My friend and I started early but made a few stops (coffee, snacks, water, etc) before getting to the trailhead. It was around 7am when we arrived and the line of parked cars from the parking lot was already a 1/4 mile long. I think that is to be expected this time of the year. The hike was great but at times, it felt like we were actually climbing the Matador at Disneyland due to that fact that we unintentionally started right around the same time as a group of about 40+ tourists. lol We were able to keep our own pace but we did a lot of passing and being passed. Once we reached the saddle though, it was smooth sailing to the top. We enjoyed the cool breeze at the peak and celebrated with a shot of Mezcal. One the way down, we ran into quite a few hikers with camping gear. I was quite jealous, as the forecast called for rain and I knew they would wake up at the peak to a gentle blanket of snow. That shall be my next plan!