Tiger 3: 33-pound conditioner

Today Tiger again had snow at the summit, and I didn't have my microspikes. I got off to a slow start, feeling low energy, but picked up the pace after the first mile and reached the 2.2 mile mark, approximately 1,560 feet of elevation, before trail conditions became too slick to navigate. Ascent was 2 hours; descent one hour.  Top heart rate was approximately 130. I wore my 20# weight vest and a 13-pound pack. Allergies kicked in and my nose and eyes were streaming.

Statistics for the day:
Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet
Weight carried: 33 pounds
Distance year to date: 37 miles
Elevation gain year to date: 9,665 feet.

Snow pellets before the one-mile mark; snow was falling more heavily at the summit.

Past the one-mile mark, snow had accumulated and small bits were dropping from trees.

The scene at the 2.2-mile mark. Without micro-spikes, time to turn back.

Cable line detour

Sign along the Cable Line trail

The West Tiger Cable Line trail is a rough, steep, and poorly kept route that parallels in some places the Tiger 3 trail on Tiger Mountain, and which reaches the same summit, at 2,500 feet elevation. Today I abandoned the traditional trail at the 1-mile mark and followed a narrow path that joined up with the Cable Line trail. It shortened my hike to the top by perhaps a half mile, but it made up for the shorter route by being steeper and more daunting.

Today's plan gave me an opportunity to check Map My Hike software against known points on the Mountain. For example, the elevation gains reported on Map My Hike indicated that the one-mile mark is at approximtely the 1,200 foot elevation level, which means I gain 700 feet elevation by climbing from the trailhead to the one mile mark. Then Map My Hike indicated another 1,000-foot elevation gain to get to the summit. The actual summit figure is 2,522, so I believe the software understates the actual elevation gain. For today's hike I'm going with the official figures and claiming a 2,000-foot elevation gain.

The images immediately below show, left to right, the path from trailhead to the one-mile marker; the Cable Line climb from the one-mile marker to the summit; and the descent from the summit. The Cable Line doesn't intersect the Tiger 3 trail at the point where I joined it, but it comes close.

The Cable Line trail can be deeply gullied; here it is characterised by gravel and clutter.

And here it is a curving and slippery.

The hike was made uncomfortable by the presence of allergens that kept my nose flowing, complicated by the oversight of not bringing handkerchiefs. Fortunately my backpack came with a roll of toilet paper.

Climbing the Cable Line trail acquainted me with an interesting phenomenon: On several occasions my heart rate topped out at 128 bpm -- but some beats were stronger than others. So while my pulse didn't get any higher, the pulses were stronger, indicating more fluid being pumped. This happened on the steeper slopes, where I was working harder.

I'm going to claim 5 miles, although I think I hiked farther. And I claim as well a 2,000-foot gain.

Statistics for the day:
Distance year to date: 32.5 miles
Elevation gain year to date: 8,665 feet.
Weight carried: 13 pounds
Speed:  2-hours to the summit.

The Caves of Tiger 3

Intersection of two trails

Today I revisited the Talus Rocks Trail, so named for a pile of some massive boulders at the bottom of a slab of rock that is being etched by a long waterfall less than a half mile west from Tiger 3. Some parts of the hike are a little steep, and trekking poles helped in the portions of the trail where there were some steep and muddy descents/ascents.

Today I wore my 20# weight vest and a 13-pound pack -- the most I've hefted since before my radiation/chemo treatments for prostate cancer. So this is a new post-treatment milestone.

Pictured at the left, the long waterfall precedes the boulder fall. It descends a steep slope adjacent to the trail and then crosses the trail where there is a makeshift bridge of logs. I chose to walk beside the foot bridge because the ground and stream were easier to navigate.

The first sign of the boulder fall was a defile in the ground that almost looked like a descending staircase. (See photo below.) That introduces the hiker to an uneven but navigable collection of boulders before the path descends again via the Nook Trail to the "Traditional Plateau," a mile further on.

The defile that signals the boulder fall

I began the hike from the parking lot, reaching the one-mile marker at about 1,280 feet, according to a Tiger 3 topo map, before descending to the fork that heads to the Talus Slope.
My weight vest forced my heartbeats to 140 per minute. I made about 1 mph in the ascent. The entire hike from car to car, probably equaled 3 miles. So here are the stats for year to date:

Distance year to date: 27.5 miles
Elevation gain year to date: 6,665 feet.

I wore my winter hooded jacket; a cotton hoodie; the weight vest and my backpack. When I started I was chilled, but I warmed up reasonably fast. I left after 2 p.m. and it was quite warm.

There were a few people on Tiger 3, fewer on the loop that took me past the Talus Slope.

The first of the boulders, which together define sort of a small "open concept" cave system.

Farther along the trail, a look back; the fence deters hikers from venturing toward a drop.

The hardy and venturous can make their way through this defile to the far side.

Right: There's enough space between these boulders for most to squeeze through.



Below: This old-growth forest stump near the end of the hike and close to the Tiger 3 trailhead, could hold 3-4 adults in a cozy embrace.

The Tiger 3 tobaggan run

The "tobaggan run" on Tiger 3

The man with the three dogs warned me about the slickness of the trail as he stuggled to control the two Australian sheep dogs that were straining the leash. He had recently descended the trail in the photo at the right, and those dogs didn't make the job easy. I stopped someplace around that dark spot in the center of the trail when I realized what I was getting myself into, and gingerly made my back to the point at which the ground could poke through the ice in places. Tiger was no place to be hiking today without traction -- although a wood nymph in short shorts and a male runner made it look like child's play. It wasn't. This photo was taken just below the 2.2 mile marker. I pulled out my trekking poles, exposed the hard points to dig into the snow, and made my way to safer ground.

I had planned to summit today, but settled for reaching approximately 1,600 feet above sea level, about 900 feet below the summit. Total elevation gain from the parking lot was about 1,100 feet. Distance traveled was easily 4.5 miles. I developed these conservative figures from the Map My Hike software.

Given all that, here are my figures to date:

Distance year to date: 24.5 miles
Elevation gain year to date: 5,965 feet.

Record of the descent from near the 2.2 mile mark to the car. Cable Line Trail is to the right.

To the right of the trailhead, this path leads to the carcass of an old bus.

There were many split and downed trees from the winter wind storms.

Filtered light from a slightly overcast sky enriched the colors along the path.

A sight along the path

This tree is a familiar landmark on Tiger 3 -- always in the same location.

Another landmark -- in this case, a harbinger of the snow at higher elevations.

I heard about these ferns that grow out of trees on my last hike. Their roots taste like licorice?

Licorice might have been hinted at, but the flavor was more nutty; maybe later in the season.

Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park: March 4, 2018

Topographic Map of the park and neighborhood.

Today I hiked 5 miles with Nancy Whitaker, and another 3 going to and from the Bainbridge ferry from my condo. I carried a backpack of only 11 pounds, probably. Total elevation gain was about 900 feet.

The hike was in Port Gamble Forest Heritage park, which straddles the Kitsap Peninsula, which is linked to Bainbridge Island by the Agate Pass bridge. Nancy joined me at the Bainbridge Island dock and drove to the park, leading me along trails she was familiar with.

The park is being developed, with trail improvements and the selective thinning of trees. And it  is quaint for its names: Twisted Sister, Forbidden Forest, ET and Ankle Biter trails -- the list goes on. It is frequented by mountain bikers and hikers. Wildlife include black bear.

This represents the first significant hike I've taken since returning from Mexico. Cold weather discouraged hiking until now. There was a 50% chance of rain today, and there was some sprinkling, but nothing significant.

The path we hiked today. The green box indicates where I turned on the Map My Hike software.

The trail included unimproved paths which are frequented by mountain bikes.

Distance: 8 miles
Elevation gain: 900 feet.
Weight: 11 pounds
Distance year to date: 20 miles
Elevation gain year to date: 4,865 feet.