Hiking: Mason Lake and Mt. Defiance (still defiant)

Yesterday I was blessed to enjoy a wonderful hike on a day with bright blue sky. In the vast Mt. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest you can find the Alpine Lakes Wilderness: as the name implies, it is a collection of lakes that are high enough to be in the alpine or sub-alpine region (meaning, small trees, bushes and meadows). For my first hike of the year I decided to take the trail to one of those lakes, Mason Lake, and possibly go further all the way to the summit of the nearby Mt. Defiance. Because it's late May, and we had some days with warm temperatures, I was hoping that I could make all the way to the summit.

I say so because last year, around this time, I had tried to get to the summit of Mt. Defiance. There was just too much snow on the slope section of the trail then and I didn't have crampons on my boots, therefore I couldn't make it. But I was hopeful this time!

The trail to Mason Lake was steep and it was quite intense for my first hike of the year (my legs are still feeling the effects of that...) but it was a bright sunny day and until reaching the lake there was no snow. Mason Lake was beautiful as always, still partially covered by ice and with crystal clear waters. I could see lots of chipmunks (they seem to know what a camera is, because as soon as I would pull my phone to take a picture they would disappear) and fishes under the water (equally camera shy), plus a woodpecker that was very loud but apparently invisible.

After having lunch at the lake, I made my way to Mt. Defiance. The first stretch of the trail still had some snow, but not too bad. However, once I reached the slope section of the trail... Indeed we had some warm days, which meant that the snow was partially melted, with the perfect consistency for shaved ice, but my problem was that I had to walk over the ice instead of eating it. After trying once again to gain some traction on the mountain slope, eventually I realized that without crampons and an ice axe there was no way I could make it to the summit and back. So... back I went, and I swear that I could hear the mountain laughing at me. But, this time, I'll be back in September, and then there should be no snow left. I'm still going to have the last word!























Location: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Marblemount, WA 98267, USA

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