[ikell]

Climbed P3 (Putrid Pete's Peak) yesterday for the 1st time, and really enjoyed the climb from the Ira TH. Amazing weather, great training climb, good for working off a mild hangover, and found the route up P3 aesthetic this time of year. Hit the snow level was around 4,000 ft, the approach "ridge" was perfect: firm/windblown snow and some rock, no snowshoes required. Had a snack and said "hi" to Pete with a couple of other climbers who perused the sign-in sheets. Didn't feel like stamping back down the same trail, so did the ridge traverse east toward Defiance, negotiating between the overhanging cornices/moats to the north (left), and the sketchy steep drop to the right, which at times was only a few inches of snow on rock slabs. The fresh snow got much deeper in the trees closer to Defiance, donned the shoes, but it was still a nasty slog back up the ridge, up across a glade and onto the summit of Defiance, at times hip-deep powder even in snowshoes nearing the top. It took over an hour from P3, it was deceptively far, and no tracks anywhere. Plenty of snowshoers had climbed Defiance this weekend, so followed their trail down to Mason lakes, only to get lost down in the Mason Creek drainage (missed the main trail and was relying on a old 1970s topo w/ the pre-Ira Springs trail), ended up bushwhacking straight down the face around steep cliffs and brush until I finally hit the trail again. Not fun. About 6 hours RT. A few pix Climbing the "ridge" toward P3. West Defiance is to the left.

Looking east down the ridge traverse to Mount Defiance

View north/east, can someone confirm this is Kaleetan (to the left) and Chair (center)? I'm fairly certain...but Kaleetan doesn't look as prominent from this angle.

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Rainier w/ McClellan Butte (foreground right)

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Looking back up the ridge toward P3, you can see my steps

Looking back toward P3 and West Defiance, from the top of Defiance

[Magellan]

It's a really nice loop. If one is extra frisky Bandera can be bundled in.

[Bernardo]

The Mason Lake drainage can be a tricky. How deep is the snow at the outflow of the Lake?

[ikell]

The snow was still fairly deep, deep enough that the snowshoer's trail crossed the outfall on some sort of broad snow bridge. Below the outfall, I followed tracks along the creek, but at some point the main trail must have split off farther to the left (south) and over the ridge.

[Bernardo]

The creek pretty much runs over a cliff. Glad it worked out.

[puzzlr]

That traverse from P3 may be easier now than when the snow melts. The slope seems like relatively smooth heather, but it's the little rock ridges and gullies that are annoying.

[ikell]

Parts of the traverse were great. Firm, windblown snow on top of the ridge (low avy danger). Other parts were sketchy, where I had to drop below the ridge on that steep slope. A few sections I was on tilted rock slabs with just a few inches of snow cover, and if I fell I would slide and not sure if self-arrest would work until I hit deeper snow. You couldn't go too far to the left due to the cornice, which also had some deep looking moats in spots on the ridgetop, almost like a bergschrund, where they were separating from the ridge. Other spots the ridge was really rocky/cliffs, so you had to climb on rocks, which was actually fun. I think summer time it would be mostly rock hopping or heather tramping.