Lines on the Road: There and back again: Tiger Mountain

My friend Lori and I did something crazy today. For reasons unknown even to us, we got on the road at 7 a.m. to hike Tiger Mountain. We were craving an outdoor experience but I said I had to be back in Seattle at 11, so Tiger Mountain was really one of our only options unless we wanted to get up earlier.

I hear that on a typical spring or summer day, Tiger Mountain is a freeway of people. Given that it was February and 7:30 in the morning, we didn't encounter nearly as many hikers as we might have in the summer but we still met our fair share. But hey, it was a gorgeous and clear day. Seattle-ites are known to flock toward the sunshine! And they always bring their dogs. We saw SO many dogs on the way back down. Dachshunds, labs, golden retrievers, pugs, greyhounds... you name the breed. Speaking of pugs, I had a standoff with a rather bull-headed pug on our way down. You know if you are approaching a dog (or even a person), obviously one will have to move to get out of the other's way? Well, the pug and I were on a trajectory course for collision but I figured it would get out of my way since, naturally, I am much bigger than the pug and could crush it with my shoe. The pug did NOT get out of the way and when neither of us stepped aside, we came to a face-to-face standstill. For a second, neither of us moved. The pug stared at my shoes and I stared at its ugly little face (sorry pug owners). I finally stepped aside and the pug continued on its way. There are two explanations for why this happened. The pug, that spoiled Seattle pet, wanted to assert its control over me and forced a showdown. OR the pug was too stupid to realize that all it had to do to keep its momentum was take a step to the right or left. It came to an obstacle and its little brain couldn't figure out what to do. I prefer this second explanation rather than a pug bent on domination. I prefer to think they're stupid.

Anywho, it was gorgeous up there and our early morning paid off. We mainly had the trail to ourselves on the way up, even though it started to get busier later in the morning. It's always great to get out of the city and take in a view.