[Joey]

After reading other posts about the flower show on the south side of Defiance, I ambled up that way Thursday (7-12). Wow, there must have been a zillion Tiger Lilies at peak bloom. Maybe two zillion.

Tiger Lily above Mason Lake

Did you know that while sitting on the summit of Defiance munching your lunch you can see 9 lakes? After leaving the summit some hot air rolled in and it went to 90 degrees. So when I was above Little Mason Lake I left the trail and visited one of my favorite swimming spots. The water was pleasantly cool but not cold. I was hoping to photograph water lilies while wading in the lake but they were not yet blooming. It was hard to be disappointed though since all the other flowers were so spectacular.

Mt. Defiance from Ira Spring trail

Columbine

Beargrass

Beargrass

Both Mason lakes and Bandera from the flower garden

Guess who

From just below the big Mason Lake I took the old trail down (I had taken the Ira Spring trail on the way up). The old trail is shady and cooler in the afternoon than the open south-facing slopes of the Ira Spring trail which can easily fry your brain. I need to hike the old trail again and collect some more GPS data before I produce a map showing its location. Note - the old trail I am referring to is not the one shown on the 7.5" quad. Meanwhile, here’s a map showing the Ira Spring trail and the present (straight up) trail to the Bandera false summit

Ira Spring trail and trail to Bandera false summit

The old trail is shorter than the Ira Spring trail and much steeper in spots. Part of it runs right along Mason Creek. Think big trees - lots of moss. In most places the tread of the old trail is easily visible. *However*, in some places the tread has been covered with needles and other forest litter and is invisible. In another place the old trail goes along the edge of a boulder field and its location is not immediately obvious. After I hike this trail again (likely next year) then I will repost the above map and include the old trail.

Mason Creek from the old trail

If you want to investigate the old trail, you can find it as follows. On the way up the main trail crosses Mason Creek at about 2,580'. The trail then curves right, goes straight for about 1 block and then curves left. The old trail starts just before the curve to the left. After a few switchbacks there is a fork. Do pay attention since you want to take the left fork. The right fork will eventually deposit you on the wrong side of a large boulder field. Here’s how to find the old trail on the way down. As you leave Mason Lake notice that the land on your right falls away steeply. As soon as that grade lessens (it’s not far) watch for the old trail on your right. A section of dead tree trunk has been placed the long way in the old trail. BTW, where the trail to the Bandera false summit leaves the Ira Spring trail, there is flagging tape that seems to indicate that a ‘real’ trail up Bandera is going to be constructed with switchbacks and everything. The only downer for the day were the gnats. Nasty! You’ve been warned.

[Type E]

There are actually two old trails to Mason Lake. There was the dark and dank trail that ran near Mason Creek and there was also more of a "climber's trail" that was East of there. They met above the the Talus fields just before Mason Lake.

[jcaviator]

We ran into you on Mt. Defiance. We had come up the Old Mason Lake Trail. Here's the GPS track:

Up the Old Mason Lake trail to Mt. Defiance. Down the Ira Spring trail

and some more wildflower shots:

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Mount Defiance trail

Thanks for pointing out the 9 lakes to us. Here are 3 of them:

Lake Kulla Kulla, Mason Lake, and Little Mason Lake

The "dark and dank" trail running near Mason Creek turned out to be a much more pleasant excursion than the dusty, shadeless wheelchair path we took down.

[Joey]

jcaviator, Remember we talked about the small bush with the pink flowers? My wife says that it is not spirea. I looked in a couple flower guides but did not see anything that looked right. Did you folks figure this one out?

[marta]

Do you have a picture? A couple of the posted pictures have a pink flowered bush that shure looks like spirea.

[Joey]

Marta, Thanks for sharing your taxonomy knowledge which I've seen on other posts. Sorry but I do not have better pics (although I enjoy taking macros). I was not in particular focused on that plant since the tiger lilies were so spectacular. It was only after the trip when I began to wonder if I had identified the genus correctly as Spiraea when jcaviator and friends caught up with me and we all pondered what that plant was. Now that my wife has looked at the pics and checked our guide books, Joan opines that my pics likely show Spiaea densiflora (cite: p.81 Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, by Pojar and Mackinnon) When I again encounter this one in bloom (it is common on the south slope of Defiance) , I will certainly shoot some identifying pics.

[jcaviator]

Joey, Here are a couple more pics I took that day. Were these the pink-flowered plants you were referring to?

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Marta - are these spirea?

[Joey]

Yes, that pink fower. Your pic is much better than mine. Near as I can tell, this is the same plant as in the link that Marta sent and which she identified as a type of spirea. Gee, guess I didn't embarrass myself after all when I opined on the trail that’s what I thought it was.