Started from Ira Spring Trailhead (road is fine but you have to dodge a ton of potholes) and continued to Mason Lake and then to summit Mount Defiance
Some tiny patches of snow going up but consistent snow starts about 1 mi from Mason Lake. We put on microspikes around here. They were especially super helpful for the last 0.5 mi to Mason Lake and crucial for Mount Defiance.
Mason Lake was fully frozen over and we walked around on top of it. My guess is 6 in - 1 ft of ice?
The first 0.7 mi to Mount Defiance was easy but the rest was a pretty steep climb that was uncomfortably vertical at times with no official trail. We managed without an ice ax just fine, although I would recommend it. Some parts were pretty exposed, which a small windstorm make scarier, but in general it seemed like a safe climb
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