Bandera Mountain

Dependably perfect September has morphed into opportunistic October as far as hiking weather is concerned and Sunday was a slim opportunity so I took it. Cool and cloudy are perfect conditions for climbing a steep, exposed slope and today that was Bandera. The trail is clear and water is minimal. Autumn colors are reaching for their full glory. The climb from the Ira Spring trail to the ridge is as stiff as ever and the rock scramble up to the summit is still an effort. It was snowing on top of Defiance and a bit of flurry on Bandera hinted at winter's approach. Still this is a good hike any day until the snow gets thick.