This was my first hike all on pavement, so I was expecting it to not be as exciting as a dirt trail. However, I quickly learned that despite this, the hike was beautiful and very rewarding. We started off at the parking lot in the Paso Picacho Campground. We reached the fire road that is basically the trail all the way up to the peak. There wasn't much shade on this trail as a fire from 2003 burned most of the trees. We could see evidence of the devastation even to this day. As we trekked upwards, we would take short breaks to see the expanding view of the Anza-Borrego desert, Lake Cuyamaca, and neighboring Stonewall Peak. As we neared the top, the surviving trees become more dense allowing for shade. There were lots of bushes with flowers in bloom as well. We also noticed what appeared to be some sort of katydid, as well as a bright red beetle-type insect. The wind was picking up near the top which provided a nice cool-down from the sweat-inducing workout. At the peak, you could see a 360 view of San Diego and other peaks. We enjoyed some dried mangoes then went back down the way we came.