Due to some limited circumstances, my friend and I weren't able to knock out this last hike of our challenge before the summer heat got really bad, and because I'll be moving away at the end of the month, we had no choice but to get it in during the lovely, blazing month of August. After all, we're closers and we make sure to finish what we started even if things aren't ideal B)

Even starting out at 7am when the temp was nowhere near the day's high, the first two miles of this trail on the single track kicked my booty. And, because I had no idea it wouldn't stay like that the whole 6.5 miles to the top, I came really close to calling the whole thing off out of concern for my safety. Fortunately, I made it off the single track and onto the truck trail portion, which I immediately knew would be manageable. Even though it's the middle of summer and hot as beans, the hike was still gorgeous – chock-full of color thanks to late-blooming species like redshanks. Additionally, over the 3400 feet of elevation gain, the climate changed considerably as did the plant communities, enabling us to catch even more of a break as we pushed on and feast our eyes on lots of oaks and eventually some conifers too.

Getting back down went pretty well, with the exception that once we returned to a certain elevation, by now in the afternoon, it felt like suddenly walking into a giant earthen oven. I definitely take no particular pleasure in hiking like this in mid 90 degree+ heat, but I'm proud to have done so and finished this challenge with my good friend before leaving San Diego!