After
spending nearly a month sitting on my butt in front of a computer terminal writting my dissertaion, I had grown short and fat. My skin had turned a pale, moist, silver color. My eyes had turned into large yellow saucers and my lower extremeties had started playing host to a wide variety of fungus and lichen. It was time to go outside for a little hike. When I arrived a the trailhead I found only two other cars. The trail to Mason lake starts out as a sturdy former road-bed. After a long switchback leg, the foot path begins. I've heard a lot of complaints about this trail and most are deserved. In many places the trail goes straight up in places were water goes straight down. The tread has many very steep, rooty, rocky areas. This trail could benefit from a few switchbacks.
The trail crosses a large boulder field, that is very well marked by signs and rock cairns. It can be difficult rock hopping in places, but the for the most part the rocks are stable. Not long after the rock field I found only the smallest patch of frosty ground. I found the lake completely uninhabited. After some lunch I got ambitious and decided to head for Mount Defiance. This trail is in better shape then the Mason Lake trail, but there are a few blowdown across the trail. Though the sun was shining the winds were brisk and shortended my time on the summit. The views were quite good including the Lookout on Granite Mountain.
After the hike I felt all pink and healthy again and was ready to go back to work writting.