We had originally planned to hike High Point, but upon arrival we learned that the forest service closure for Cleveland National Forest had been extended. We decided to hike Hot Springs Mountain instead since it was nearby. We were the only cars parked at the campground nearest to the trailhead. We didn’t get to start our hike as early as we usually do due to change in venue but it was still cool by the time we started at 8:45am. The first couple miles were pretty steep and exposed. But then it got into more woodsy surroundings and a couple more smaller climbs until we got to the summit. Navigating to the summit was going through trees and bushes and following a series of pink ribbons which led us to a giant boulder with a ladder and a couple ropes to use to get to the top. The views from the top of the boulder looked out for miles. After refueling on snacks, we hiked over to the old lookout tower before heading down the trail. On the way down, we detoured to take the Quiet Road Loop to check it out, but it didn’t really have anything worth mentioning. We saw some pops of purple flowers on the mountain side, and some small yellow and purple wildflowers which grew alongside the trail. And we saw some moss growing on some of the trees. We saw an occasional al squirrel, chipmunk, rabbit and lizard, but that was the extent of the wildlife seen on this trail. In terms of other hikers, we saw 3 guys at the summit when we were there, then passed a couple on our way down. That was it. We practically had the entire place to ourselves.