12-27-25
The
year was rapidly coming to an
end. With five days left I was up to 886 miles. I just needed 14 more
miles to reach 900. I was also already over 200,000' of elevation gain.
Gary was free for a Saturday morning hike. My knee had been sore for
about a month. I chose a close in route with a pretty smooth descent.
That hurts the least. Gary had some suggestions and they were
incorporated into the route. We met in North Seattle at 7:25 am and I
drove to High Point at Tiger Mountain. We were on our way at 8:01 am.
There was a little mist in the air and it was 34F. The mist ended
quickly and we had no more moisture. We hiked the road to the Connector
Trail and on to the main parking lot. The lot was more than half full.
We headed up the Nook Trail. This route is usually used to descend or
to reach the Section Line Trail heading up. This day we hiked up to the
Talus Rocks and then headed for the Tiger 3 Trail. The waterfall had a
good flow and the logs that helped cross were no longer in place. We
dropped a little lower to where it was an easy jump across. This trail
has a uphill part and lots of downhill. This added to our total ascent.
At the next junction we were back on the Tiger 3 Trail. The grade is a
steady climb to the top of Tiger 3.
We passed several groups going up and one big group at the waterfall. At the railroad grade, almost everyone heads straight and up Tiger 3. We had another plan. The Seattle View Trail had a lot of trees fall across it a year earlier and it was not cleared when most of the rest of the mountain was. Recently, Gary saw report stating it was now cleared. This was a good day to check it out. We turned right on the railroad grade. We had a little snow lower down but there was more on the grade and above. The new snow was never very deep all day. We never put on gaiters. The thin coating of snow did really brighten up the day. We passed the Section Line Trail and continued to the Seattle View Trail. Although the trail was mostly snow covered Gary had no trouble finding the start. We had a headlamp hike probably 8-10 years ago where there was a lot of snow. We wandered around for some time before finding our way up to the Tiger Mountain Trail (TMT). This time it was much easier. The trail is easy to follow with a then layer of snow. The clean up was complete. No new logs have fallen across the trail.
When we left the forest and entered the clearcut, the snow deepened. All the trees and brush were covered with snow. The sun was now out and they glowed. There was no wind and it was not that cold in the sunshine. We continued climbing until the grade eased. A sing marks the Seattle View Trail but it is well out of sight of the trail from Tiger 3 to Tiger 2. We had a clear view across to Squak Mountain and south to the ridge of the One View Trail. Soon the tower atop Tiger 2 came into view. So far my knee felt fine. Uphill has not been a problem. At the junction we turned left and headed for Tiger 3. There were plenty of people on the summit. We passed hikers coming and going. At the top we took a short break. The sky was half clouds and half blue sky. In the sunshine it was warm. Under the clouds it was cold. Seattle was partly in clouds. Mt. Si was mostly in clouds. Otherwise views were pretty good. In some areas, especially the Snoqualmie River Valley, low fog covered everything. We arrived at 10:38 am. We had already covered 4.7 miles with our detours.
We were on our way down within five minutes.We dropped to the low spot and the road/trail gently ascends to the 2757' top of Tiger 2. For some strange reason the sign on the summit has been moved lower to a bench on the north side. The elevation is not 2757' at the bench. We sat down for our brunch break. The sun was right on the edge of a big black cloud. We went from bright warm sunshine, to partly sunny, to dark and cold in minutes. When the sun was shining all the snow around us really lit up, The trees were covered top to bottom in frozen white. It made for great views and photos. We arrived on top at 11:01 am. We left at 11:27 am. The trail below heads into the forest. From there on we would be in shade. With the sun shining again, we were not in a hurry to get there. Eventually, it was time. There are several big steps below Tom's Crossing. That was the hardest part for me. After that, the trail is pretty smooth the rest of the way down. My knee was hurting much.
We checked out the Christmas tree before Ruth's Cove. It is still bare. Later, we did see a tree with a few ornaments. That was a surprise. The GPS showed we were just below a 9 mile trip. At the junction near Murat's Bridge, we took the TMT over to the bridge. This short detour was enough. Neither of us had been over the bridge in a while. The last section down the High Point Trail went fast. Just a few yards short of the car we hit 9.0 miles. We reached the end at 1:48 pm. The road side where we parked was now packed. It was as many cars as I can recall seeing except for events. Lots of people were out enjoying a cool but sunny December day.
This trip turned out great. The weather certainly cooperated. It was looking to be damp early in the week but it was dry. We ended with 9 miles and 2600' of elevation gain. The brought me up to 895 miles. Come sunshine or a storm, I should make it to 900 miles this year. My knee does seem to be getting better. This has been a very good hiking year. After a very poor November, I have picked up the pace enough to reach my goals. I still have time for my annual New Year's Eve hike and maybe one more.
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Trips - 2025
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We passed several groups going up and one big group at the waterfall. At the railroad grade, almost everyone heads straight and up Tiger 3. We had another plan. The Seattle View Trail had a lot of trees fall across it a year earlier and it was not cleared when most of the rest of the mountain was. Recently, Gary saw report stating it was now cleared. This was a good day to check it out. We turned right on the railroad grade. We had a little snow lower down but there was more on the grade and above. The new snow was never very deep all day. We never put on gaiters. The thin coating of snow did really brighten up the day. We passed the Section Line Trail and continued to the Seattle View Trail. Although the trail was mostly snow covered Gary had no trouble finding the start. We had a headlamp hike probably 8-10 years ago where there was a lot of snow. We wandered around for some time before finding our way up to the Tiger Mountain Trail (TMT). This time it was much easier. The trail is easy to follow with a then layer of snow. The clean up was complete. No new logs have fallen across the trail.
When we left the forest and entered the clearcut, the snow deepened. All the trees and brush were covered with snow. The sun was now out and they glowed. There was no wind and it was not that cold in the sunshine. We continued climbing until the grade eased. A sing marks the Seattle View Trail but it is well out of sight of the trail from Tiger 3 to Tiger 2. We had a clear view across to Squak Mountain and south to the ridge of the One View Trail. Soon the tower atop Tiger 2 came into view. So far my knee felt fine. Uphill has not been a problem. At the junction we turned left and headed for Tiger 3. There were plenty of people on the summit. We passed hikers coming and going. At the top we took a short break. The sky was half clouds and half blue sky. In the sunshine it was warm. Under the clouds it was cold. Seattle was partly in clouds. Mt. Si was mostly in clouds. Otherwise views were pretty good. In some areas, especially the Snoqualmie River Valley, low fog covered everything. We arrived at 10:38 am. We had already covered 4.7 miles with our detours.
We were on our way down within five minutes.We dropped to the low spot and the road/trail gently ascends to the 2757' top of Tiger 2. For some strange reason the sign on the summit has been moved lower to a bench on the north side. The elevation is not 2757' at the bench. We sat down for our brunch break. The sun was right on the edge of a big black cloud. We went from bright warm sunshine, to partly sunny, to dark and cold in minutes. When the sun was shining all the snow around us really lit up, The trees were covered top to bottom in frozen white. It made for great views and photos. We arrived on top at 11:01 am. We left at 11:27 am. The trail below heads into the forest. From there on we would be in shade. With the sun shining again, we were not in a hurry to get there. Eventually, it was time. There are several big steps below Tom's Crossing. That was the hardest part for me. After that, the trail is pretty smooth the rest of the way down. My knee was hurting much.
We checked out the Christmas tree before Ruth's Cove. It is still bare. Later, we did see a tree with a few ornaments. That was a surprise. The GPS showed we were just below a 9 mile trip. At the junction near Murat's Bridge, we took the TMT over to the bridge. This short detour was enough. Neither of us had been over the bridge in a while. The last section down the High Point Trail went fast. Just a few yards short of the car we hit 9.0 miles. We reached the end at 1:48 pm. The road side where we parked was now packed. It was as many cars as I can recall seeing except for events. Lots of people were out enjoying a cool but sunny December day.
This trip turned out great. The weather certainly cooperated. It was looking to be damp early in the week but it was dry. We ended with 9 miles and 2600' of elevation gain. The brought me up to 895 miles. Come sunshine or a storm, I should make it to 900 miles this year. My knee does seem to be getting better. This has been a very good hiking year. After a very poor November, I have picked up the pace enough to reach my goals. I still have time for my annual New Year's Eve hike and maybe one more.
 Gary On The Bus Trail |
 Mossy Trees |
 The Talus Rocks |
 Crossing Creek/Falls |
 Waterfall |
 The Snow Begins |
 Gary On Tiger 3 Trail |
 Brown & White |
 Snowy Railroad Grade |
 Seattle View Trail |
 One View Ridge |
 Out Of The Forest |
 Clouds & Squak Mt. |
 Upper Trail Sign |
 Line Of Icy Trees |
 Lit Up Icy Trees |
 Downtown Seattle |
 Downtown Bellevue |
 Top Of Tiger 3 |
 Snowy Owl? |
 Clouds From Tiger 3 |
 Mt. Si In Clouds |
 Sunshine Below |
 Neat Icy Shapes |
 Everything Is Flocked |
 Tiger 1 From Tiger 2 |
 Sun, Shadows, & Clouds |
 Flocked With Snow |
 Shade On Tiger 3 |
 Descending |
 TMT Bridge |
 Small Creek |
 Armed & Dangerous |
 Snow Is Nearly Gone |
 Ruth's Cove |
 New Christmas Tree |
 Mossy Arch |
 Almost Done |
Trips - 2025
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