Yippee the final challenge. It was Halloween weekend so we decided to dress for the occasion. We timed this just before Daylight Savings change so we could have maximum amount of daylight to finish the hike. However there were 2 things we didn’t anticipate and we ended up hiking the last hour in the pitch dark. Good thing we had the foresight to bring along head lamps. Out first delay was caused by the park opening later then posted, we waited an hour to enter. The 2nd hold up was a big rattler stretch across the the trail with no easy way around it. We were about ½ mile from reaching the summit and about to give up after 45 minutes, when the snake finally slithered off the trail. If you look at the photo you will see a big bulge in the snakes belly. The last hour we hiked in the dark – luckily this part was a mellow fire road – and not a problem in the dark. When we reached the trailhead, the park ranger was waiting for us as we were the last ones off the trail to leave the park. I had never been to this area before (probably because it requires a special advanced permit ) and enjoyed discovering this remote, pristine wildness. We look forward to coming back here and exploring more of the area. Length: 18.30 mi, Elev. gain: 4,062 ft,Moving time: 7:49:40, Total time: 9:48:10.