Woke up, started with my daily Wordle – ‘DEVIL' – fitting. Got a late start, finally started at 10:40am after a few small mistakes – (pro-tip – carry cash for the parking lot, this mistake cost time in downloading an app and signing in just to pay with a card).  Second mistake, leaving the poles in the car and losing 1/3 of a mile to go back for them.  Ahh, all ok, I'm just rusty at this, my last peak was Mt Wilson in Sierra Madre 2 years ago.  I knew, despite the late start, today had to be the day, as the next epic storm was due in another 24 hours!

All in all, it was an amazingly beautiful day out there, sunny and dry, and peaceful. I thought I'd run into a lot of people getting a hike in before the storm, but I ran into 2 hikers in passing, and 3 mtn bikers on the way down. Got back to my car at 6:15, shortly after sundown.  Boy am I out of shape, but super happy I hung in there, ( I considered getting a ride from the peak, but I stayed the course.  Btw, as so many people suggest, I went the opposite – counter-clockwise that All Trails suggests.  And, TG for All Trails to keep my on course – I can't recommend enough having a downloaded GPS guide to avoid getting lost – easy to do out there!!!

Btw, no signs to hold up at the top – weird!