Mason Lake is a winter wonderland right now and still accessible. Beyond that trail conditions are less favorable. It's good to have flexible plans this time of year.
Today's original objective was Mason Lake and a side trip to whatever peak looked most favorable, Bandera or Defiance. I changed plans when I got to the talus field near the Bandera turn off and encountered 40 mph wind gusts. I decided to head for Island and Rainbow Lakes instead.
There was snow on the trail starting at the top of the ridge, but just a dusting. Mason Lake was delightful. The trees on the far side of the lake are dusted white. Wind was high at the lake outlet, but the north side of the lake provided a sheltered place for lunch.
Beyond Mason, the trail conditions get more challenging, mostly from ice and deep water pools covering the trail. There's also snow in some sections. Right now spikes aren't helpful, but waterproof boots and poles are nice.
Sir Richard's Pond was more scenic than usual as it's now mostly frozen. I didn't get much farther than that. After negotiating several parts of the trail that were deeply covered with water I turned around.
Temperatures today really dropped higher up due to the wind. I used most of my layers at some point.
Total mileage today was 9.5 and elevation to the point beyond Sir Richard's Pond was 2700'. I saw around 15 people total all day. Parking lot was mostly empty when I arrived around 9:30 and still had a bunch of spots when I returned.
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