This will tell you everything not to do on a hike! Hiking up Mt. Sizer was not my idea. My 15 year old son decided this was something he wanted to do. He also convinced me to sign up for the 2020 NC Challenge. I read through the description and thought, “There is no way we are ready to do this!” But somehow, insanity took over. I'm a former marathon runner (by former I mean it's been 15 years since I've done a long run). But I figured, I work out regularly and walk about 6 miles a day so I “should” be able to do it? My son is active and has done a few 10 mile hikes but he is a typical teenager who is invincible in his mind.

I wanted to start the hike by 8:00 a.m. and make the most of the daylight hours. The reality of getting a teenager up and going had us actually start the hike at 10:45 a.m. The drive up was pleasant and direct. Until we started seeing snow! We live in Santa Cruz so we never see or think about snow. We picked up a map at headquarters and the rangers were great about making sure we were clear on our map directions. I was dressed in layers so I was okay with the snow. My son was wearing a T-shirt and thin rain jacket so we bought the only option available at the shop, a size Large-Youth pink sweatshirt that he somehow squeezed into.

Taking the Manzanita Point Road onto the Monument Trail there was a variation of snow anywhere from 2-3 inches gradually melting and decreasing. By the time we were descending on Hobbs Road to Little Canyon creek, there was about and inch of what would vary between snow, slush, mud, and icy patches, all of which made it a bit slippery for a pair of Converse. (Yes those were shoes he chose.) About half way down we ran into a down tree across the path. Easy enough to climb over, plus holding onto the branches helped with the slipping.

Then we crossed the damn at Frog lake carefully since there was more water than usual. We hiked up Middle Ridge. The upward hike was challenging but do able. At this point we thought, “We got this! What are people taking about? This isn't so bad.” Then we ran into Coyote Creek where we thought we could hop across the rocks. Because of the melting snow, the water was flowing freely and most rocks were under water. I took off my shoes and went across the cold water in my socks since I had an extra pair in my pack. My son on the other hand decided he could make the jump and fell into the Creek soaking his entire bottom half. He was freezing. He was able zip off the bottom part of his pants but had to continue the rest of the hike in wet shoes and socks.  As he was sorting himself out I took out my sandwich and and started eating it. That's when he asks, “Can I have a sandwich too?” I look at him incredulously and state, “You didn't pack your food.” he says, “I packed 2 protein bars and some nuts I thought we would be done by now. (This was 2.5 hrs into the hike) My response, “Well it sucks to suck son. I only have my sandwich.”

We threw the wet things into a hefty bag . Once we were sorted, we looked up and saw the beast of the climb that is Mount Sizer. Up we went. Unfortunately there was no marking that says, “Your here!” So every time we reached a small knoll or flat patch of grass we would breathlessly ask, “Is this it?” We pulled out our well marked map to check our distance but it was ruined because it was in my son's pocket when he fell in the water. Fortunately we had a 2nd map that could guide us but wasn't as clearly marked. When we got to the bench at the top we really thought we made it, till we saw a sign pointing us to a sign that said Mt Sizer >. There were multiple social trails along the way that we kept taking, each time realizing they were not what we were looking for. We finally hit the grassy knoll known as Mt. Sizer!

On the way down we thought, “okay it's supposed to easy peasy on the way down.” Jackass Trail was absolutely beautiful but our legs were really feeling the paint of Mt. Sizer. While the downhills made my son's knees hurt and ache, any slight incline upward made me cringe and want to throw myself down in tears. As we continued down Poverty Flat Road we came across Coyote Creek, yet another body of water that we would need to cross. There was no way to hop across on rocks so we just gave in and walked across in our shoes thinking, “We're almost done. What does it matter now.”

Well it did matter because we still had to climb to reach Manzanita Point Road. By now it was 5:00 and we knew the dark was quickly approaching. By 5:30 it was dark so I pulled out my headlamp but immediately I realized that I forgot to change the batteries so it was a no go. My son had his flashlight but he also forgot to change the batteries, so it was not as strong as it could have been but it worked. Fortunately, we both had fully charged cell phones we had turned off so in a pinch we could use those flash lights. Half way the climb it became pitch black and the animals started making all sorts of noises! Birds in trees, lizards running across the road and deer. All of which brought on fears of lions and tiger and bears and made for a grown 15 year-old 5 foot 8 boy and his 5 foot 3 mother clutching at one another every time an unexpected noise happened. Then we saw the lights of Park Head Quarters up ahead and a sign that said 1.6 miles ahead. They were the longest 1.6 miles of our lives. At .6 miles my son found a log and sat down. (Although he never complained, he later told me he was thinking he truly thought he could not go on and was not going make it.) After about 10 minutes he got up and carried on. We finally finished at 6:45, 8 hours after we started.

Overall a great hike, a reminder on why the 10 essentials are essential and a great bonding experience with my son.