Trip Reports

It's 6:30 AM, and my hiking buddy Blue Towel and I are off. We have Mt. Defiance in mind, but on the I-90 bridge we almost reconsider: to the south, Mt. Rainier is out, brilliant in the early morning sun, while to the east a lot of very dark clouds hang over the Cascades,

seemingly centered right over Mt. Defiance. Do we divert to Rainier? Or chance it with our original goal? Indecision reigns, but in the end we defy the cloud bank and press on eastward: Exit 45, Forest Roads 9030 and 9031, and finally the trailhead lot with ours the third car there. Oops, do we feel a few raindrops? Well, maybe, but only for a minute. No more fall all day, but the clouds do remain with us.

Then it's up the gentle grade on a wide trail (old roadbed) crossing a small stream, then crossing a larger, beautiful steam (Mason Creek.) Then leaving the roadbed for a narrower, steeper climb with, eventually, a few switchbacks, then a good trail across massive boulders, then past the side trail to Bandera Mtn, and continuing on toward Mason Lake.

We're out of the trees up here, with low blueberry bushes, and I'm enjoying the many wildflowers: fireweed and paintbrush, lupine, pearly everlasting and yarrow, rosy spirea... ""What was that?"" Blue Towel asks suddenly. I'd missed the sound, but she'd heard something moving above us. I look upslope, at first seeing nothing, but then a low bush moves slightly about fifty feet above us. Did I see a bit of black fur for an instant? Well, yes, and it soon is more than just a bit. Quite abruptly, the face of a young black bear is looking down on us. The bear seems unbothered by our presence, provides a photo-op, then continues searching the bushes for additional bear fare, ignoring us as we continue on.

A pika also appears for its photo, a tiny furry critter in contrast to the bear.

Soon we're over the pass, dropping down toward Mason Lake, and at the lake outlet crossing Mason Creek for the second time today. Then it's north on the trail near the lake shore, negotiating a bit of mud, soon reaching a signed trail junction, indicating our route west toward Thompson Lake and Mt. Defiance.

The rooty, sometimes moist trail climbs steeply, and for a few brief moments we are in bright sun before the clouds return. The trail levels, traversing a south-facing meadow, where a multitude of flowers still are in bloom.

At the western edge of the meadow, we note the small rock cairn that flags the beginning of the otherwise-unsigned rudimentary trail to the summit of Defiance. It's steep, reminiscent of parts of the Bandera Mtn trail, and it leads us up another 350 feet to the summit. We've seen no other hikers since before Mason Lake, and we have the summit all to ourselves for a leisurely lunch and a rest. There are a few mozzies and flies - but very few - and they really are not a problem for us today.

It's cloudy up here, although from time to time we can see the boulder fields across the canyon to the north. Then, magically, the clouds thin to the east, and we see, briefly, a ghostly view of Lake Kulla Kulla, with its surrounding trees reflected in the surface, 1800 feet below.

Then we start the long hike back, encountering other hikers now, even a few bound for Defiance, and many more - late starters - heading up toward Mason Lake and Bandera. With all these folks out on the trail, and some pooches too, it's no surprise there's no sign of our bear, and we feel privileged to have enjoyed a friendly morning encounter when we had the trail to ourselves.

I finally did a hike I have thought about for years, ever since I went up the front ridge of West Defiance in 2001. Today I closed that loop, climbing to the summit of West Defiance and then traversing the ridge to pick up the trail to Mason Lake. The trail starts at the Bandera parking lot, and continues west on a small path, that goes toward Dirty Harry's Lookout, at the first switchback of the Ira Spring trail. In about one-half mile a branch of that trail turns steeply upwards, and in 2001 was just a steep unimproved bootpath.

This time the ascent through the open woods was much improved with lots of switchbacks. At about 4000 ft it crosses a small talus field and then emerges on a small ridge that merges with the main south ridge and heads directly to the summit by a scramble through the open meadows. From the summit, the traverse east involves a steep descent for a few hundred feet with no path visible, which was slow going with a few difficult spots. Once it reached the flatter part of the ridgethere was a good boot path on the ridge top that continued right into the woods on the saddle on the west side of Mt. Defiance until it intersected the Thompson Lake trail #1009. We found some small snowfields on the north side of the ridge to replenish our water supply, but later in the summer or in a low snow year there will be no water on this route until you reach Mason Lake. From there we enjoyed the descent via Mason Lake and the Ira Spring trail to the car. It took 4.5 hours from the car to the trail, then another 2.5 hours to return.

Arriving at the Ira Spring trailhead on a Tuesday morning two of us were somewhat surprised at the number of cars already in the parking lot. Hate to think what it would look like on a sunny Sunday but I think I know.

The trail to the summit of Mt. Defiance is completely snowfree with only a couple of serious mudholes. The bugs were rather few with the exception of the summit. Fortunately there is an excellent lunch stop about 150 feet below the summit that is bug free and a big plus is that it looks out across a magnificent field of wild flowers. Later in the day the clouds began to get heavier resulting in a few raindrops hitting my windshield on the way back to I-90. Also, the FS road to the trailhead is in excellent condition; the best I have seen in years.

We did a loop to Putrid Pete's Peak, the Mt. Definance Trail, and Mason Lake on a sunny Thursday.

We started at the Mason Lake/Ira Spring trailhead. As described by others, we ducked into the woods on a unmaintained trail where the Mason Lake trail makes its first hard turn to the right. The unmaintained but well constructed trail traverses west across a creekbed and then switchbacks up through the woods, eventually merging onto a ridge where it peters out. The route is flagged for awhile and then becomes an obvious rib to the top of Putrid Pete's Peak. The top half is more a scramble than a hike - steep but not exposed.

We took a break at the top, signing the register, enjoying the views which would have been even better were it not from the haze. We could pick out Glacier Peak to the north but Rainier to the south was obscured.

From the summit we followed the ridge east to the Mt. Defiance trail. From a distance, it appeared there would be a difficult spot along the ridge that would require scrambling over boulders but once there it was easy to work around the boulders. Others have described dropping off the ridge to the north to pick-up the Mt. Defiance trail in a meadow. We stayed on the ridge to maintain elevation and eventually ran straight into the trail. From there it was quick hike down to Mason Lake for a break by the lake outlet and then back to the car via the Ira Spring Trail.

It was an enjoyable loop that we had to ourselves until back by Mason Lake. While the day was not overly hot, the first half of the loop is all southern exposure and we each drained our full two quarts of water. Trip time was just under 6 1/2 hours.

Backpacked from Ira Spring Mem. Trail/Mason Lake to Snow Lake/Alpental via Pratt Lake, Melakwa Lake, Melakwa Pass over 4 days. Beautifully warm sunny weather, less snow than expected, and not too many people or bugs.

Trail up to Mason Lake fine & clear, side trip up Mt. Defiance had only a couple tiny snow patches in the woods with beautiful wildflowers on the upper slopes. There is an un-signed fork in the trail between the Defiance summit trail (up/right as you ascend) and the Thompson Lake trail (straight/left), but otherwise very straightforward and pleasant.

Beyond Mason Lake, there were a few snowy & muddy spots up near Rainbow Lake but nothing too bad. Trail clear to Pratt Lake, with dry campsites. The trail from Pratt Lake to Lower Tuscohatchie Lake contours across a few avalanche chutes which are brushy (including devil's club and salmonberry) and include two large logs across the trail, although they're not too hard to get around.

Impressive old growth hemlocks, doug firs, and cedar trees around L. Tuscohatchie Lake and on the trail to Windy Lake. Some very muddy spots near Melakwa Creek on the Windy Lake/Kaleetan Lake trail but otherwise clear and easy. No snow.

Trail from L. Tuscohatchie to Melakwa Lake was brushy in places, muddy in others, but snow-free. Patches of snow remain around and above Melakwa Lake, including the valley bottom going up towards Melakwa Pass, but the lake itself is ice-free. The talus slopes are mostly melted out, though. Where snow remains, watch out for holes & hollow spots.

The north side of Melakwa Pass is completely snow-covered, and Chair Peak Lake is completely frozen. I descended following the outlet stream, which was steep and wet -- not reccomended. Afterwards, it looked like an easier way might be over a small rise north from Chair Peak Lake and down a talus slope, which was partially snow covered.

Gem Lake is 80% ice free, but the trail from Gem down to Snow Lake is mostly snow-covered. A side trip down to Wildcat Lakes was fine to the bottom of the talus slope switchbacks, but snowy patches make picking up the trail hard, and beyond Lower Wildcat the trail is increasingly hard to follow. At Upper Wildcat there's a nice campsite.

The shores of Snow Lake, which is about 50% ice-free, were alternately snow-covered or muddy until gaining the Snow Lake/Alpental pass, and very heavily used/abused. The Alpental side of the trail was fine.

All in all a fine trip!

The flower show started slowly along the trail, working their way to a mild frenzy along the slopes leading to the junction with the Bandera trail. The real show was on Mt Defiance where everything seemed to be in bloom from Phlox to Beargrass, Red Columbine to Red Paintbrush, and Agoseris to Asters. With a nod from the butterflies, I climbed to the summit of Defiance. With only a touch of haze the views were good from on top. Trail conditions were good with a touch of mud passing Mason Lake and few puddlings of snow as you climb up the ridge towards Defiance. Bugs made their presence known with one claiming first bite as soon as I opened the car door at the trailhead at 6:30 AM. On the way up the bugs ignored me except for a wet section of trail on the ridge leading towards Mt Defiance. The bugs made their presence known as I descended below the Bandera junction on the way down, but overall the bugs proved to be only a very minor pest. Passed two groups who had spent the night at Mason Lake. Road conditions were OK; they seem to have finished the culvert repair near the end of the pavement, and the gravel road was only slightly bumpy.

This was a Mountaineer's Scramble. A cloudy, foggy, drizzly day. Hiked the Ira Spring Trail to the old Mason Creek Trail. This Trail is really gorgeous, but is difficult (more like a climber's trail). Very slippery today and many logs to go over or under. Stay left at bottom of talus field, cross Mason Creek and find very faint trail on the west side of the Creek. This trail eventually crosses back over the Creek again and becomes steeper (muddier today) and more difficult. Finally it pops out on the new Ira Spring Trail. Rest of trails were muddy, but otherwise in good condition. Only one small snow patch. Left the trail as it traverses the south side of Defiance and scrambled up steep talus slopes, through tree band and up pleasant flowered steep meadows and then through small cliff band to summit. No views today, but with the sun trying to burn through this is the warmest spot of the entire trip. Descended via the climber's path on the SW ridge and finally the Ira Spring Trail. Bugs were almost nonexistent as apparently they had drowned. Stats were 9 miles, 3,880' and 8 hours (with lots of time on top and several cookie stops).

Spent a great two nights at Mason Lake during midweek. Did not see many visitors til hiking out on Saturday. Access road is in good condition, but watch for a bad patch that's marked where the pavement ends and the gravel road begins. Mosquitoes were considerable at the lake and on the lower part of the trail to Mount Defiance. Deet recommended. Mount Defiance trail had just a patch or two of snow left on it during the first mile from Mason Lake. Enough to scrub the dust off your boots. Wild flowers covering the mountain meadow made this hike well worth it, along with a ruffed grouse hen. Vista from the summit was double-plus good.

Accessed the Mt Defiance trail via the old Mason Lk trail. I sure like the old trail, especially with dogs, its very peaceful and pretty, compared to the Ira Spring Mem. Hwy. I'm not gonna tell you how to find it! In any event, had the Mt Defiance trail past Mason Lake to ourselves. There is about 100 yards of snow covered trail on the NE side of the peak, and if you don't know where you're supposed to end up, I'd wait until it melts out in a few weeks. As it is, I lost the trail coming and going, so the way up turned into an exciting scramble. Rule of thumb here is, when in doubt, take the ridge and follow it. You'll find the trail again. The trail is in great shape, flowers are abloom. One of my favorite hikes.

Talapus Trailhead to Rainbow Lake for a night of camping.

Full parking lot. Snow at the outlet of Talapus Lake with minimal route finding problems. One blowdown and lots of snow for 1/4-3/8 mile below Olalie Lake (no obvious route, pick a compass bearing). Trail over to Pratt trail is in good shape and largely snow free.

Pratt lake trail has a 1/4 mile section with snow just above Olalie Lake. Trail beyond is clear of snow (but not trees) until the highpoint just south of Pratt Mt. From the high-point down into the basin around Rainbow Lake is 50% snow covered.

Rainbow and Island lakes are 1/2-2/3 frozen over. The areas around the lakes are 75% snow covered.

All in all, a nice early-summer destination before the hordes descend.

The trail to Mason Lake should be snow-free in about a week if the present weather continues. However at the top of the Ira Spring trail, at the ridge, is a steep snow-bank that was much-improved this weekend with some nice steps kicked in. After that the trail can be followed part-way to the lake; then there are many tracks to the still-snow-covered Mason Lake. Beyond the lake and up the ridge to Mount Defiance requires boots and a axe on the steep upper slope, still mostly snow covered except on the summit and open south slope.

All the lakes we could see from the summit were still snow covered.

It was extremely hot on this day and there were some small biting flys that were a bother when lingering along the lakes. We were surprised to find so much snow and no trail to follow beyond Mason Lake. We made our way with map and compass because some of the snow was hard and left no tracks. Even then we ended up going across the Little Mason lake outlet and up over a difficult boulder field. It is best to keep east on the ridge above the Mason Lake outlet.

Started out the day earlier than usual because I had to work later (this is why this trip turned out to be a huge mistake, because it was horrible working after), so I left the trailhead at about 8:30. Taking the Ira Spring Trail, at the first switchback take the side trail west instead of following the main trail up the hill. I have no idea who did the work on this trail, but it's not on the bandera map at all.

The trail up is good until, like others have said in their reports, it opens up into the rocky hillside. For a while flags still mark the route, but they dissapear and it is mainly just a scramble up the hillside with a small boot path to maybe help you along. Not recommended for casual hikers, especially down.

The top, point 5335' on the gt bandera map just west of mt. defiance, has great views of everything around if it hadn't been cloudy on the I-90 side of the ridge. The same view as a couple days earlier from dirty harry greeted me, and I signed the trail register before heading out again, this time going west along what is apparently named ""banana ridge,"" toward what I later learned was web mountain. I just knew it was higher, and I wanted to get there.

I will shorten the rest because this could get to be a long story. I got to web mt, quickly went back along the ridge and to the top of mt defiance which was covered in snow, and then retraced my whole trip back to web mountain because I lost my tiny phone somewhere along the mile-long ridge. I was completely stunned when I found it lying under a shrub I had remembered climbing over.

On the way down, after passing the only other person I had seen who was on the way up, I lost the tiny climbers trail, but was too stubborn to turn back and find it. Instead I barged down through forest for 2000 vertical feet, zigzagging while trying to find the trail. I knew I would hit it at the bottom, which I eventually did.

I don't know how many miles the trip was, because it was mainly off trail, but 8 hours from the car and the length of the main route to mount defiance of 11 miles make me think it was at least 10. I was more exhuasted than I have ever been afterward, and then my night was topped off by work right afterward! anyway, thanks to the lady who gave me extra water after I lost my main bottle on the way down.

after hearing good things about the ""new"" ira spring memorial trail, i wanted to try out this hike. this is a great hike. it ranks right up there with kendall katwalk/commonwealth basin in the i-90 corridor. the commonwealth basin is much more beautiful going thru the forest, but mt. defiance has better--great views of mt washington, mcclellan butte, mt kent, mt gardner going up. then mt. rainier. and at the top, bandera mtn, granite mtn, mailbox peak, and in the distance, mt. baker and glacier peak.

one of the problems of old guys who have ""been there and done that"" is to be open to try out new trails. i did bandera mtn in '91, and the access road was a terrible 17 mile drive on pothole alley, and the trail--if you could call it that--was forgetable. the new trail [that leads to both bandera mtn and mt. defiance] has shortened the dirt road to only 3.4 miles--tho it is still like driving an obstacle course with a passenger car. also, SLOW down at the end of the first .3 miles to the end of the pavement. there is a wilderness version of a speed bump- a foot wide and half a foot or so of a speed ditch just at the end. the parking lot at the trailhead is big.

the trail is in excellent shape. a salute to the forest service, wta, and the other volunteer trail crews that did such an outstanding job. No wonder this trail has become so popular in the last 5 years.

the trail starts out as a wide logging road type trail i think on the old road. at 1.5 hrs, there is the first signed fork: take mason lake trail left. walk over the ridge and back down the other side in a winding trail that goes clockwise, then rises up to the south side of mason lake at 3.4 mi. bear left, up the stone steps, leaving mason lake, and at 2.0 hrs, you will come to another signed fork: take mt defiance left again. up thru the forest, you will come out to a now dry meadow. cross the meadow completely, and avoid the two dry rock gullies up the meadow which ends up being a scramble. at the opposite end of the meadow, there is a trail right that hugs the southwest ridge and climbs to the top. be careful not to cross the rocks across the traverse--the trail leads to thompson lake and i think the granite creek road on the north side.

the top is a comfortably-laid out flat with rock seats no less. there were 5-6 camp robber birds otherwise known as the pesky grey jays looking for a food handout. sun, no clouds [counter to the noaa weather forecast today], and no wind-- really perfect november weather. it almost felt like late september. looking down, i could see at least 5 alpine lakes.

even on this tuesday, i ran into 6 parties: a mother-grown son-old dog Jack, two ladies with dog, three solos, and two mothers with babes under 1 year old--the youngest ""hikers"" i've seen.

7.5 miles round trip, 3300' net gain, no snow to speak of. i took my time: 3 3/4 hours up; 2 3/4 hours down. you can get by on summer trail boots. trekking poles help. an ice ax is not necessary. the return hike downhill is a bit of a toe jammer. solo friendly.

Taking advantage of our unexpected stretch of dry weather, I wandered up the Ira Spring Trail and beyond all the way to Mount Defiance. I could feel my Vitamin D level surge on the sun-warmed switchbacks of the Ira Spring Trail. The trail was in excellent condition and there was no snow on the ground all the way to Mason Lake. Sun reflecting off the still waters of the lake made the temperature comfortably warm at the shore, and I lingered a long time to soak up the heat and enjoy the beautiful environs of the lake.

The Mount Defiance trail had small patches of ice and snow in shaded areas. This trail, though steep and in a deteriorated condition, presented few problems. The steep user trail that climbs the southwest ridge to the summit of Mt. Defiance was also nearly free of snow. What more can one ask for early November? Get out there now, these conditions won't last long.

Wanted to warn hikers that the access road to these trails is closed just off the freeway at exit #45-(I think)

I had set out for Mt. Defiance and was turned back. I went on to the pass and had a nice hike to Red Pass/Commonwealth Basin area instead.

Gorged on Blueberries with my dog. She is better at picking them than anyone I know!

Going alone, at the last minute (I felt sleep and no alarm was a good idea), I stuck to the new LONG trail rather than the direct old trail up to Mason Lake. Fireweed and Pearly Everlasting are the predominant flowers with some paintbrush and others.

There were some campers at the lake. While there were few bugs to bug me, I inquired and they indicated that evening, the mosquitoes were out in force.

Tooled on past the lake, past the junction and up the tread toward Mt Defiance. Still nice flowers on the route including Alaska Harebells and more Paintbrush. The traverse was still a lush green. The way trail up Defiance is steep and getting eroded in places. High clouds and some haze but very pleasant up on top.

I spent about an hour up there watching some energic types trying to capture an airborne stop-action jump with their camera.

Rainier was out as was Glacier Peak and Mt Baker to the far north and Stewart to the far east.

Finally started the LONG descent back down. And it really is long.

Met some friends at the Ira Spring Memorial and finished my ""fruit"" drink and back down to the car.

Nice day.

Road is really potholed - watch the speed.

You can see the switchback in the center right where the Bandera trail takes off (meadowy, yellow/green slope)

Cool 7 AM start on Ira Spring. Non stop trail march to Mason Lake past a decent showing of flowers along the upper stretch by the cut-off to Bandera Mtn. The display probably peaked two weeks ago when the ranger report dated then called the wildflowers ""gorgeous."" Steep narrow crookedly climb up the trail to Mt Defiance. The summit scrambling trail (that you stumble across once you've gone far enough west to gape at the next ridge) seemed to be in better condition than the rest of the Mt Defiance trail. Better showing of flowers on Defiance than on the trail to Mason Lake. The two week-old ranger report at the trailhead mumbled something about a few trees laying across the trail between Mason Lake and Mt Defiance - saw no evidence of that. Bugs there be... they don't pester while you move, but when you stop they find you - but they give you time to finish off a scone before becoming too bothersome. Three hours up to the Defiance summit; two hours down. Three cars in the parking lot when I left; a dozen cars soaking in the hot sun when I returned.

Decided to try out a loop hike described by another hiker earlier this month. Began on the Ira Spring TH picking up the trail to Putrid Pete's Peak at the first switchback. The trail is in excellent shape until about 3600'. From there it is more of a scramble and picks up the spine of the ridge to Putrid Pete's Peak, resembling the hike to Bandera Mtn. From the summit we traversed the along south side of Banana Ridge (no trail here) to the saddle approaching Mt Defiance. We came down the north side of the ridge and dropped down in hopes of meeting up with trail 1009.1 to go to Mt Defiance. Finding the trail was tricky because in the valley below Banana Ridge the trail just dies out. We had to reply on instinct to follow the meadow in the valley eastbound, until out of a grassy area the trail suddenly appears. If you attempt this hike bring binoculars so you can look down from Banana Ridge to find the meadow where you can pick up the trail. After finding the trail we took the look to Mt Defiance, Mason Lake and back to the parking lot via the Ira Spring trail. All of these trails are in perfect shape. In fact, someone was so kind as to take a saw into the Mason Lake basin and saw through the blow-down that were obstructing the trail last time I was there (2 weeks ago). Overall, I would recommend this hike to those with basic scrambling and strong route finding skills. I really enjoyed it.

This was an interesting one-way trip of about 24 miles with a total elevation gain of about 5700 feet.

I parked my car at the Mailbox Peak parking area on the Middle Fork Road and had my wife drive me to the Denny Creek trailhead. I hiked over Hemlock Pass and down past Tuschohatchie and Pratt Lakes. From Pratt, I went up to the ridge trail and along it past Rainbow and Blazer Lakes and camped at Mason Lake. A total of about 12 miles for the day and 3900 feet elevation gain.

On Day 2 I hiked over the shoulder of Mt. Defiance through the incredibly beautiful flower field there and then took the lonely, little traveled trail to Thompson Lake. This section turned-out to be very pleasing--a mix of meadows and mature forest. If not for the low clouds, the views would have been good, too.

Thompson is a large, attractive and not often visited lake. The trail up from the lake is obscured by blow-down in places and not always easy to follow. I did some clearing with my pruning saw, but the really big stuff needs chainsaw work.

The Thompson Lake trail emerges on a rough logging road with lots of bear poop. In about a mile, it connects to the Granite Creek road-trail which I always enjoy for its flowers, easy walking, and this time of year abundant Thimbleberrys.

This was a quiet journey: between Melakwa Lake and the Middle Fork Road, I saw no one.

Some trail maintenance notes: the trail between Melakwa and Pratt lakes has a lot of large blowdown as does the trail from Thompson Lake up to the logging road.

Hiking pal John and I did an interesting loop from the Ira Spring Parking lot. About a quarter mile from the parking lot, we took a left on the obscure path that heads west. This path soon becomes a very nice abandoned trail that switchbacks up through a pleasing forest.

As others have commented, it's a mystery why this high standard trail was constructed and why it was abandoned without being completed.

At about 3100 feet the constructed trail ends and a boot path shoots straight up the slope topping-out on the ridge top at about 5200. It's very nice romp up through steep meadows and rock slides with plenty of flowers this time of year. From the slope, the Ira Spring parking lot appears as a small dot in the green forest and I-90 snakes its way far below.

We found the climbers register on Putrid Pete's Peak and signed in. Alot of people have been up there recently.

We did a steep traverse along the ridge in the direction of Mt. Defiance finally leaving the ridge and heading down to the Mt. Defiance trail. There are substantial snow patches covering the trail on the backside of Mt. Defiance.

There are also fabulous flowers on the open slope of Mt. Defiance in the vicinity of the path that leads to the summit.

The rest of the hike was routine: past Mason Lake and down the Ira Spring back to the parking lot. Total time was about 6 hours including a number of breaks for food.

The Ira Spring and Mason Lake trails are in excellent condition. Beargrass is very abundant in the open areas near the Banderra Mt. turnoff. The day was clear and warm (hot?). Mt Rainier was fully in view.

Beyond Mason Lake, there are a few snow patches on the trail where it goes up the ridgeline of Mt Defiance and is still in the trees. Take your time finding the trail, which goes basically straight up the ridgeline (a bit to the left), reappearing with some short switchbacks. Eventually the trail emerges from the trees and contours across open meadows on the south side of Mt. Defiance. Good flowers here and better views. We took the short side trail up to the summit for lunch and better 360 deg views. We were the only people on top. No wind on the summit, some bugs.

The trail had a few pesky bugs (no mosquitoes) past Mason Lake, but none were biting.

Road 9031 is reopened to the Ira Springs Trailhead and actually seemed less potholed than usual. Road 9030 to the Talapus Trailhead is still closed but the trail can easily be reached on foot up the road about a mile. The Ira Springs Trail up Bandera Mountain is so smooth, clear, and dry that you can push a stroller up it all the way to the ridgeline. On the way to the Mason Lake spillway, just where the old Mason Lake trail used to go, there is a large diameter blowdown that is easily stepped over. Mason Lake is clear of ice and the trails around it are dry. The connector to trail 1009 is a bit muddy. Trail 1009 has several large blowdowns. Up on the flank of Mt. Defiance the snow is still thick and dirty. It is impossible to follow a trail. I opted to abandon the attempt and stay on drier ground where there was lots of work for my trusty pruning saw. I even commandeered a couple of other hikers to help me remove a large log I had cut. It occurs to me that in view of the massive destruction from last year's storms, if each hiker did what they could with the damage right at their feet - and report the heavy stuff - we could reduce the maintenance burden and improve the trails for all. The side trail to Little Mason Lake is a swamp right now. Better in the fall or when it is covered with snow.

The short-story is that this is not ready to be classified as a HIKE.

There is still several feet of snow covering the trail on the east side of the ridge between 4500-4800 ft.

The Ira Springs Trail was jam packed today up to the Bandera Cut off and Mason Lake. Luckily, we were the only ones headed up Mt. Defiance. We were on snow almost the entire time beyond Mason Lake and lost the trail in the snow. We did manage to find our way to the summit. Pretty steep and icy - not a beginner hike.

Starvation Creek Waterfalls 4/18/07

Starvation Creek State Park, just off of I-84 on the

Oregon side of the Columbia gorge offers 4 large

waterfalls within a short 2 mile hike. They each

have different shapes, characters, and settings. The

first is Starvation Falls just east of the park picnic

area. It falls 186 ft. with a large volume. Rated

4 stars. Next heading west on the trail (#413 Mt.

Defiance) is Cabin Creek, 3 stars. After the trail

Heads uphill for a bit comes Hole In The Wall, also

3 stars. Finally after a bit more climbing, with

views down to the Columbia River, comes

Lancaster Falls, 4 stars.

On this rainy, gray day I left my large SLR camera

in the car and packed a miniature Olympus in a safe

dry parka pocket. I did get several photos of each

falls (shielding the camera under my hood).

Some spring wildflowers are out in the Gorge.

On this trail I saw lots of Bleeding Heart,

Solomon’s Seal, Siberian Spring Beauty, and

Saskatoon. Other than a 50 ft. muddy section

the trail was in perfect condition.

The star rating system is from Plumb’s book

“Waterfall Lovers Guide to the Pacific NW”.

As a reference point, Snoqualmie falls gets 5

Stars, the highest rating. Ratings are of course

subjective, but are based on height, volume,

beauty and uniqueness.

Robert Michelson

We didn't make it as far as Island Lake last week when we did the Ira Spring Trail to Mason Lake and then on to Rainbow Lake. So we returned to finally get to Island Lake by starting from the Talapas Lake Trailhead. We made good time getting to Talapas and Olallie lakes and then headed up the very steep bypass trail on the far side of Olallie up to the Pratt Lake trail. There was still a view of Mt. Rainier from the saddle, but the mountain was already surrounded by clouds (it was completely obscured when we returned). The trail climbs and then drops to the meadows, where we found quite a few patches of snow, muddy, wet, and icy spots. The snow helped us to find the trail, however, as there were footprints to guide us. It's rather confusing, otherwise. We reached Island Lake at 1 p.m.; we had been hiking nearly three hours by then. We ate at a gorgeous spot on some rocks by the lake. It was sunny and the lake had lovely reflections of the surrounding trees and red and yellow folliage. We made it back to the car at 4:30, and were suprised to see how many cars had joined ours by then. We had been nearly completely alone once we went towards Island Lake and only saw many other people near Talapus Lake on our return. It's a long hike, but a very beautiful one. I think it's about 10 and a half or eleven miles total.

As the 2006 season begins to wind down amid some of the most spectacular fall colors in memory, I've been savoring longer days on the trails. Last week I made my annual pilgrimage up the Katwalk just to take pictures and have lunch as I watched the trout rise lazily in Ridge Lake; this week I felt that lunch at Mason Lake was in order. I've nothing against the new trail to Mason, I just prefer the longer and (to me) more enjoyable approach from the Talapus trailhead.

I managed a classic late start, hitting the trail just before noon with high hopes that the clouds and fog would soon burn off. Overall, the trail is still in great shape after the recent rains-- very little mud but with sections of standing water in the trail bed as you cross through the valley between Rainbow and Mason Lakes. I reached Mason in a little over two hours and as I was eating my lunch and trying to peer through the clouds and catch the odd glimpse of the opposite shore I thought to myself, ""I've got to get up above all this gunk!"" I considered scrambling up Bandera since its summit was occasionally visible, but I'd already done that earlier this year and wanted something new and different. As always, the heretofore unknown wonders of the Mt. Defiance trail beckoned and, this time, I was off like a shot.

The trail climbs steadily upward, gaining elevation for the first mile and a half or so, through the trees and their impressive fungi before leveling out and traversing a riotous meadow a few hundred feet below the summit. The clouds were still out in force, but I was heartened by momentary swatches of blue sky appearing above me as I walked through the meadow (see pic. 1) Just before the trail began its long descent toward Thompson Lake I found what I was looking for: A narrow bootpath angling sharply up toward the summit. I ascended, literally, through a hole in the clouds and when I reached the top I was greeted by clear blue skies and a sun so wonderfully warm that I realized just how chilled I had gotten. The panorama was beyond words. The cloud layer was roiling and churning about a hundred feet below me, occasionally parting to reveal a Lake Kulla Kulla and the Pratt River valley. Otherwise there were just a few scattered peaks rising out of the mist briefly before disappearing again: Baker, Glacier, Stuart and Kaleetan, among others, all made appearances. To the south Rainier seemed to be floating above it all on a sea of clouds (see pic.2).

I finally left the summit and started back down around four o'clock, knowing that I'd be headlampin' it for the last few miles. Problem was, by the time it was dark a thick layer of ground fog had sprung up which the LED's on my headlamp turned into a solid wall of white and the halogen spotlight could only penetrate for about ten to fifteen feet at best. This slowed me down a bit and made the last hour somewhat tedious so I arrived back at the car around 7:15pm. Altogether somewhere around 16+ miles and an incredible day on the trail, the view from atop Defiance making it worth every step.

I’ve climbed Mt. Defiance several times and have been intrigued by the long open ridge running to west. The nomenclature is a bit murky, but many refer to the ridge as Banana Ridge, and there is a bump on the ridge sometimes called Putrid Pete’s Peak. This weekend I was inspired to ascend Defiance via this ridge route.

Start from the Mason Lake trailhead. At the first sharp turn just a couple of hundred yards in, follow a lesser-used path straight ahead. Once in the woods there is an obvious trail which is easily followed, except for a short stretch crossing an avalanche chute. In about 1/3 mile a junction appears, with one trail going downhill to the left and the other going uphill to the right. Take the trail to the right, climbing up on a couple of long switchbacks, until another, less obvious, junction about a mile in, just before a rock ledge on the right. Again take the uphill trail to the right. To this point it’s clear that the trail you’re hiking on is not just a climber’s path, but a trail with a built tread, albeit from many years ago. The switchbacks continue uphill, but the trail gradually deteriorates, and at one point I lost a consistent track. I continued uphill, following an occasional pink ribbon, until coming to a large talus field, where I decided to turn east. Crossing the rocks and bushwhacking a few yards into the woods, I again encountered a fairly obvious path, which led uphill and east, taking me directly to the open slopes which constitute the second half of the climb.

Once in the open no trail is necessary, as you just head straight uphill. The climb is as steep as the old Bandera trail, with sometimes worse footing. The sun was warm but not hot, and a nice breeze kept it bearably cool and bug free. The point reached by heading directly up is not quite the highest point on the ridge, which is a bit to the west, but there is a summit register there. Once you reach the ridgeline the route to Mt. Defiance is straightforward. I found it best to stay as close as possible to the top of the ridge, even after entering trees. The views to either side were spectacular, though the air was a bit hazy. Eventually I intersected the Mt. Defiance trail, though I chose to continue directly up the ridge to intersect the side trail to the summit. From there I returned the ‘usual’ way, past Mason Lake and down the Ira Spring Trail. There were not as many people as I expected on a fine Labor Day weekend.

This is definitely a harder way up Mt. Defiance, and a considerable part of it is off-trail, but in good weather the views along Banana Ridge/Putrid Pete are worth effort.

""Mostly sunny"" was the forecast, but it seemed really cloudy as my hiking buddy Blue Towel and I left Seattle. Later, it cleared somewhat but a few intermittent clouds remained with us all day.

Mt. Defiance was our goal, a new hike for both of us, although we had done a number of other summits in the area. We drove I-90 east to Exit 45, then north on Roads 9030/9031 about 4 miles to the Mason Lake trailhead - now the Ira Spring Memorial Trail. It's steady uphill, at first gentle, then steeper, then with good footing across massive bolder fields, where we had our first views up to Mt. Defiance (photo). We passed the side trail to Bandera Mountain, and soon reached the pass to Mason Creek. We switchbacked down 180 feet in less than a half-mile, and crossed the tiny creek at the west end of lake in its forested basin. The creek, flowing through rocks at the outlet, offered delightful sounds.

We continued on the trail around the NW side of the lake, alert for the small ""Main Trail"" signs (we heeded the July 16 report by ""furthur,"" and avoided detours into the western swamp, and elsewhere.) In about a quarter mile we reached the junction with the Mt. Defiance Trail, and turned left. We proceeded a couple of miles on this forest trail, passed frequent coral root in bloom, and enjoyed glimpses of lake Kulla Kulla down through the trees to the NE. The trail became steeper, with a few switchbacks and some rooty sections. Earlier in the season, footing could have been muddy, but today it remained good. Here, we encountered a lone woman hiker and her dog returning from the summit. She was the only other hiker we saw beyond Mason Lake.

Eventually, the trail contours across a large meadow where many wildflowers remain (photo), although the peak for the season has passed. The bugs, too, had peaked earlier, and today they were almost completely absent.

The side trail to the summit is unsigned, and leaves the main Mt. Defiance trail just a few feet from the western edge of the meadow. It's a fairly steep route, similar to the first part of the route up Bandera Mountain, but was easy to negotiate today.

On the summit, our views kept changing as bits of cloud blew past. On the eastern horizon, Mt. Stewart was visible and, closer, Hi Box peak and Granite and Bandera Mountains. Lake Kulla Kulla was prominent 1800 feet below us, and Mason and Little Mason lakes were clearly visible, as were parts of several smaller lakes. Clouds obscured Mt. Rainier, although we had seen parts of the mountain from the Ira Spring Trail. To the west, Dirty Harry's and Mailbox Peak were visible, but Seattle and the Olympics remained hidden by clouds.

Wildflowers were prominent all along our route today, and we counted 35 varieties, including a few we did not know. Overall, this was a very satisfying hike, about ten miles round trip, with 3300 feet elevation gain from trailhead to summit. We would do this one again.

Started at 11 AM, not the infamous ""Crack of Noon"" start.

Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy to partly cloudy. Good nearby views, occasional hints of distant mountains.

Not a bug to be seen! One slug. Modest number of people around: some on the trail to the lake, a few at the lake, very few on the way to and from Mount Defiance, but Meg know one of them.

We had the summit to ourselves, and enjoyed the views and the strange rectangular contours of the peak on the Green Trails map.

A great find: near to Seattle, moderate effort, great scenery but only about 0.05 of a Snow Lake crowd.

Observation:

campers at Mason Lake with campfire, seemingly unable to grasp the ""no campfires above 4000 feet"" rule [and sign that they surely passed at the Mason/Bandera junction.



New trail is a great improvement on the old one, which we stumbled and cursed down a few years ago. Thanks, WTA!