We started off early at the trailhead and planned to go uphill for 5-6 hours and return. We set out with a goal to head back before dark and knowing we might not get to the peak. Initial elevation gain on the fire road was slow and doable. But the path got steeper and it felt harder due to the burning sun. There was absolutely no breeze for a long stretch. That did change towards the last few miles near the peak and to our surprise we were closer to the peak than we anticipated in 5 hours. I was ready to give up but thanks to my friend's encouragement we made it to the peak. We relaxed there for some time and headed back.

Heading back was hard as we thought we were done with the challenge. With every step, I thought “are we there yet” 🙂

It started to get dark as we reached the trailhead but we were all prepared with flashlights. We had to use the flashlight for the last couple of miles.

This challenge has been a great experience and completely it was a very proud moment.