On Saturday 5/5/07 Pack Pup and I took a quick hike to Mason Lake. Many thanks to mbgriffi’s 5/4/07 trail report. No snow across the trail until just below the turn off to Bandera and even then it is intermittent until the final fifty yards or so until one reaches the Ira Spring Memorial/wilderness sign, then constant to the lake. The first section of the descent past the wilderness sign is on very compact hard snow and a steep side hill for several hundred feet until the terrain flattens out. This area is quite slippery but Pack Pup had her Camp four points and I had brought my Stubais so we made quick work of this section with our crampons and poles. Snow depth at the lake appeared to be very compact and easily supported without snow shoes; however that could be different in the open terrain towards Rainbow/Island Lakes. Snow depth at Mason Lake was one to four feet with some bare spots under trees by the shoreline. Mason Lake was at least 90% snow covered but because of the previous days snow it was impossible to guess ice depth. A totally different day then mbgriffi experienced. We did not see anyone else at the lake, one set of fresh tracks and one set of older snow shoe tracks. Many hikers turned around at the Ira Spring Memorial and we saw one hiker slide off the trail in the snow just below the Bandera turn off, fortunately he was OK.
McClellan Butte 5/5/07
Mason Lake Ira Spring Memorial 5/5/07
Descent to Mason Lake from wilderness sign 5/5/07
Mason Lake 5/5/07
Mason Lake 5/5/07
Mason Lake 4,200 feet 5/5/07
Mason Lake looking to Bandera Mountain 5/5/07
Pack Pup on west peninsula shore 5/5/07
Mount Defiance 5,584 feet 5/5/07
SAS at high point after ascending from Mason Lake 5/5/07
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