Hauled my a** up Hot Springs Mountain

Tackled Hot Springs Mountain today. The ranger station was closed so it did not have to pay the $10 fee but had previously purchased the required hiking permits. there was only one other car in the parking area so not a crowded trail in the least.

 I started out through the gate and then pretty quickly it’s as described, 2. mi of steep rutted Jeep road at 4000 ft elevation that is quite a workout.  No shade in this section.

The people who said their was a lot of gnats and flies on this trail under sold that event. It is swarming with gnats. I very much regretted not having a mosquito net hat and will not hike this mountain again without one. My bug spray did nothing to deter them. They just came in wave after wave and I was constantly waving a bandana around my head to keep them away. Mostly they’re up near the tree section but they are all over to some degree.

The trail remains a fire road all the way to the top. Great views from both the fire lookout Tower and of course the summit itself. To get to the summit you have to take a very narrow winding single track trail that is marked by blue and white ribbons. There are ropes and a ladder in place to climb up on top of the boulder that marks the actual summit. A spectacular view, well worth the hike.  A lot of what smelled like lilac bushes were blooming and lots of poppies.