The Maiden was beautiful and my favorite hike of the challenge so far! She is spectacular but long and parts are quite steep! The weather was amazing and quite warm but we had a smoky haze once we reached the summit! There was lots of evidence of an old fire lookout in the form of rusty nails so you have to be careful not to get poked when enjoying a yummy lunch at the top! The mosquitos were only annoying at the bottom near the creek but nothing else the rest of the way. We had great views and the trail was in great condition. We were there the weekend of a running race but we missed them as they were there later. We took the detour to Maiden Lake on the way back down and rinsed off the dust. It was a lovely spot!