Trekked with 14 compadres (Great Hikes Plus One – meetup.com), followed up by some well-deserved pasta and Peroni at Maurizio's in nearby Morgan Hill, CA.

Ugh!  ONE. TOUGH. HIKE.  Followed the AllTrails app map clockwise (but also incorporated Jackass Trail).   Was mentally  prepared for the first ascent (aka “shortcut” Hobbs Rd. – 1.3 miles & 1500′) with an “urban legend” goal (# minutes to top should be < your age in years).  Yup.  52 minutes/63.75 years old.  Check.  The second ascent (2.5 mile & 1400′) was another matter:  soul-crushing.   In between, miles of poison oak and tic-infested grasslands and 3 (yes, three) rattlesnakes.   The 2-3 hip-high stream crossings, reported just 3-4 weeks ago herein, have totally dissipated.  The hike took a solid 8 hours (including breaks).  I consumed 3.5 liters of water (should have brought 4), and was VERY happy to have brought electrolytes and salt tablets.  Not certain I'll ever do this hike again (and I do 50+ hikes/year, typically @ 10-15 miles each).