Day hike up to Little Bandera with Joe Erickson, then to Bandera Mountain for the summit. Trip started uneventfully. Passed folks from Wisconsin hiking up the steep hill past the Mason Lake cutoff in flip flops :0.
Upon reaching little Bandera, light snow flurries started coming down. We opted to push for the summit. Snow covered the trail and become progressively deeper, further into the trail. 1″-2″ of new snow covered the trail and foliage and was wet and slippery. Poles were a must. As we progressed, visibility decreased, the wind picked up, and more snow was coming down.
We pushed across the long scree/boulder filed to the proper summit, took some pictures, and retraced our steps back towards little Bandera. We were the only party past little Bandera during the day and the only two as we descended. Conditions were worsening. The hike to Bandera summit is great and will be much better later in the season. Contrary to some reports, there are great views from the top.
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/bandara-mountain-summit
