Pratt Mountain, Mount Defiance & Ira Spring Trail - Mason Lake — Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

Overall 13.9mi RT 1780m ascent. Snow past Mason Lake slowed down my approach on Pratt, which had 3--6" of overnight powder and no approach tracks nor tracks on the summit. The climb up Pratt took 50% longer than 'usual' as I was overly cautious about footing, which was minimal or lacking. Microspikes for traction on the boulders, as the snow was either fairly compact or packed well. Traffic was light enough toward Defiance that I wasn't passed, which likely would have sapped my motivation. From the trail juntion to the base of Defiance itself, I saw only two downhill groups and no others. I certainly set no records here. After reaching the summit of Defiance, a good score people arrived in the next 15--20 minutes. Conditions were better on the summit than in the woods, which were getting slushy from the melting/falling tree snow. Someone at the Bandera junction was describing nearly 18" of snow at the summit, suggesting a more difficult approach.