Woke up this morning thinking of hiking Mission Peak with Kevin, but Kevin ended up changing it to Berryessa Peak since it was the last hike I needed to complete all 9 peaks.

Lots of signs or subtle message saying not to do the trail:

• There's a warning about a wash out 4 miles in that is pretty impassible unless you have fit/flexible.
• Little to no parking, have to park in the side of the road.
• Almost no water or bathroom at the trailhead.
• There was a triathlon going on in the same day we decided to go.

Nerveless we ignored all the signs and went for it anyways. Terrible mistake, even with the good and cold weather.

This trail is the definition of some guy brute forcing his way to the top of a mountain. The hike starts out fine for the first 2 miles, then you start climbing a steep incline on a mountain. No switchback or grade variation, just pure straight up a hill.

The weeds will start to occur now. The rest of the way up, you will be battling overgrown plants. You will need some form of denim clothing in order for best protection. Kevin was hiking in breathable hiking pants and he was not having a good time. I was in regular shorts, leaving my bare legs exposed to every spiky plants we hiked by.

Between mile 3 to 4, you will be hiking through a ridge. This ridge is so narrow, it's basically a one way road. The worst part is that the ridge is also on an incline hill, which means one of your foot is going to have to adjust weirdly in order to keep stability. There's not enough space or room to let a opposing traffic pass by because of this inclined hill and you will most likely slip down if you try to make way.

The washout occur around mile 4, which if you aren't flexible, you will have to turn around. We found a way to get past it to continue, but looking back at it. It was way too dangerous and the end wasn't worth the amount of effort you have to put in.

Past the washout and to mile 6 you will be dealing with overgrown trees, plants, etc. I honestly have no clue how any trail maintainers is able to trim these downs. The trail is way too narrow to let any traffic pass through. Because no one is able to maintain these trails, it becomes hard to figure out where the trail is. We've gotten lost multiple times because some bush was blocking the view to the trail.

Mile 6 and onward is just a hike through a fire road. Probably the best part as it's pretty paved and you don't have to deal with any obstacles. The peak was just a radio tower, and a decent view of the lake. So not worth, especially as you will have to turn around and redo all the hassles again just to get back. We got some quick photos and was dreading the return back.

This hike is mentally draining. You are always on the edge for the majority of the hike as any mistake will cause you to slip and fall down the ridge. There's also almost no shade in this portion too. You need a good morale just to get to the top.

This hike/trail should not even exist. It should be closed and reworked to something more safer and accessible to more people. It's way too dangerous even without the washout and the overgrown plants is really annoying. Even as an experienced hiker, I had difficulties navigating through the trail. I cannot see anyone being able to complete this without a good navigation system, actual hiking shoes and the ability to use all of your body to get past the trail.

We didn't see a single soul our whole way up and coming down. Do not hike this trail. I'd rather be 8/9 peaks now knowing how terrible this trail is.