Ira Spring Trail Hike

Today was one of those rare, sunny fall days that is so hard to let pass by.  So Scott & I decided to heck with work & went hiking instead.  After enduring record rainfalls last weekend & dealing with the stress of the government shut down at work this week, I think we earned it.  We decided to hike the Ira Spring Trail No. 1038 to Mason Lake just south of the Snoqualmie Summit.   The trail is roughly 6 miles round trip, but with a huge elevation gain of 2550 feet.  It was straight up and straight down.  The up was hard, but the down was definitely harder..our aching knees!  Bengay is going to be my best friend tonight. 

We got a bit of a late start from Tumwater to avoid the commuter traffic, so didn't reach the trail head until 10 am. We made it to our stopping point at approximately 12:15, then started back down, finishing around 1:45 pm.  We had one treacherous water crossing. Otherwise, the trail was well maintained, though rocky.  We had exceptionally gorgeous views of Mt. Rainier which was out in all its splendor.  Although challenging, this is definitely a great trail to hike when the sun is out. 

We didn't reach the lake, turning around just before the steep descent to the lake.  We did not want to hike down then have to climb back up after already climbing 2500 feet. 

 

The water crossing was a bit precarious. 

Not sure what that peak is called. 

Taking a rest.  

The higher we went up, the more vibrant the colors.

First peekaboo view of Mt. Rainier

Looking westward.

Really rocky area.  It was so beautiful.

Look at that blue sky!

Some selfies. 

My favorite hiking partner. 

Gorgeous Mt. Rainier!

Self timer photos

We turned left and headed more up!

Our turn around point.  

Heading down...but you can see how close we were to the snow line.

Crossing on the way back down.