Due to my knee injury in September this peak was chosen for my last of the challenge, with my cousin, Mary, driving to and from the hike and accompanying me.  We took  the Bear Ridge and Sitton Loop Trail. The weather was perfect for our trek. It was a little buggy in parts and having the gnats in your face got annoying but there weren’t any mosquitoes. Except  for the last half mile or so to the peak, the trail was fairly easy. After we turned and went through some bushes it started to get steep. I heard a couple of guys coming down and one of them was slipping so moved to the side until they passed. Upon asking about the trail they said that staying in the crevice was the best choice for the assent as it was slippery but the views were worth it.  My cousin was a bit behind me so I waited for her so she could heed their advice.  We took this portion slow.  I was concerned about falling as one slip and my knee which wasn’t quite healed could be in a precarious state. We were elated when we reached the peak and enjoyed the gorgeous view as we ate our lunch. We couldn’t stay long as I calculated how long it took us to make the trek up and the short daylight at this time of year. Going down the steep section was going to be challenging!  I took it slow and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.  Mary was slower and had more trouble descending. We both had hiking poles which I would highly recommend for this portion! She told me that she fell 4 times but in a way to not hurt herself. The rest of the hike was fine but there were some big ruts on the trail in parts on the section of the loop that was new to us.  We finished as the sun was setting and were treated to a gorgeous sunset.
I loved the occasional flower here and there…monkeyflowers, a few sunflowers, tiny nuttell snapdragons, prickly phlox, golden yarrow,  cardinal catchfly, and deerweed.  We saw lots of bright red Toyon berries also know as Christmas berries and scrub oak.  You could hear small birds singing in the bushes and trees even if you couldn’t see them. Both of us were elated and tired as we reached the Candy Store across from the parking lot.