There’s gold in them hills

Hiked at 2:30am to avoid the heat predicted to be 98 degrees by mid day. The morning hours were a delightful crossing of microclimates on the trail  between Dewey cool canyon air and warm radiating heat retained in  the rocks; a warning of what the sun would bring.  We summited the mountain just after sunrise and took in a breathtaking view and a warm summers breeze. The hike home had us swarmed by unpleasant bugs that made a tough hike tougher. We persevered and felt accomplished after checking this hike off the list. The heat was a blistering 95 on the hillside by 11am and tested our abilities. Lots of water was consumed.