Another Thursday night Afterburner hike. Took the the side trail off Mason Lake to the suprisingly good trail. It is up to USFS standards most of the way in the woods. You then emerge onto open slopes and scrample to top. The bugs get worse the further you go. Excellent view but could see lots o smog over the sound and smell smoke from E. Wash fires.Small summitt Register showed only a few this year.Ridge to Dirty Harrys looks passable. This is also called Banana Ridge on Trail Reviews.

Wednesday and the forecast was for clouds on Thursday and Friday with possible drizzle prompted me to skip work and head up to the hills. Thought I would do Mt. Defiance a good short hike for great views. I started up the trail and remembered something I had read here about a trail that left the main trail and headed toward West Defiance. At the switchback on the road trail I turned on the GPS and headed west. The tread followed an abandoned road bed then trail traversing for a mile or so then started ascending on well graded switchbacks. Other switchbacks were seen below. This was obviously an abandoned trail that was not shown on any of my maps or references. The tread is in excellent shape to about 3600’ and is much better than the Mason Lake Way. There was pink tape at each switchback that I considered removing but did not. The trail disappeared into brush for a short section and only traces and tape were found in the steep woods above. At one point I heard something big in the brush that did not sound like a deer. I continued to ascend on patches of well-cemented talus until I emerged onto the slopes below West Defiance (5335’). At 4700’ I began traversing toward the connecting ridge to Mt. Defiance. The side hill was painful but easier once the crest was met. I followed the ridge to its low point and dropped to join the Mt. Defiance trail, which passes on a bench below. Ascending the trail leads too a side trail on a corner that goes to the summit. I descended the Mt. Defiance trail to Mason Lake and followed the Mason Lake Way back to the abandoned road. New cairns had been built on the rockslide pointing out the way but the direct up from the road continues to deteriorate. This is a great 7.5 mi. loop with a little adventure combined with the misery of the Way trail. Most of the elevation gain is in woods with the only problem being a total absence of water.

I love my sunny Mondays off. No cars in parking lot at 10am. The high trail is snow free to Mason Lk. The lake is now fully melted out as are the campsites. Thin patchy snow to the Defiance/Rainbow intersection. Patchy, then solid snow along N slopes below ridge. Scrambled up to ridge about 100' east of trail pass. Don't try to follow the trail through the pass. My ice axe came in handy. Mostly bare to the summit. After a year of too much snow it was great to stroll through the meadow and ""smell the roses"". Didn't see anyone until I returned to Mason Lake. Made a ""loop"" by descending the creekside trail which is the better of the two routes. Three cars in lot upon my return at 6PM.

I thought there might not be any more nice-weather-so-I-gotta-go-hiking-Mondays for the next 6 months, so I headed up to West Defiance Pk via the Mason Lk trail. There is now a $100,000 toilet at the trailhead; your $25 trail fee at work I suppose. I decided to use the OLD trail along the creek to avoid the wet & slippery rock slide. The OLD trail is in better condition than much of the NEWER trail and it isn't as steep. Only a few muddy-so-hang-on-to-the-thorn-brush areas (ouch). The summit was glorious. I didn't see anyone all day, which is my goal on Mondays but usually not attained! [Online editor's note: How do you know it was a $100,000 toliet'Was there still a price tag hanging on it']