|
HIKE |
Defiance |
|
ROUTE |
Normal route |
|
DATE |
08/03/2006 |
|
ATTENDEES |
Chris M, Don, Drew, and Mark. |
|
NOTES |
xxx |
PHOTOS
Photo credits: None.
TRAIL REPORT
Hello, TNAB'ers:
We completed the Ira Spring trailhead trio with a trip to Defiance Mountain. Only the diehards showed up this week: Chris M, Don, Drew, and Mark. Ya'll missed out, 'cause we had a great hike!
We got started just before 6:00PM. The weather was warm and hazy. After a mile or so of pounding up the IS, we took an a left into brush to hook up with the old Mason Lake trail. The high route had our lungs working hard. The talus field traverse was a joy in comparison.
From there, we ascended to Mason Lake about 7:10 PM - good time. No one was up for swimming, so we punched through to Trail 1009, onward to our goal. The switchbacks seemed endless, but eventually we broke out of the forest and back into sunlight.
Just before 8:00PM, we reached the summit. Woo hoo! Views were obscured by the haze - we couldn't see anything beyond the local surroundings. I was a bit surprised to find out that Defiance is nearly 5600 ft el - almost 3400 ft vertical from the trailhead. Unlike most visits to Defiance, it was cool and breezy on top, and nary a bug - very nice.
We lingered for about 15 minutes, then headed back down. Trail conversation centered on 80's teen flicks (Repo Man, Fast Times, etc). A semi-full moon was hanging low over Mason Lake, casting a silvery reflection. We learned an important detail on the way out - the lower route is faster than the high route. We exited the hike at 10:00PM. Back at the car, Drew broke out a bottle of Gentleman's Jack - good stuff, and a most fitting way to end a smooth hike.
Sorry, no pics!
Cheers,
-Mark