Did a CW loop of Putrid Pete then east along the ridge to the Mt. Defiance trail and back around to my truck. 

P3 is the steepest hike I've ever done! I was using my hands most of the way past the switchbacks. The boot path is easy to follow. Good condition right now, dried out from the snowmelt. The last scramble up to the top of the summit block is a bit dicey with not a lot of space to sit and hang out at the top. You can get a very similar view from a small saddle about 100’ east on the ridge.

There seem to be two boot paths along the ridge—one that runs mostly along the top and one that traverses the slope about 50’ below. The lower one seemed sketchy to me so I took the upper one. I’d rather walk on top of a ridge than on the side slope any day. The top route meanders around a bit and sometimes you have to poke around for it, but I never really lost the boot path.

Connecting to a “real trail” upon reaching Mt. Defiance was a relief! I didn’t go to the top of Defiance because I’ve done it before, but I highly recommend it. The rest of the loop was super easy. Barely any snow on the usual patch descending down the east end of Defiance Ridge to Mason Lake. There was some black mud caused by snowmelt though, which I fell into and got on my pants. Good thing I keep a towel in my truck. :)

Bear grass is about halfway to peak. Lots of purple flowers and some Indian paintbrush starting. 

Arrived at the trailhead at 8:30am on a sunny Tuesday morning.  There were still plenty of spots in the lot.  There are some scattered potholes on the drive in, but honestly I think you would be hard-pressed to find a smoother gravel road than this one.  This is certainly an awesome hike to do on a clear day - there are so many great views along the way that you have plenty of excuses to stop and catch your breath on the steep ascent.  At the junction with the Bandera Mountain trail, I did take the Bandera trail for a few switchbacks to check out the view, but honestly the main Mason Lake trail provides you all the scenery you need!  Mount Rainier is your constant companion as you climb toward the top of the ridge.  The wildflowers were plentiful too - twinflowers, paintbrush, lupine, bear grass, mountain heather, tiger lily, red columbine to highlight a few.  I continued uphill past Mason Lake for another 0.75 miles and made it as far as Sir Richard's Pond before I turned around due to time limitations.   My little detour paid off as I came across a short snowfield, some marsh marigolds and a small frog along the way!  The lot was nearly full when I returned to the parking lot at around 12:15 but nobody was parked on the road itself.

8.9 miles, 3 hours 45 minutes, and 2,800 feet of elevation

We arrived at the TH around 8:15a on a sunny Tue morning. The lot was about half full. The toilet had no paper and needed servicing. There's a parking pass machine if you find yourself at the TH without a NW Forest Pass.

The first part of this trail is in the forest and the path is wide. It transitions to a narrower steeper path in the forest with a few more roots and rocks but not too bad. Eventually you pop out of the trees with great views of Mt Rainier. There are a few wildflowers blooming as well.

The bugs were worst at the lake. There were swarms but they weren't mosquitos or other biting bugs, just swarming bugs.

The trail seemed busy for a Tue. The lot was full by the time we returned to the TH in the early afternoon.

Got the trailhead around 8:30AM, only a few cars at the trailhead. Trail well maintained all the way and got great views of Mt. Rainier. One other group was at the lake and it was very peaceful. Definitely saw more people going up on the way down, but not super busy. The bugs were annoying on the way up but not many at the lake. Overall, a really nice day for this hike!

The trail didn’t feel as crowded as as we expected. The views of Rainier were wonderful. The lake was beautiful. The music blasting wasn’t quite what we we hoping for at the lake. The group was confident in their musical choice apparently.