Saturday, August 20, 2005
Mason Lake Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area
In preparation for our upcoming trip to the Canadian Rockies, Sara and I wanted to get in a conditioning hike without spending an entire day. We chose to hike up to Mason Lake and were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this hike just off of I-90. The hike up was your basic hike swichbacking nicely up a steep hillside with nice open meadowlands. Apparently the trail has been recently re-routed so the hike is longer but less steep than before (1,700' in one mile before!). When we reached Mason Lake we found an area of boulders to sit and relax among. Because we had gotten to the trailhead relatively early their weren’t many people at the lake yet and we appreciated that the lake is set back from I-90 and protected by a ridge so it was quiet and peaceful. Another advantage to getting to the trailhead early was that we hiked up the exposed hillside in the relative cool morning. We did not envy the hordes of sweaty people hiking up in the mid-day sun!
Distance: 6.3 miles
Vertical Gain: 2200' (2000' to ridge, 200' down to lake)
Weather: Sunny 60s
Dog Rating: Woof Woof! Too many people to go off-leash, but it was nice to rest at the lake and cuddle with Sara and Dave!
