Mason Lake 1/7/2012

Taking the Ira Spring Trail up to Mason Lake.

Waterfall!!

My friend Philip!

Happy to be out on the trail!

Trail snowy, traction devices advised.

Right after you go through this tunnel of trees the slope opens up and it pretty much a straight shot up to the ridge line.

Just noticed my trekking poles were giving me bunny ears. The views from up here were spectacular!

McClellan Butte and the I-90 Corridor.

Philip

These are few of my favorite things!

Mt. Defiance

View of the ridge line between Mt. Web and  Mt. Defiance.

Final view of the day, spent looking out at McClellan Butte (right) and Mt. Kent (left).

Today was my day to try out my new snowshoes! Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to do so as the conditions really didn't warrant their use. My friend Philip and I took the Ida Springs trail up towards Mason Lake. We unfortunately didn't make it to the lake. At about 3800' the trail heads straight up the towards the ridge line before it drops down about 500' to the lake. This is where conditions were tricky. There was a hard snow pack with a light dusting of fresh snow. Even with traction devices and my ice axe we were making slow progress. I had decided not to try out my new snowshoes as the traverse was pretty steep and I didn't want to risk trying out new equipment as it might have proved to be hazardous. After close to 2 hours of trying to climb to the ridge line we were still had about 300' feet to go and kicking steps were getting harder to perform. So we decided for safety sake due to the time and the worsening climbing conditions, we headed home. We made it back to the parking lot just after 4pm.

Distance: 6 Miles Round trip
Peak Elevation: 4750'  (I estimate I only made it up to about 4450')
Elevation Gain: 2550'

Driving Directions: From Seattle drive east on I-90 to exit 45 (Forest Road 9030). Drive north, then stay left on FR 9030. About 1 mile from the freeway, you'll encounter a fork. Stay left again, now on Mason Lake Road (FR 9031). Drive to parking lot but be careful to watch for blowdowns and potholes.

Links:
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/ira-spring-memorial