Mission Peak pre- eclipse Visioning

We arrived at 11 am and the parking lot was full on Stanford Avenue, we took Hidden Valley Trail to Wilderness Trail.  It was a gorgeous sunny day and about 65 degrees. The surrounding residential are had a lot of cars parked on the street as well, but we found a spot a few blocks away. This was the steepest peak I’ve done so far..few switchbacks and instead climbing straight to the top. Climbing up I wanted to strip down to my sports bra it was so hot and at the top I was cold in my jacket. Bring layers! But it felt good, a  manageable challenge for an experienced hiker.

The path is a wide, bumpy and sometimes rocky road so you are not bathing in the forest the way I like, but there were stellar views all around the bay. We made it to the to the peak in an hour and twenty minutes and celebrated with a crowd climbing on the pole at the peak and taking pictures. Hiking down felt like a breeze and we completed it in three hours feeling great.