Our hike today was two – two – two hikes in one! Actually, it was one long hike punctuated with a hard climb from the main trail to the top of Bandera Mountain, then after descending to the main trail, a quick one mile hike down to Mason Lake for a dip in cool mountain waters on a very hot day.
This trail is named the Ira Spring Trail, after one of the most well known and dedicated outdoors enthusiasts in the Northwest. Ira Spring was from Edmonds (north of Seattle) and devoted his life to the mountains and trails of Washington. He was a well respected photographer, author of many mountaineering books and trail guides, and activist for the preservation and conservation of the wilderness. Ira passed away in 2003 and there is a plaque dedicated to him on a boulder just off the trail to Mason Lake (see photo below).
The trail begins at 2280 feet on an old logging road, then quickly climbs via a number of switchbacks to about 4200 feet, where it splits – one trail heading off to Mason Lake, and the other a very steep 800 foot scramble to the top of Bandera Mountain. Of the 27 of us on today’s hike, 7 went straight to the lake, and the rest of us chose to climb the summit first. It was a strenuous climb, but the view from the top was so worth it! There’s been a high pressure system sitting on top of us for a few days and as a result the temperatures were in the mid-90’s and the smog was bad. (Yes, we do have smog, even in Seattle). So the view was not as good as it could have been, but in spite of that we could see Mt. Rainier to the south rising above the Cascades and the I-90 freeway that cuts through the Snoqualmie Valley.
After coming down from the summit, we trekked another mile to join the others (who we passed on the way in) at Mason Lake, one of the almost 700 lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Across small talus field and through cool forest, we quickly reached the lake, and the inviting waters compelled us to sit on the rocks and cool our tired and very hot feet. Some of us even doffed as many clothes as socially acceptable, and went for a swim. It was SO refreshing! We spent almost an hour cooling down, then headed back down the trail feeling better than when we left!
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- At the trail head, ready to head up
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- McClellan Butte
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- Mt. Rainier
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- Flowers
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- A boulder field to cross
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- Split in the trail
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- Break time, Mt Defiance in the background
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- I-90 down below
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- Mason Lake from the top of Bandera Mountain
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- Looking north from the top of Bandera
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- Yours truly on the summit – Mt Rainier in the background
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- Heading back down – I-90 and Snoqualmie Valley
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- Ira Spring plaque
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- Swimming in Mason Lake
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- Craig “preaching” at the waters edge
In all the fun and excitement of reporting on the hikes, I have not previously reported on how our group fund raising effort is going. As of this past Saturday, we have raised over $77,000 !!! Our group goal is $99,900, so with two weeks until the fund raising deadlines, we are getting close to our goal! It’s just amazing the amount of support we all have received from so many of you kind and wonderful people! Thank you SO much!!
Happy trails!
Ron
