ooking avalanche is near the beginning ofthe ""trail"" portion of this hike. I elected to turn around.I suggest waiting a few more weeks (100 Hikes says mid-Mayis a typical trail-open date).

The Alpine Lakes - Getting there: Drive to Mason Lk. trailhead, and when you're finished drive up the Middle Fork Road to the Mailbox Peak trailhead. The trip: Begin the day slogging up the ridge to Bandera. I ran into a very nice group of five enroute to the top and we had a nice chit chat on the way up. Eventually we said our goodbyes and it was off to the summit ridge. Snowshoes weren't necessary this gorgeous beautiful Saturday morning. It was cold enough up high to keep the snow firm (much softer below 3,500 ft.). After traversing the ridge to the east (hard wind packed snow on the ridge), I made my way to the apparent high point on the ridge commonly known as ""Bandera Mtn."". There seems to be a question as to whether the first high point you come to is the actual summit, so just to be sure I went to the next one. On the way back I ran into another nice nice couple who also thought that the first high point was the summit, they thanked me for kicking steps up to the ridge and then it was the quick descent to the bottom. This portion of the trip took four hours, it was only two-thirty and it was such a beautiful day..... so I gulped down a couple of ""Brisks"" and jetted on over to the Mailbox Peak trailhead. There were two cars parked at the trailhead so I knew if there was any snow on the route than steps would be pre-kicked for me. The ascent to the top was quite pleasant, though quite windy at the summit. There is really almost no snow on the route unless you stay off the main ridge to the north which still has a good deal of snow. The only real snow does in fact cover the ""Mailbox"" at the top so I couldn't read ""Green Eggs and Ham"" at the summit (really (quite disappointing). This leg of the trip took two and a half hours, not bad for a tired ""kitty"". Well take care and see ya on the trail. Everyone's favorite Siamese, Pilar! [Online Editor Note: Did you run into Michael on the trail']

Ah whata lovely day to skip work.Temp was about 42 and the cloud cover was not threatening. I got off I90 @ exit 45 and rounded the bend under the freeway. End of the road. The plows had stopped there. It was snowshoe time right away with +/- 12"" of snow. This was the maiden voyage for my new MSR shoes.From here it is about 3.5 mi to the Mason Lk/Bandera trailhead. At my leisurely pace it was 2 hr of gentle grade slogging to the trail head 2100'.Snow was still 12"".I headed up the trail. At the Mason Lake branch there is a fine viewpoint. I slogged on another mile to the end of the road. More views 3100'.I blazed straight up along the creek looking for the ""trail"". I found pieces of it, but mainly went straight up. The snow was 30"". Went up under tree cover(hard snow) to 4250'. Here the snow was over 48"". Wonderful views of the valley. Turned tail for home. The MSR shoes get an A for great performance.On the way down I found the trail and marked it with pink flagging. This trek took 8.5 hrs. Recomended musical accompaniment: Patty Larkin.

Matt and I set out for the summit of Bandera mountain at about 10:00 after first stopping to pick up some baby toys (I needed something to keep Matt busy on the log drive to the Bandera trailhead - when he gets board he starts chewing and drooling on my upholstery). It was a pleasent enough day for climbing, with sunshine and higher temperatures than I've come to expect for December. We first ran into snow at about 3500-4000 feet. The snow was not deep, but strong cold winds and clear nights turned it into a well packed often icy surface. The winds were blowing so hard just beneath the summit I almost got knocked over a few times. After a quick, cold lunch we climbed to the false summit at 5157' and decided to turn around there. The long ridge to the true summit to the east and only 84 feet higher is covered with steep wind packed snow. It looks like it's finally time to start thinking about carrying your ice axes with you, and if anyone out there is thinking of sending me a Christmas present I could really use a new pair of OR Gortex gators, blue size medium. Yeah I know it's a long-shot, but its worth a try.