I encontered another bit of bad luck as far as driving to the trailhead is concerned. When I arrived at the gravel road off Highway 18 that was to lead to the start of this hike, I found the gate closed and locked as of October 15. Not to be detered, I put on my rain gear and set off, adding the 2 miles of road to the start (and later finish) of the hike.

Rain was falling lightly as I entered the forest, adding a bit of Northwest magic to the scene. Trees with their layers of moss were dripping. The few maples that were mixed in with the evergreens were beginning to lose their leaves. An occasional bird or squirrel were the only creatures I saw. The solitude was refreshing and the rain was comforting.

The trail was easy and only occasionally went uphill at more than a gradual rate. When I reached what appeared to be the top of Tiger Mountain (actually not much more than a hill by Pacific Northwest Standards), I did not find the views I was anticipating. The trail continued downhill at a brisk rate but I could not see that there would be any place to look out over the area as advertised. Since the rain had steadily increased, and the cloud cover was so low that there would not be any views even if the forest should magically part, I decided to turn back.

The return trip was uneventful, except for my boots. During my trip last week, the oversized pads on the top outside edge of my hiking boots had rubbed hard on my ankles, but since my knees were giving me such grief, I barely noticed. This week, the rubbing continued, to the point of removing skin even through 2 layers of socks. I will have to do a bit of surgery on the boots if I am going to continue to wear them.