My husband and I started hiking the Volcan Mountain Trail in the San Diego Six Peak Challenge at 11:30 am. There were quite a few cars parked along Farmer Road in Julian where the trail starts, but we were able to park quickly and start on the trail. The hike was steep! I hadn't remembered that, so we had to stop and rest, and then get back to hiking quite a few times.

We encountered small patches of snow about 1/2 a mile up, then more and more as we ascended. The trail was very muddy in areas an slightly icy.  It was not a problem for us because our hiking boots gripped the mud and rocks just fine.

The weather felt perfect for a day hike. The high temperature for the day was 60 degrees. We saw many other hikers, some even in shorts and tank tops or sports bras! We made it to the top and took pictures and ate a snack. At the top, we ran into another 6 peaker named Craig. He was super friendly and gave us lots of tips for our hiking adventures. He even gave me a moleskin band aid because I was developing a blister.

We started down and made quick work of it! The steepness of the trail really started to bother my toes on the way down the mountain. It was a little slippery in some areas where the shady trail hadn't allowed the ice to melt.  We saw a group of ladies heading down the trail and they were only wearing tennis shoes, and they were slipping and sliding quite a bit!