Alpine Scramble - Putrid Pete's Peak, Web Mountain & Mount Defiance

We did a clockwise loop, starting at Ira Springs Trailhead. Although the climbers trail to P3 is steep, it was straightforward and manageable, much easier than Hibox. The final scramble to P3 is very short and mostly worn boot path, easy peasy. We looked all over rocky P3 for a summit register to honor Pete Schoening but couldn't find it. The route to Web Mountain had a faint trail runners' path, just below the ridge on the I-90 side. In a couple of places, we went higher, exploring the ridge to find more rock. There are several options near Web summit for more enjoyment. We found one spot on the north side which had a T3 move. The ridge scramble between Web Mountain and Mount Defiance is one of the nicest around, with amazing views of the I-90 corridor and Alpine Lakes Wilderness. There was a nice long section between P3 and Defiance which became a super fun rock playground. Again, this was higher up than the faint paths we saw below the ridge. We met several trail runners who were going from Mailbox to Granite Mountain (about 20 miles). Mount Defiance also had a nice perch with great views. It wasn't long until we got back below tree-line for some needed shade, and filtering water at Mason Lake. We had 2 scramble students on this trip and I was able to find some good rock for them.