Narrow trail that begins in a more woodsy setting with a moderate incline and dirt terrain. At the first split, the trail skirts the mountainside around Mt Lawlor and continues to stay moderate, possibly even more narrow, with a drop-off on one side. As you make your way around Lawlor you’ll hit the ridgeline with a few declines and false summits and the dirt/woodsy terrain makes a switch to sand and rocks. The ridgeline is exposed and the most difficult area (last mile-mile and a half), turning into a rocky scramble in a few sections (which burns on the way down!) but makes reaching the summit all the more reason to celebrate.

I started at 6am to be able to complete the hike in cooler temps, which helped on the way up. The exposure to the sun combined with the constant ascent across the ridgeline had me taking more breaks and consuming more fluids than I normally would but the quick resets helped me push forward. The ascent was a bit brutal on the quads so on the way down I took my time since it’s my least favorite part and the sun was full exposure at that point. Once I got  through the ridgeline, and around Mt Lawlor, I continued and finished at a leisurely jog to make up for the extra time which had me completing the hike at around 2 hours and 49 minutes.