Solo hike to take revenge on Little Bandera, where my legs pooped out last November (I was hiking again on only one day’s rest for my legs). I made it this time.
Along the way, just in time for the new ‘Angry Birds’ movie I encountered an enraged grouse. This bird was literally hopping mad. It kept fluffing up its wings and loudly emitting its distinctive ‘whoop whoop’. I wasn’t sure if it would let me by so I approached with caution.
It backed up a few yards then hopped off the trail. As I passed I could swear I caught some ‘ugly old man’ comments.
Anyway, this is not a long hike. It was 7.4 miles up and down. And the first 1.6 miles are fairly mild. From there, though, and particularly in the last .7 mile, it is up, up, up.
The Little Bandera summit (I didn’t go farther on the trail to Bandera Mountain proper) is not large and you have to maneuver to get the views. But they are fabulous.
And just below the summit, a great view of Mason Lake:
And that’s one of the last little patches of snow still left up there. The melt-out is fierce these days.
Sunday I am scheduled to hike with three other guys to Mount Kent, which is across the freeway and a little west of where I was today.
Here is a visualization of the hike:
http://adventures.garmin.com/en-US/by/djhiker/bandera-mountain-6-8-2016/#.V1hi45XltD9
4.5 hrs, 7.4 miles, 3K elevation.