Toni went with a friend and the kids to a local "kid's musuem" last Sunday so I decided to go for a hike on Tiger Mountain. I could see from our house that there was a good bit of snow in the upper altitudes of the mountain. I was excited to experience my first hike through snow.
After packing my gear and getting in the car I arrived at the trail head about ten minutes later, ready to start the climb.
As usual for this time of year the temperature was in the 40's and everything was soggy. I looked at my map and decided to take the West Tiger 3 route. It's about a six mile round trip to the peak and back with some very nice vistas along the way.
The trails were in fairly good condition for the first mile maybe, but as the elevation increased and I began hitting the snow line, melting snow made the way slippery with mud. Large clumps of snow fell continuously from the boughs of the surrounding evergreens. I managed to escape getting pelted save for a couple times. However, the light rain caused by melting snow eventually soaked my head thoroughly.
As I increased in altitude the temperature finally dipped below freezing and the snow ceased melting. The bad part was that now the trail had slowly gone from mud, to muddy slush, to compacted, slippery snow.
Despite only wearing my Vasque hiking boots, traction was decent on the icy snow. Some of the steeper parts were a little tricky though, and I suddenly found myself aware of the hazard of sliding off the trail and down an embankment.
I noticed that sound carried quite a bit differently up here. Not because of the height really, but more because a foot and half of snow covered the ground along with the limbs of every tree. The woods looked very pure, white, and soft; and the muffling of sound seemed to match this appearance.
It was very peaceful and the cold was not at all uncomfortable since I had dressed for the weather. Still, I felt a little out of my element having never hiked in snow, not knowing what kinds of subtle dangers I should be aware off. Occasionally another hiker would pass me making their way down. It was encouraging to know I wasn't the only person hiking at that level.
The sun was still visible at this point. I stopped at the first vista to take in an incredible snow-covered view of Mt. Si in the distance. It looked huge and I thought about how different it's peak must look from the last two times I had climbed it during the summer.
Looking further up Tiger mountain I could see that the sun would soon be hidden by a cold weather haze. Having not hiked for a while my legs were feeling a little tired. I pushed on for another thirty minutes. The air was perfectly still and the sky seemed to blend in with the snow-covered woods because of the chilly haze. It felt a little bit like I was in an enormous snowy cavern with no obvious source of light.
It was about 3pm and though I only had another fifteen minutes until the peek I decided to turn back. The sun sets around 4:30pm this time of year and I didn't want to get caught trying to find my way in the dark. The hike down was very slippery.
I wound my way down, back through the slush, melting snow, mud, and finally back to the trail head where I quickly devoured a cheese stick, a Goo energy pack, and some peanut M&M's. I was tired and very relaxed, looking forward to getting back to the house, Toni, and the kids.