{"id":144,"date":"2008-12-06T10:42:32","date_gmt":"2008-12-06T18:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/?p=144"},"modified":"2010-07-16T15:32:05","modified_gmt":"2010-07-16T23:32:05","slug":"tiger-mountain-wa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/?p=144","title":{"rendered":"Tiger Mountain, WA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, I need to learn to pay attention to the fine print in\u00a0trail reviews and guidebooks.\u00a0\u00a0 Work was done early yesterday and I was heading east with bike, gear and good weather all around.\u00a0\u00a0 The destination was Tiger Mountain State Park about 30 miles outside of Seattle near the town of Issaquah.\u00a0\u00a0 The plan was to get in about a 3 or so mile dirt road climb and then start hitting up some singletrack.\u00a0\u00a0 I got to the trailhead, suited up and started peddling my rather portly rent-a-piggy up the mountain.\u00a0\u00a0 Just like me this bike could stand to go on a diet.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was all good as I need the excercise.\u00a0\u00a0I was not to far up the road when I passed the Northwest Timber Trail on my right that I was planning on coming out on at the end of the ride.\u00a0 To my non-engrish reading surprise, there was a barricade and a sign saying it is closed from October 15th – April 15th.\u00a0 WTF?\u00a0 So I pull out my guidebook I had stashed in my pack and actually starting reading those pesky little details (you know the section\u00a0that does not include stuff like turn here\/there, this is cool, that is cool.)\u00a0 Yep right\u00a0there in the\u00a0guidebook it tells me that all the bitching singletrack I was looking forward to was CLOSED.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What to\u00a0do now?\u00a0\u00a0 So I read\u00a0around and find out there is\u00a0dirt\u00a0road loop I can do up there that will\u00a0get me a good heaping\u00a0of excercise, some\u00a0scenery and a tiny bit of\u00a0singletrack.\u00a0\u00a0 So\u00a0I was off up the mountain on Plan B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The dirt road climb up\u00a0Tiger Mountain had some steep sections but\u00a0\u00a0overall it was not too bad as there were spots where you got a reprive from the climbing.\u00a0\u00a0 There was plenty of forest all around but there were a few spots were distant views could be seen.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Mount Rainer was the dominant landscape feature, and I could not help but stare at it whenever it was in view.\u00a0\u00a0 There was nothing wrong with the weather today that is for sure.\u00a0\u00a0 The view of Rainer reminds me a great deal of Mount Fuji in Japan<\/a> the way it just towers over the surrounding landscape.<\/p>\n

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The rest of the ride included some bombfest fireroading and as well as some steep up and downs.\u00a0\u00a0 There was not just cool stuff to see off in the distance.\u00a0\u00a0 There were lots of small streams crossing under the roads that were quite pretty.<\/p>\n

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I used up the better part of the day up in my loop out here.\u00a0\u00a0 It is ashame I don’t have any pictures I can show you of the Preston Railroad Trail, the Northwest Lumber Trail and the Fat Hand Trail which are\u00a0touted as really killer singletracks.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Oh well, I’m going to be back at some point when they are open.\u00a0\u00a0For now my time is Seattle is over so,<\/p>\n

Sayonara Seattle<\/em><\/h2>\n

More Stuff Like This<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Back in the Saddle<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Alpine Roll Action<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Farewell to a friend and Quality Time<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Bunker Creek Video<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/div>