Black Mountain aka sandwich justification

Started later than expected, around 10:40 instead of closer to 8:00. Parking was very easy. The beginning of this trail was very strenuous. It felt like nothing but steep incline for a good mile. I loved it. After that, it flattened out with a few hills to go up and down. There were a few trails off the path, but we kept forward. Tons of amazing views of the valley, and the sun really made everything glow. There were a few trees that we had to climb over or through, but nothing incredibly hard. There were minimal people on the trail. The final stretch to the peak was just as strenuous as the first part, but not as long.  At the top and past the station we had fun just looking at all the cool rocks, mainly to find the summit marker. We saw one coyote, a deer, and a rabbit. No mountain lions. It took a minute to finally find the marker, but it was found just as we were giving up.  The trek back was quicker,  but it felt almost just as long.  I’m going to blame exhaustion. It was a really amazing hike, and one I’m glad I was finally able to accomplish.