Kicked off my Bay Area Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge with an early morning hike up Mission Peak — my 14th time this year but the first one that counts for the challenge. I started from the Stanford Avenue trailhead around 6:15am and, as usual for a weekend, the lot was already full so I parked on Vineyard.

It was a chilly 46°F at the start, but I warmed up quick once I got moving. The sun was out, trail was dry and in good shape, but man — it was windy. Probably the windiest I’ve seen it up there this year. I made it up and back in about 1 hour and 36 minutes with 2,103 ft of elevation gain.

Felt great about the effort, and there’s always something peaceful about sitting at the top for a bit. Caught a beautiful sunrise and saw a bunch of cows along the way. Solid start to the challenge!