[catwoman]

Finally did this calf-burner for the first time. This is a good workout, but I'd recommend doing it on a cooler day because a lot of the hike is out in the open with the hot sun beating down on you as you very steeply hike/scramble up to the top. There's a new trail being made that'll be for both Bandera Mtn. and also for Mason Lake. Wow, what a comparison! The old trail is an extremely steep (almost scramble) for a long ways and the new trail is nicely graded. We encountered a sign that said "Trail closed for Trail Construction" and then "Stay Out, Blasting Area" (or something like that), at the start of the new portion of the trail, so we took the old trail like good little hikers. After some time, the old trail crossed the new trail and they were doing some construction not far ahead. Sounded like they might have been drilling/jack-hammering holes for dynamite or something, but I really don't know for sure. That was the point we ran into the only other hikers of the day. Got up to the top -- OH, THE HUCKLEBERRIES ARE RIPE UP HIGH!!!!! -- and found a shady area to sit and deet up. Yes, the skeeters were hungry if you weren't moving. Actually, there was this one spot on the ridge where they were so thick it was amazing, but on the way down the crowd of the buggers had dispersed. Anyway, it appeared that the trail work had been done for the day and on the way down we took the new trail for the portion it was done. Wow. That was so nice! Looks like a lot of work but it will sure be nice! Great views up top of Mason Lake, Lake Kula Kula, Rainbow, and Mt Rainier and I'm not sure but I think it was even Mt Baker you could see way off in the distance, among many other impressive peaks. Great workout, so you can skip legs at the gym when you do this hike! Enjoy! Oh, and it's a very hot and dry and dusty trail. Bring lots of water!

[McPilchuck]

Are the brerries that are ripe up there Huckle or Blue? I suspect red Huckle.

[catwoman]

They're the dark purple huckleberries, but I also saw a few blueberries hiding among them. As for red huckleberries, I usually recognize them easily, but the ones I saw seemed to be even more miniaturized versions than red huckleberries usually are - so I'm not 100% positive that's what they were, but they seemed to be. So, if that is what they were, then yes, the red ones are ripe up high, too.

[ajgoodkids]

Grouseberry? Did they look like minitature red huckleberry plants: "berries bright red, tiny (1/8"); leaves 1/4" - 1/2"; plants 4 - 14" tall; twigs green"? Grouseberry are usually in dryish terrain. They're delicious. They're tiny, but they pack a flavor wallop.

[Malachai Constant]

Just came back from doing Mt. Defiance tonight . Took the old old trail up and New Old trail down we could not see where New trail goes. Does it fo in rock slide back of Mason Lake or on the ridge? No intersection was visible. Goose berries we have are small black and hairy but do tast good. Lost of Tiger lilies in meadows. Legs are SCREAMING! Left a geochache.

[catwoman]

I can't find grouseberries anywhere online or in my books. But they do look like the miniature versions of red huckleberries. Or, maybe they're just smaller up high? As for the new trail, you would continue along to Bandera, rather than taking the left at the junction to Mason. Then, at the point that the Bandera trail goes straight up and to the left, the new trail goes straight and gently switchbacks up. We encountered the new trail about half way up of the really steep portion. The worker said that the trail will go up to about the ridge and then will split off for Mason Lake (you'd go down to the Lake). Personally I think it should split off sooner so you don't have to climb and then go back down to the lake, but maybe that means more trail to build. Malachai, what's a geochache?

[MC]

Geocache / Grouseberry

[ajgoodkids]

Vaccinium scoparium. The usually definitive Pojar and MacKinnon's Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast doesn't have them. They're in Matthews' Cascade Olympic Natural History and in Whitney's A Field Guide to the Cascades and Olympics, which notes they're also called whortleberries. They're generally found at the Cascade crest and east of the crest. Pretty little plant and tasty berries. Lots on the PCT around Chinook Pass and on the Crystal Lakes trail.

[catwoman]

Hmmmm. Don't have a gps, so I guess I wouldn't have been aware of it. Certainly could be a grouseberry, but they didn't even show a picture of the plant with the berry on it. I didn't see the flower.