Arrived at 9:30am on a sunny Thursday. I parked at the end of Tinkham road, exit 42 off I-90. I prefer that to the Ira Spring trailhead because it saves about 15 min of driving and adds about 15 min of hiking. Just go to the north end of the road and there's a little spot you can park.

There are 2 connector trails from Tinkham up to the Ira Spring trails - one that goes straight to the Putrid Pete's Peak (P3) trail and one that takes you to the road just east of the Ira Spring trailhead. I took the first on the way up and the second on the way down. The connector trail going to P3 was pretty ugly for the first half and involved going along a logging road that was strewn with large logs and branches and thorny bushes. It suddenly turned into a nice bootpath in the woods after about 0.9 mi though and then it was quite pleasant. I had to follow the route on my phone (Gaia) pretty closely to find that bootpath initially.

I made it to within about 0.25 mi of the peak and then turned back, basically right where the trail emerges from the trees for the last time. The snow got deeper as I was going up and at that point was about 2-3", which was just deep enough to make it very hard to find the trail and nearly impossible to figure out where I could safely put my hands and feet. The trail gets very steep as you get higher and I was already worried about the descent and didn't want to make it any longer than necessary so I decided to call it. The views were impressive from this point but of course you're only getting the south facing view.

I'm not much of a winter scrambler or route finder so it's possible that people with more expertise might have a better time on this trail in these conditions. The descent was very slow and I made good use of my gloves and rain pants staying low and in contact with the ground, at least until I got back into the trees and out of the snow. It was pretty hard on my knees but didn't feel as sketchy as I was expecting.

I took a sojurn on the Dirty Harry connector trail to the Little Balcony on my way back since my hike was shorter than planned. It was a pleasant trail and a nice spot for a sandwich, but the view was underwhelming after being above the treeline on P3 and the roar of I-90 there is a bit much.

I took the other connector trail back to Tinkham, going out past the Ira Spring trailhead and picking up the connector trail from the road. It was a much nicer trail than the connector to P3, and parallels Mason Creek the whole way.

One last thing I'll note is that the P3 trail was a bit confusing in places. It seemed like the trail branched a handful of times and only one way was correct. If you chose incorrectly you'd wander in the woods for 50 yards or so and then the trail would disappear and you'd need to backtrack or bushwhack to find the main trail again.

I only saw 3 people all day: 2 people going up the P3 trail in running gear which sounded like a poor choice to me, and one guy on the Ira Spring trail with an off leash dog.

I finally got a chance to bag this peak!  P3 has been on my list for a while and got an opportunity to hike it this past weekend with one of my hiking buddies.  (NOTE: We only summited P3, not Web Mountain on this hike.)  The trail starts out as gradual switchbacks through the forest as we ascended up the 1st segment of the trail.  The terrain then got rockier and steeper as we continued our ascent towards the summit.  We had to use our hands at times as we scrambled up the trail.  The views from P3 summit were amazing!  The weather was partly sunny/cloudy and was clear enough to see Mt. Rainier and the distant ranges from the summit.  

We made our way back down after we finished eating snack/lunch, resting and taking photos.  The descent from P3 summit was one of the tougher descents I have done in a while.  I personally think that going up was easier than going down this trail!  LOL!  Like the previous trip reports suggested, hiking poles are highly recommended while descending from the summit.  I took my time going down, minding my step and even using my hands to down climb some sections.  I took us under 3hrs for the ascent and descent.  Nevertheless, the views were well worth it!  Happy trails! 

**Check out vlog of this hike on my Youtube channel below.

The weather was highly variable, mostly cloudy with patchy fog, periods of light rain and even sleet (whereas the forecast had been clear skies and warm temperatures). But no worries, we had rain gear, and the local terrain is interesting enough that the views between clouds were still great.

Other than weather, our experience was very similar to other recent reporters. We went up P3 (didn't do the traverse to the Web summit), across the ridge to Mt. Defiance, then back to the Ira Spring trail head via Mason Lake. I read one report doing it in the opposite direction, but IMHO that would be nuts. I think going down the incredibly steep P3 trail would be much worse than going up.

In the lower wooded section of the P3 trail, I find it gets hard to follow at a few places, especially at switchbacks where people have left "alternate" tracks. I checked with GaiaGPS a number of times even though this was my second time on this trail in 2 months.

The traverse across to Mt. Defiance also has some challenges due to lack of a clear route. Both times I've done it, I regretted drifting too far down below the ridge line, and then having to fight my way back up. My advice is to stay as close to the top as possible (but always on the south side).

Loop hike to Putrid Pete's Peak (P3), Web Mountain, Mount Defiance, and Mason Lake. The Road and trailhead are in great condition, and there were only 10 cars or so at 9:30 on a cloudy Thursday.

The P3 trail is definitely unmaintained, but still passable throughout. It is not for the faint of heart, however, gaining 2000 feet in the final mile to the summit. There were plenty of wildflowers along the trail and ridge, of all colors. At P3, you are now on the informally named Banana Ridge, which joins Mount Defiance and Web Mountain. The easiest way to traverse is to stay on the South side of the ridge, especially in the direction of Web Mountain. From both peaks, lots of summits can be seen, such as Stuart, Glacier Peak, Kaleetan, Chair Peak, and Snoqualmie. Rainier was clouded in today, as was anything to the West. There were several marmots around P3 as well, to go along with the pikas, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and butterflies we saw today. 

To get to Defiance from Web Mountain, we stayed on Banana Ridge, passed just under P3, and continued East along the South side of the ridge (see routing). There are various paths and routes along the rocks before a trail emerges as the trees start. A little ways into the trees, the unmaintained trail pops up onto the maintained Mount Defiance trail, not too far from the turnoff to the summit. From Mount Defiance, a lot of the Alpine Lakes can be seen, including Kulla Kulla, Mason and Little Mason, Sir Richard's Pond, Blazer, Island, Rainbow, and Lower Tuscohatchie in the distance at the foot of Granite. The lookout on Granite can also be seen. 

Once off Defiance, the terrain was much easier from then on out. As we continued towards Mason Lake, the fog moved in and discouraged a side track to Kulla Kulla to see the Lake. We got as far as Sir Richard's Pond (great name) before we were stopped by the incredible amount of berries lining the trail. After that, it was straight out by Mason Lake and via the Bandera Mountain Trail.

Garmin logged 11.2 miles and 5000 feet of total ascent. Mileage is marked and color shows relative elevation.

We hiked a fun loop from the Ira Spring Trailhead - up the P3 Trail, across Defiance Ridge to the Mt. Defiance Trail, then down to Mason Lake and back via the Ira Spring Trail. Definitely don't attempt this hike if you aren't comfortable on very steep terrain. Total stats were 9 miles with 3800 feet of elevation gain.

When we got to the Ira Spring Trailhead at 9:15, it was packed. We had to park a little ways down the road. Fortunately, there weren't many people on the P3 Trail, and no one between P3 and Mt. Defiance. I-90 is audible throughout the hike, but it was never too bad. There were also some target shooters across the valley that were a bit annoying.

The P3 Trail is obviously unmaintained, but still in decent shape. The junction with the Ira Spring Trail is clear - on the first large switchback, take the faint trail heading west. The first 1.5 miles climb steeply through the forest, with switchbacks that help ease the grade. All other junctions are obvious - simply keep heading up. At about 4,000 feet, the switchbacks end and the trail continues straight up the ridgeline. The trail is very rocky and steep, so we ditched our poles so we could have our hands free for support. At 4,600 feet the trail leaves the trees, and the summit is visible. The views were good today - one can see the entire South Fork valley. It was a little hazy, so we could just make out the outline of Rainier. The final 25 feet up the summit block was a solid Class 2 scramble. Use caution as the north face drops away steeply.

After eating lunch and enjoying the views, we traversed east along Defiance Ridge. This section was quite difficult, as we had to navigate steep, rocky terrain with only a faint trail that was hard to follow. The best way we found was to stay on the south side, but not drop too low below the ridge. Once we reached the P3-Defiance saddle, a solid trail appeared in the woods that we followed all the way to the Mt. Defiance Trail. The short spur trail up to the summit was rocky and steep, but nothing like P3. Once again we had stellar views, this time of both the Middle and South Fork valleys, as well as the surrounding peaks and mountains, and even Mt. Stuart! The meadows below the summit still have some wildflowers, but they will definitely be gone soon.

The remaining 5 miles back to the trailhead were uneventful, albeit long. Mason Lake was beautiful as always, and the Ira Spring Trail was well maintained. We passed the junction with the old Mason Creek Trail - not only is there a sign stating it is closed for restoration, but the land managers have blocked the entrance with logs. We got back to the car without much difficulty - a super fun hike!