[JimK]

I have hiked Tiger for nearly 20 years. In that time there have been storms that sank floating bridges and ones that tore roofs off houses. Downed trees are not out of the ordinary. Through all the years I have seen occasional trees knocked down on Tiger. Never have I seen anything like I saw today. We stayed on the north side of the mountain figuring that less damage was likely to be there. From the West Tiger RR Grade to the top of Tiger 1 (Preston Trail) it looked like a big bomb went off. In the middle of a thick forest 50+ big trees are down. They all fell from left (east) to right across the slope and trail. Several hundred vertical feet of trail are buried under what looks like a bunch of match sticks. I traversed left over 300' and still could not get around the carnage. I climbed way up and over and way down and under to get through. It was the worst mess I have ever seen. The smallest tower on Tiger 2 blew over and is partly laying on the ground. From the top of Tiger 2 to the RR grade it was easier as we only had to get around 25 or 30 trees. None were as large as most of the ones we saw coming up. At one switchback the whole hillside collapsed taking everything with it. It required dropping straight down as the actual switchback was gone. I met 1 person who said the main Tradition Lake trail to the top of Tiger 3 and the Cable Line route were also a mess of downed trees. If you like a challenge then go to the north side of Tiger. If not I'd recommend staying away until lots of chainsawing has been done.

Half dozen trees toppled here.

[Kat]

Thanks for the trip report, usually hike part of west tiger after work each week so it is good to know what to be prepared for! I am not surprised at the devastation up there, as I've lived at the base of the SE side of Tiger for over 10 years, and I've never seen a wind storm like what we had. A couple of downed trees and power lines is normal for a major wind storm. This time, it was like a war was going on - huge trees and power lines down everywhere for 3 miles until I-90. Kamikaze driving. PSE sent in 12 repair trucks at 6am the next morning - that will tell you how bad it was. I am very glad I took a hike up there Wednesday afternoon before the storm!

[H. Hound]

Well, the cable line is mostly cleared. A pair of chainsaw guys were working it today. By the time I left they were to the final steep part. So, the trail is passable all the way to the top, as long as you don’t mind the steep route.