Headed up to Mason Lake on Sunday morn with the two Amy's. It was a beautiful day, and we hiked easily through Trout lake and saw a few people casting lines for fish. We continued our ascent and did not hit snow for almost two miles. There were two pretty tricky stream crossings-- one involving a large snow wall, the other just fast running and ""deep"" (for wet feet) if you lost your footing.

After crossing the second stream (as you are travering across the mountainside towards to falls) you run into several feet of snow. We got easily to the top of the initial falls, where the river was running flat (relatively), and lost the trail there. We were fairly sure that the lake was just up and over the next ridge, but with no trail, and improper equipment for the circumstances we decided to turn back.

Also, there were several river crossings where bridges had lost their railings-- they were quite stable-- but had obviously taken several beatings in winters past. One easily passible but notable blowdown as well.

I decided to take ""Good 'ol Slasher"" (Daisy) for a little hike after work. Where to go so that she can legally run off-leash and not bother others on a nice Saturday evening? The abandoned road that leads to the Mason Lake trail and to Bandera Mtn. trail fit the bill. The sign at the trailhead that lists the trails in the area that require leashing didn't include Mason Lake. There were only four other cars in the parking lot when we arrived at 7 pm. The road looked pretty flat on the map in ""100...Alpine Lakes"", but I suspected some significant elevation gain by subtracting the gain listed for various sections of the Bandera hike, leaving about 700 ft for this road section. The road is great for easy hiking with a smooth surface and steady grade. There are some open sections with good views of snowy peaks on the other side of the freeway. We passed two people coming down before we got to the Mason Lake trail junction. From there to the beginning of the steep upward ascent to Bandera Mtn. we saw nobody. The return walk was the easiest, fastest hike around since the grade and surface made perfect conditions. Two cars were still in the lot at 10 pm when we got back, probably camping at Mason Lake. Due to a super-bright moon, this trail would be hikable all night without a flashlight. All in all it turned out to be an excellent place to let the pupper run loose without disturbing other hikers or impacting a wilderness area.

Dirt road to the trailhead is the smoothest I have ever seen it. Arrived 3 pm on a Sunday and 8 cars were in the parking area. Took the left trail at the main trail junction, following the creek. 10 minutes later the snow was suddenly deep, hard and icey. We turned back because the person I was with did not feel comfortable scrambling over hard, icey snow without proper shoes or poles. Everyone appeared to time their decents so that they all came down the mountain at the same time -- approx. 3:30 pm to 4 pm -- a good time to avoid the trail going up. Too many people. Lots of wild ginger (left side) at the first creek crossing on the way up.

The road to the Bandera/Mason Lake trailhead is clear of snow and some of the potholes have been filled in with gravel. The trail is snowfree through the Bandera/Mason fork and for the next 1/2 mile. I took the left fork at that point, which I think is the newer route that avoids part of the eroded trail and the rock field. The snow became solid at Mason Creek (~3000'). I put on instep crampons and followed the tracks along the creek. The trail levels a bit in about 1/2 mile and the snow was soft, so I switched to showshoes for the rest of the climb. I followed the L side of the open area. None of the big rocks were visible through the snow. The lake is entirely frozen except for a small area near where the creek drains. I had planned to continue on to Mt. Defiance. If I had used my compass or GPS I probably wouldn't have gotten turned around on the ridge north of Mason, heading east instead of west. I considered doing a clockwise loop around the lake instead, but it was a fairly steep descent to the lake and I couldn't see much in the fog. It didn't seem like there would be a view on Mt. Defiance either, so I retraced my route out.