Been wanting to do this hike for a couple years now and finally had the perfect conditions – about 13 hours of daylight (if needed) and cold weather (was only about 30 degrees at the summit at noon!)

I did not know the Sunol entrance opened at 8, I was there a little before 7am.  Luckily, there is some construction going on, the gate was open and no fees were being collected that day, so I got an early start.  I spent a couple days hiking in Yosemite last week and the scenery could not be any more different, but still very beautiful and peaceful.  Don’t know if the miles logged last week helped me prep for this hike, or maybe wore me down a little, but this was a lot harder than I expected!  I actually wanted to try to bag Discovery Peak while I was up there, I had plenty of time and conditions were perfect, but my legs were done and I couldn’t handle the extra mileage and climbing at this point, so that’ll have to be another trip. I just enjoyed my lunch on the summit while taking in the views. Forecast called for 30 degrees with a windchill of 19 and it definitely felt it!

I didn’t see very much wildlife other than squirrels and birds, but there were plenty of cows, some right along the trail, so that was something new to me.  Definitely recommend bringing plenty of water and avoid the very hot days.  There is no cell service anywhere out here, so be prepared and make sure to carry your map and if possible, a gps to help you out (it saved me a couple times when I missed a trail!)