Tiger 3, 2, 1, Unmaintained - March 8, 2012

On this beautiful, sunny Thursday morning, we did our first repeat run since we started "peak a weekin'" back in October.  You may remember, Daniel, Michael and I did South Tiger 3, 2, 1 on February 16, but ended up getting lost trying to get back to Poo Poo Point Trail.  If you didn't read about our lost adventure where we somehow ended up right below Poo Poo Point, check out that blog called "Tiger 3,2, 1, Lost Poo Poo!"

This morning, we were determined to come back down the mountain via the Poo Poo Point Trail without getting lost.  You may be able to determine by the title of this post whether or not we succeeded, but either way it was a great morning run on Tiger Mountain...as it always is.  As usual, we started chez Peter but entered the mountain via the High School Trail behind Issaquah H.S.  Once we hit Section Line Trail, it was are usual way up to #3: Section Line, Talus Rocks, and West Tiger 3 Trails.

This morning, for some reason, we all felt tired and commented on how hard the final mile of West Tiger 3 Trail felt; especially as we slipped on the compacted snow and ice near the top of the peak.  At least today, unlike the last time we did 3, 2, 1, the sun was shinning bright and releasing some of it's heat onto us.   After a minute or so of rest on top of #3, we quickly headed down and up towards South Tiger #2, arriving there 5 minutes later.  This morning, we didn't stop at the summit of #2 but ran by on our way towards #1.

Running up the very steep incline that leads up to the Hiker's Hut and amazing views on # 1 was tough as usual, but somehow very enjoyable (I love the challenge!) as I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the crusty snow under our feet the the bright, somewhat warm sun over our head.  It's difficult to run to the top of South Tiger #1 and not enjoy the views for a few minutes.  This is by the far the best views we have found on Tiger Mountain:  south to Rainier, west over Puget Sound and the valley below, north towards Seattle and Lake Washington.  It's fun to stand on top of the bench up there and try to find landmarks throughout the Puget Sound area. 

View south from West Tiger #1.  Mt. Rainier in background.

Now it was time to get our route right coming down the mountain.  Just like last time, we headed down #1 the way we came up, took a left at the bottom of the hill on old Main Tiger Mountain Road, then a right onto Poo Top Trail.  This time, when we got to Larry's Crossing, we took a right on One View Trail (this is where I messed up last time, leading us straight onto Hidden Forest Trail), then a fairly quick right onto Tiger Mountain Trail (TMT!).  Then....we got lost and somehow ended up between West Tiger #3 and #2.  It seems as though we took TMT too far and should have taken a left onto Seattle View Trail, but we missed that trail and I still haven't ran on it yet.

Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun the way we came down.  From West Tiger #3, we took the Cableline Trail about 50 meters, then saw a trail to the left heading straight down the mountain called "Unmaintained Trail."  Well, it didn't look unmaintained, and it turned out it wasn't.  This "Unmaintained Trail" was in quiet good shape and very, very steep coming down.  We haven't done it yet, but if you need a really good, challenging, high grade trail to do, run up this one.  It isn't labeled on the map, but it's there, coming off of "Section Line Trail" where that trail intersects with "Talus Rocks Trail."  We had fun running down the mountain in such a quick fashion, working hard on those breaking muscles on the lower legs, trying to keep our feet under us.

If you see this sign near West Tiger #3, take it!  It's a great trail.

Another South Tiger 3, 2, 1, another great run.  This is obviously one of our favorites and I highly recommend it, no matter what way you come down the mountain.

Run Stats:  Total Distance: 14.7 miles   Time: 2:10    Elevation Gain: ~ 2,600 ft.    Pace: 8:50