Weekly Hike #6: Lots of Tradition

On Friday, June 28th, the forecast was for HOT weather (mid-to upper-80s), so Mr. D and I decided to do a hike that was relatively level: the Tradition Plateau at Tiger Mountain. We had explored this area a bit back in April, and we wanted to hike some of the other trails. Besides, the word "plateau" sounds good on a hot day: no hills, we thought.

We started out on the Bus Trail.

Odd name for a trail, isn't it? Well, here is where the name came from:

I'm not sure what kind of bus this is—a Volkswagen bus, maybe?—but the big mystery is how it ended up here in the middle of the woods.

We continued on the Bus Trail for a while, and then branched off on a trail that led through a stretch that was out in the open, where I saw this butterfly, basking in the sun. It is likely a Small Apollo (Parnassius phoebus).

Soon after we spotted the butterfly, we came to the Nook Trail, which Mr. D suggested we follow, because it would loop us back toward our starting point. It started out in the cool shady woods, but then the trail narrowed and began to climb, and climb, and climb. I was afraid that we were going to end up climbing to the top of Tiger Mountain, not a fun prospect on such a hot day, but after about a half-hour, the trail leveled off, and then turned back down to the plateau. Unfortunately, by this time we were both hot, sweaty and hungry, and it took us almost another half-hour to get to our lunch spot on Tradition Lake. Despite the trials we experienced in getting there, the view by the lake was worth it. Take a look:

What a great place eat lunch on a hot, sunny afternoon!