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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman



Joined: 24 Jun 2018
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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
PostWed Apr 12, 2023 9:58 pm 
A couple months ago I saw @nowifly post a photo of Murat's Bridge. I thought I'd ran all the trails on Tiger but after seeing that I realized I had somehow missed a section. A week or two later I made time to visit it and was seriously impressed. How often do you see a 200' long steel bridge miles away from any road high up on a mountain!? It's 48' high and constructed from nearly 50,000lbs of steel!
Since then I've gone back a handful of times. It's an awesome sight and a really beautiful bridge. I found this article on it today that discusses the history and construction of it. Thought I'd share. http://www.kuresman.com/Tiger_Bridge_Construction/Tiger_Bridge_Construction.html

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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



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Slugman
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PostThu Apr 13, 2023 9:53 am 
What does it bridge over? A river, stream, gully? Cool bridge anyway.

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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman



Joined: 24 Jun 2018
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Location: Issaquah
zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
PostThu Apr 13, 2023 10:00 am 
It spans a creek along the Tiger Mountain Trail at 47.51915, -121.97407. The link I posted refers to it as High Point Creek but I don't see a name for it on any maps. It replaced a much smaller and lower bridge that was destroyed by the floods in 2009. It's a deep ravine and the creek has a pretty heavy flow compared to others on the mountain. With the exception of probably Fifteenmile Creek. It was named after Murat Danishek. Some more information here: https://deetezellimountainstories.wordpress.com/2015/09/17/our-beloved-murats-bridge-opening-for-hikers/ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5af0f80ab105989f620b7396/t/5c92fdd1ee6eb0254e8c2483/1553137125048/2016-Q1-Newsletter.pdf

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Slugman
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mosey
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PostThu Apr 13, 2023 10:05 am 
Nice find. I've always wondered what kind of lifts they use for these industrial-strength backwoods builds.

mossbackmax, Joey, Now I Fly, zimmertr
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



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Slugman
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PostThu Apr 13, 2023 10:07 am 
I used to hike around at Tiger mtn in the ‘90s when I lived in Seattle, especially the times I didn’t have a car. I should probably go back. hmmm.gif

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Kascadia
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PostThu Apr 13, 2023 10:14 am 
Just crossed it yesterday on the way to K3, it always impresses. The section of trail beyond the bridge to K3/TMT intersection also has some very beautiful spots on it and is well worth visiting. The creeks are really rolling now, and the forest is in 50 shades of green. Below is a link to a blog by the parents of the young man this bridge is named after: https://deetezellimountainstories.wordpress.com/2015/09/17/our-beloved-murats-bridge-opening-for-hikers/ "Murat Danishek was our hero son who endured a 32-year battle with the congenital heart defect. He took on multiple open heart surgeries worked a full time job and never wanted to leave us. While he couldn’t accommodate long hikes, he remained connected with us (crazy climber/hiker parents) by way of phone lines as we trekked. Thank you for asking. If you want to know more about our ‘Hero’ click on my Kindle e-books, titled Music Box, Letters from Beyond, Heart Matters and his own Shorecrest HS senior project novella, Escape from Khasden (posthumously released)LOVE. Dee Tezelli"

It is as though I had read a divine text, written into the world itself, not with letters but rather with essential objects, saying: Man, stretch thy reason hither, so thou mayest comprehend these things. Johannes Kepler
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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman



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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
PostThu Apr 13, 2023 11:19 am 
Slugman wrote:
I used to hike around at Tiger mtn in the ‘90s when I lived in Seattle, especially the times I didn’t have a car. I should probably go back. hmmm.gif
Heck ya Slugman! Tiger is awesome! I am so thankful to live nearby! People who grew up around here and talk down on the Issy Alps just take them for granted.
Kascadia wrote:
The section of trail beyond the bridge to K3/TMT intersection also has some very beautiful spots on it and is well worth visiting.
Descending back to High Point from WT2 down K3/TMT is my favorite section on the whole mountain. I love those long ramps parked on the mountainside with a high canopy above you. And you almost never see anyone either. This is actually the reason I always missed Murat's Bridge. I would never go east on TMT at the four-way below WT2. I just bombed down K3. Now I'm a wiser man cool.gif

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Kascadia
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Kascadia
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PostThu Apr 13, 2023 2:50 pm 
zimmertr wrote:
This is actually the reason I always missed Murat's Bridge. I would never go east on TMT at the four-way below WT2. I just bombed down K3.
If you haven't already discovered it, you can still bomb down K3 and have the best of both worlds. Just go downhill at the bottom of K3 (at the 3-way/TMT intersection) on TMT (vs short uphill toward Cable/Fr Str), you will cross Murat's Bridge. The gravitational pull of K3 is strong! We've never been able to escape it to do that section of TMT between upper/lower K3............thanks for the nudge.

It is as though I had read a divine text, written into the world itself, not with letters but rather with essential objects, saying: Man, stretch thy reason hither, so thou mayest comprehend these things. Johannes Kepler

zimmertr
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JimK
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PostThu Apr 13, 2023 4:24 pm 
Gee, that's a really good report. Someone put some time and effort into it. Now, if we just had some video...

Hiking Northwest

Now I Fly, mosey, Kascadia  zimmertr
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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman



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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
PostThu Apr 13, 2023 6:44 pm 
Ha! I'm guessing you run that website! Thank you for the video!

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JimK
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JimK
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PostThu Apr 13, 2023 7:18 pm 
Yes, it is my site. Here is a video of the night the bridge was finished. We had a ribbon cutting and champagne. The official dedication was a week or so later.

Hiking Northwest

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Randy
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PostThu Apr 13, 2023 11:03 pm 
A frequent component of my Tiger trail runs. Cool spot.

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puzzlr
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
PostFri Apr 14, 2023 12:02 am 
I was in a group that took a history hike with Tom Anderson (Issaquah Alps historian) and part of our route visited Murat's bridge. This is from memory, but I recall him saying that when the old small bridge washed out there were federal funds available for a new bridge but only from an agency that required it to withstand a 200-year flood. So instead of building a smaller replacement at the scale of the previous one they installed this monster bridge that will probably rust away before it's taken out by a flood. BTW, If you're into Tiger Mountain history I highly recommend getting out there with Tom. He has a personal connection to Tiger's logging history and there's a lot to learn that's not obvious from walking on the trails.

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JimK
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PostFri Apr 14, 2023 8:00 am 
puzzlr, the bridge was funded by FEMA. It was an emergency to have lost that vital transportation link. I downloaded the original Environmental Assessment. The pdf is 72 pages. I have uploaded it to my site here: Tiger Mt. Bridge EA The original Proposed Action Alternative was for a 180' suspension bridge. The process was in limbo for some time. The EA is dated November 2010 and construction began at the end of July 2015. There are some photos of the old bridge and site in the EA.

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RuthScott
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PostFri Apr 14, 2023 9:11 am 
that's great

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