Sunrise start on a Tuesday morning — had the entire trail to myself for the whole morning. It was crisp and a bit breezy at the parking lot, which was a far cry from when I did the trail during a pre-dawn run on Jan 1, 2022 (it was in the 30s, and there was plenty of snow at the top for that one).

When I passed the Robert Louis Stevenson monument and got onto Mt Saint Helena Trail from the singletrack, the breeze started to pick up. There were a few times it nearly stopped me in my tracks as I rounded a few of switchbacks above Hwy 29. The wind was significantly stronger when I got to the summit. Gusts were pretty strong at the summit — and I felt like I was going to get blown off the mountain. Needless to say, it was a very quick stay at the top, just to get a couple pics and get back down.

The sky was clear. To the east, could clearly see some of the snow-topped peaks in the Sierra, and to the north Cobb Mountain and Boggs Mountain were dusted with snow. There were only a couple patches of snow still remaining on the road just below the summit.

In all, a pretty quick trip up and back to the summit (due to the wind). It's always nice driving in the early morning through some of the towns north of Napa. The downtown of St. Helena is charming during the pre-dawn hours. Recommend a meal at Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen or a more casual stop at Gott's Roadside.  A little further south, Oakville Grocery is a great place to get a sandwich and (of course) a bottle of wine for lunch. Or, if you have a whole lot more money to spend, you can try The French Laundry (you'll need reservations — and our friends who have gone say that it is one of the best dining experiences they've had).

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