Conquering Sitton peak was my last challenge of 2019, and for some reason it was the first of 2020.

The trail did not change much from November 2019, though I did enjoy the fact that I had an earlier start time so that I the sun exposure was a bit more manageable. Last year I hiked with a  co-worker who apparently did not know the difference between a 16.9 oz bottle of water a 1 liter of water; this year's group was better prepared and I enjoyed the views and company significantly more. I was surprised to learn that the debris I saw on the trail last year was wreckage from an airplane crash, I did venture off trail just a little bit to see if there was any other sign of the crash but my group was waiting so I returned fairly quickly.

I must admit that while I remembered the trail, I completely forgot how difficult that last .7 miles to the summit is. Just as we started the scrambling ascent my iPhone started playing “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica and as I traversed that steep and rocky terrain I could not help but hope that it was NOT the last time I would look at the sky. Somehow I doubt that death was imminent because I caught a splinter in my hand. Though I did lost my balance a little bit, I would later learn what caused it, there were no major issues in reaching the summit or returning to the trailhead.

Overall, I think this was a good start for 2020. After all, there are 18 peaks to conquer this year so the sooner I started the better 🙂