Tuesday August 8, 2023
Not in the finest shape and I’m still a little unsure on my feet from a not-so-distant broken ankle (can’t really jog/run on uneven terrain). That said, my times were appx:
1h 55m up (10-15 min in breaks toward 2nd half)
1h 40m down (no breaks)
The people: Generally good trail etiquette, as far as downhill hikers letting uphill hikers pass. Dogs were on leash for the most part and well-behaved. Also, good trail maintenance (backcountry privy and trailhead restroom were both fine). I was so happy not to see doggy doodoo bags on the trail! It was seriously a sight for sore eyes! While the road was in good condition, it was awfully dusty despite the rain overnight so please drive mindfully to keep it that way and not to erode it too much.
The trail: The beginning of the trail (first 0.5 miles) was deceptively moderate, as was the last 0.5 mile closer to the lake (good tree cover as a respite from the sun, but more rocks and roots). At Mile 1-2, the incline really picked up, but the trail was relatively wide and flat. At Mile 2-3, the steep trail starts to get more rocky and rooty until the rock/boulder fields. If you’ve done Aasgard Pass in the Enchantments, this isn’t nearly as bad (fewer loose rocks, milder incline), but it is a similar sort of vibe (no tree cover, scree, not super enjoyable) with very nice views of Rainier plus berries and wildflowers.
I have never jumped in a lake after hiking before, but it was so hot after the boulder field. I finally went in and the temperature was not freezing. I would recommend it to other newbies.
Glad I brought extra water and my trekking poles. Bugs were present at the lake but I reapplied some spray, which helped!
I thought the thimbleberries weren’t quite ready yet — maybe another week or so. There were a small amount of huckleberries at lower elevation but required more off-trail trekking than I cared for. There was a lady eating wild blueberries on the trail, who said they were sweet, but I was mostly interested in beating the rush hour traffic home at that point. Maybe it is worth bringing a container if you are a forager!
Overall: I would do it again because of the nice dip in the lake at the end, but now that I have done Mason Lane, I’m not too interested in Bandera Mt (no lake dip, the views of Rainier were plenty nice from the Mason Lake trail).
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