Day 13: Hike Tiger Mountain.

I wonder how many times in my lifetime, I have driven past Exit 20 on I90 East and wondered why in the heck are all those cars over there? Many, many times, I can assure you.

And now I get "why in the heck all those cars are over there". The Tiger Mountain summit is a great hike. Easy to get to, a great cardio workout and it's a well maintained trail, even in the winter. And there's enough people coming and going, that I didn't really feel unsettled about going by myself. Needless to say, I did check in with the hubs and a GF to let them know where I was headed and when I planned to be back.

A couple of "silly me" moments. Since, I've seen cars parked along the frontage road, I assumed you need to park there. So I walked about 1/2 from there to the actual start of the trail where there is a ginormous parking lot. No biggie, a good warm up. I also did not know there would be bathrooms, so once I started the trail, I went and relieved myself in the woods (morning coffee gets me every time). Naturally, I got back on the trail and there was the restroom. However, it was probably fortuitous that I did not hit the potty on the way up because there was this sign posed on the door...

Hmmmm, a little scary, eh? The posting was from April 2010, but still. Freaky!

The hike itself is a lot of uphill switchbacks with a little bit of leveling out in between. Round trip it took about 2.5 hours (including some chill time at the summit). Not too shabby for 30 degree weather and an almost 40 year old, right? I thought I was kinda tough, until my descent down when I passed a senior citizen RUNNING (and by running, I mean hauling ass!) up the trail in running shorts and no shirt! I am not kidding.  Must be one of those zany ultrarunners I read about it in "Born to Run"!!) Me not so tough! Humility restored.

I loved every minute of it and so glad I included this baby on my list. And let's talk about the sunshine! That much sun in February is such an unexpected gift for Seattle Folk. I think I even got a little sunburn on my cheeks. Yay, Vitamin D!

Since I was not in a rush to get home, I drove the 10 minutes to North Bend to grab a latte. Of course, a stop at the Gap Outlet, was necessary  - where I found a darling jean jacket for $1.97. My old one had an unfortunate incident in the dryer with a green crayon. So my GF and my sister got jackets, too. Three Gap jean jackets for less than $6.  Crazy Talk.

A hike and a frugalista bargain. Me likey.

Photos below document that I made it to the top! :)