun for a chance to change shirts and grab a bite to eat. Scampered down Cable Line and saw about 11 people heading up. The trail was damp, but in my opinion there's better traction than in the summer when everything is loose.