We still snoozed like the lazy dirtbags we were, but as soon as we were up, we didn’t muck around. We were excited to get hiking. Cereal for breakfast, we sat by the fire ring to eat then packed it up and left. Dan went first up the road since he was more capably equipped than me but he had trouble when he got near the top, bogging himself in a couple of times. I got out to help guide him and he eventually figured it out using momentum as his greatest asset. Once he was parked at the top, I anxiously took my turn. With half the clearance and three quarters the power, I was at a clear disadvantage. The Astro did me proud though, after losing traction once near the bottom, I got her going again and romped all the way out no worries. All credit to Dan for sussing out the line for me.
We stopped at the entrance to the campground where I walked up to the booth to ask if we’d need a recreation pass to camp at the Ira Springs trailhead but the guy didn’t know, telling us we’d be able to buy one at the trailhead if we needed one. We left the gangs of cars behind and hit the highway, Dan following me. We only had to drive half an hour to get to the start of the trail and we stopped at a small grocer on the way to pick up some supplies for the hike.
At the forest road, we pulled off just before the sign that labelled the area as requiring a recreation pass to park. Here we planned to leave one car and park the other at the trailhead. I dug out my hiking gear and started packing everything into my hiking bag while Dan tried to roll up his bed for our sleeping mat. We figured out it was way too heavy so opted for my air mattress and one of my bed mattresses. Much better. Since I couldn’t find my blow up pillow, we decided to go soft and bring two full-sized pillows too. All the more training for Dan who insisted on carrying the pack to get a work out. I had two sleeping bags thanks to my $50 purchase months ago and not being able to throw out my old one. With that, my tent and a bear can full of food, we were set to go!
We made some lunch at the back of the van to energise ourselves before the hike, I took my bike off the roof and stashed it in Dan’s car, then locked her up and left her for the night. We parked Dan’s car at the busy trailhead, but there were still a few spots. To avoid paying the recreation fee, we placed my (expired) national parks pass on the dash. We perused the sign at the trailhead for permit regulations and found none, only advice on the trail conditions and warnings against bears. Sweet! Seemed like this was going to work out! Nothing left to do now but put our packs on and head on up the trail!
Dan wore the big pack while I carried our food and some water in my daypack. Cleo carried her leash wrapped around her neck. There were plenty of day hikers coming back down the trail, but we saw a few others carrying packs like us. Since this was one of only a few dog friendly trails in the area, there were plenty of dogs around too and most of them were off leash like Cleo. We were both happy to see we weren’t the only ones slightly breaking the rules.
The trail went up, then it kept going up. It started out pretty mellow, but the steepness soon picked up and two out of three of us were panting. We crossed a small creek which Cleo dropped herself into while lapping it up until she was full. Soon after that we were at a small waterfall and she did the same again.
As we climbed, we could see and hear the noise from the interstate highway below us and the mountains were clouded in smoke haze. There seemed to be no hint that it was going to clear any time soon.
For the first hour of the hike we were in the forest, shaded by the canopy of many trees and bushes. The further up we went, the more sun we were exposed to and since we were hiking in the mid-afternoon, it was hot! Dan was sweating even with his shirt off and I wasn’t much different. When we passed a pair of overnight hikers coming down, we asked where they’d camped and they said Mason Lake. It meant we had a pussy option to camp at if we didn’t feel like making it the eight miles to Thompson Lake. Dan balked at that idea, determined not to be a wimp, but I kept my mind open. This was his first overnight hike after all.
An hour later and we were in full sun. We were on the exposed side of the mountain with the trees replaced by loose boulders and wildflower bushes. It was pretty as we climbed the switchbacks through the colourful flowers, marvelling at just how this huge pile of rocks came to rest here on the side of the mountain.
Towards the top, we took plenty of water breaks and took our packs off in a rare piece of shade to stretch our backs. Turns out we were only a short way from the peak at this point so enjoyed a decline down to Mason Lake shortly afterwards. We were back in the forest and having crossed the mountain ridge, the sound of the interstate was now gone. The lake surprised us, appearing seemingly out of nowhere and making me shout out loud in surprise. Cleo was right into a stream to cool down and have a big drink. We were excited to do the same.
Walking around the banks of the lake, we found it was heavily populated, with every access spot taken by a group of people. Most of them were day hikers just enjoying the lake and there were some campers breaking down camp in preparation for heading down the mountain. We’d walked nearly a quarter of the way around the lake when Dan called it, finding a spot where we could put our packs down and get into the water.
Despite the crowds, there weren’t many people in the water and there was a naked guy sunning himself on a rock not far away so I took my clothes off and jumped in while Dan maintained his modesty. Cleo hardly needed any encouragement to get into the cold water with us. After a near-two hour slog up a mountain, this was well deserved. Out of the water, I had a look at the hiking map so we could contemplate our options. It was past 4pm and neither of us felt like doing as much climbing again to get over Mt. Defiance and down into Thompson Lake, so we thought camping here would be a nice way to spend the night. When the male-half of a couple at a nearby campsite said they should head off, I kept an eye on them as they put their shoes on and donned their packs. They were sitting in the best campsite of the lake and I was keen to take it off them.
After they left, we waited a polite amount of time before going over and staking down the spot. We still hadn’t made a definite decision to stay, but were definitely keen to hang out for a bit and have a snack to recoup our energy a bit. I lay my tent footprint down and we sat, enjoying the view in front of us. Soon after our snack, we decided to stay. This was such a beautiful spot and we’d have no trouble just sitting and enjoying it for the rest of the day.
We sat on the mat talking a while before we got the hammock out and tried it out with two people inside. Cleo switched between lazing in the sun and chasing after squirrels that were lurking in the bushes, squeaking out in terror as she chased them through their neighbourhood. This was a serene place, especially as the day hikers started leaving. Being a Sunday night, we thought we might have the whole lake to ourselves for the night. We did until a group of four guys arrived and set up camp at the next site over. They were plenty far away, but sound carried super well across the lake so we heard everything they said.
Swinging in the hammock, we switched between talking and eavesdropping on their conversations. We started a small fire when the bugs started rallying together to keep them away with just enough smoke to keep us comfortable. It made for a beautiful setting and when the guys quietened down, the lake was as serene as it had been after we set up camp.
Dinner time, Dan got my cooking stuff out while I set up tent. I was halfway through putting the fly on when Dan questioned me and I realised he was right, we didn’t need it at all! By the time our beds were made, our rice and beans was pretty much done, we just had to wait impatiently for it to cool down. Sharing the pot and one eating utensil between us, we sat on a log and ate our dinner, watching the haze over the lake.
We sat by the lake for the rest of the late evening until it was dark enough to warrant creeping into the tent. Cleo was tired too and happily found her place in the bottom corner at Dan’s feet. We lay with our heads tilted up to the sky, the trees towering above us. It was the first time I’d slept in a tent since starting van life and it was a nice change. The bugs buzzed around us outside the tent as we played a round of cards with the light we had left. Tired from our hiking, we were both asleep before the sky was properly dark, Cleo included.