OVERALL: Sizer is definitely challenging especially in the at times pouring rain (rained non-stop from start to finish).  Started 9:30 from HQ and completed 4:35

RANGER: Spoke to ranger. Due to muddy conditions (and fallen trees) they cannot do rescues with vehicles.  Make sure your group has policy of no man left behind (as we did)  and everyone is capable of guiding with a GPX file / hiking app.

GEAR: Geared up with 4L water (bladder and one 1 L bottle). Drank around 2L with electrolytes. Pack started at 28.7lbs (lightened from current training weight of 33.5lbs so I had more maneuverability with the ascents and muddy terrain (also encounter two stream crossings).  Ate a light veggie breakfast (experiment if I like hiking with/without empty stomach).  Took break at bench at top of 1st ascent (right before hitting Sizer on the ridge portion of trail).  Learned that fresh grapes are a nice sugary treat after a long, steep ascent.  Very windy and cold at ridge so keep your wind breaking material on.

BRING hiking poles.  You’ll need them for the swollen stream crossings, muddy ascents, slick descents, and saturated ground around single track.  Layer with rain gear.  I wore trail runners so hike in what’s comfortable knowing you will be soaked.  –

TRAIL CONDITIONS:  Lot of aggregate fire roads.  Nonetheless you come across large pools of water on the ridge and low lands. Passable on the sides but slows you down.  Decent amount of downed trees.  More branch hopping than anything else.  Ascents (after each stream crossing) are steep and at times muddy. Poles highly recommended as ground is soft.  Stream crossing were challenging.  They’re wide and at least mid-shin deep/knee deep with descent flow.  Luckily, if you choose your rocks and grass islands correctly, you can cross with only bottom of foot getting wet.  Others just took the plunge and crossed with Crocs or their hiking shoes and dried out after crossing.  Jackass Trail is strewn with what seems to be coyote scat.  Watch your foot fall.

OLDER APPLE WATCH: Struggled to maintain accurate tracking and went low power with 5 or so miles to go.