What a joyful, sweet, nourishing mountain trail. A place of meeting of the cloud-sea, mist, sun, and damp earth.

9 hours, 16.2 miles logged and 72 flights climbed (less than Baden-Powell or Baldy which were 100+) via Apple Fitness. A beautiful experience.

We saw the fattest squirrels, heard a chorus of birds – so many woodpeckers (My partner would knock on trees as we walked and they answered back.) and rested for a snack after mile 3 to watch the sun pulling steam off of wet fallen trees.

We began slowly as miles 1-3 were the most challenging. And I'm glad we did. During mile 4, the ascent became more gradual and filled with enchanting and unique places: a fern glade, a mountain laurel path, a boulder field. The PCT section was most lovely!

We encountered two groups of hikers and one solo hiker along the way. This was a Monday so perhaps lesser crowds. But those we encountered were friendly and willing to share knowledge.

At the summit, a bit of vertigo. Around 1:30/2pm. Misty rainclouds enclosed the mountain from the west. It was gorgeous and chilly. Hard to scramble on the rocks but worth it for the amazing view of the desert to the east. I felt hugged by the sky.

Descent was easier than Baldy, a bit of loose ground near the top few miles. Not too hard on the knees. I have never used trekking poles and I considered them for this hike, but I realized I did not need them.