Started at about 630am with this hike. It was cool and refreshing while we were hiking along the river bed. This was my favorite part of the hike. It was so pretty and having the water to listen to made a wonderful beginning and ending to the hike. Also the many trees provided shade that was welcome as there was not a lot of shade for most of the hike. After coming out of the river area there are a set of switch backs going up to the saddle. The saddle is a great spot for a break. after that there is a flat to down hill section that has the highlight of a double-decker cave along the trail. The it is switchbacks to the top. Some parts were steep and several sections were gravely and narrow- this was the first time I ever thought maybe hiking sticks would have been good to have. The top was fun, we had our sandwiches and a nap. It was more of a struggle to find a good nap spot on this peak as there are many pine needles and ants about. The spots with nice little rocks were in direct sun light and too hot. The way down was fun the switch backs that felt so challenging on the way up were not overly steep on the way down and not too hard on the knees. Just as pretty on the way down as it was on the way up!