My dog Nymeria and I started out at 7:30am. This was my first solo hike and mountain lions were on my mind. For the first couple miles everything that rustled in a bush was a mountain lion ready to pounce us until proven otherwise. The dawning day was beautiful though and the wet winter means lots of green and spring flowers were EVERYWHERE. Absolutely lovely. Some frost in the first part of the morning but the sun warmed everything into a hot spring day.

With all the recent rains the trail was still pretty muddy and there was more water than I had expected. Fewer bugs than anticipated which made for a good time. There was no one at the summit so we got a nice rest period to eat our brunch, catch our breath, enjoy some thirst quenching and the lovely views. A bit hazy, so Catalina wasn't visible.

The trail is very well marked and maintained. Most of the hike is very manageable, but the last .36 miles to the summit are steep. When the sign with arrow points up, they mean literally straight up. Was glad of my pole for the descent and glad to start seeing other humans on our way back down.