Hike Of The Week - New trail honors dedicated naturalist
By KAREN SYKES, SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Rising above Mason Lake and Lake Kulla Kulla in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness is Mount Defiance (5,584 feet) and its long, bony ridge, with other tempting summits for off-trail hikers -- some with whimsical names, others indicated only by numbers on a topographical map.
Despite some discrepancies in hiking guides and maps, Mount Defiance is a tough hike -- about 12 miles round trip, with the elevation gain falling somewhere between 3,400 and 3,600 feet.
We planned this hike to Mount Defiance to coincide with the June 19 dedication of the Ira Spring Trail to Mason Lake. Family members and friends of the late photographer and trails advocate joined folks from the Forest Service and trail-maintenance organizations at the trailhead that morning for the event.
Spring, the author of many hiking guides, had urged the Forest Service, Volunteers for Outdoor Washington, Washington Trails Association [both Earth Share of Washington members] and other groups to close the old Mason Lake Trail and build a better one.
The Mason Lake route was one of Spring's favorites and with good reason: The trailhead was easily accessed from Seattle and provided a gateway into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Hikers familiar with the old trail are bound to appreciate the improvements. The old route was rocky, eroded and steep. A boulder field also made getting to Mason Lake a challenge for some hikers.
The original trail was constructed in the 1950s so fire crews could access a forest fire northeast of Mason Lake. The fire trail remained in place and hikers followed, despite the steepness (the old trail gained 1,700 feet in a mile).
As part of the dedication, hikers were encouraged to carry a rock to a location farther up the trail, where members of the Spring family and others planned to construct a cairn and rock wall.
As I hiked up the trail I thought about Ira and his dedication to trails and how much difference one individual can make. I also thought about the hard work that went into making this trail a reality, including the engineering that enabled the route to switchback through open hillsides while eliminating the steepness of the original grade.
Continue reading this story from the Seattle P-I:
Hike Of The Week - New trail honors dedicated naturalist
Earth Share of Washington member Volunteers for Outdoor Washington plays a vital role in rebuilding and maintaining this trail. They offer volunteer opportunities there every month. To learn more, please visit the Volunteers for Outdoor Washington website or signup for Earth Share of Washington's Volunteer Alerts to be notified via email of new volunteer opportunities on the Ira Spring Trail and around Washington.