The weather was beautiful – We chose the perfect day for a long hike, despite starting a bit later in the day. The skies were clear, which meant we dodged afternoon storms rolling through the peaks. The trail was well-maintained and easy to follow, despite MANY, MANY downed logs. Downed trees crossed the trail from the beginning, all the way to the top. The snow patches were small, easy to pass, and did not disguise the trail. We trained with full backpacking packs on this hike, so we were slow and steady to the top. The fire-lookout tower motivated us the entire way, however it was not open to enter. Views from the top were spectacular, including the view of the San Francisco Peaks.