With all of the rain, flooding, and thunderstorms in this area recently, I had postponed this hike until today. The forecast looked pretty decent, so even though I only had one day off between 12 hour shifts and on call, I had to go for it. I got to the trailhead later than I wanted to (6 AM) so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to summit. Most days recently even with a good forecast, I heard it was raining by the afternoon. I figured I would assess at high creek camp how fast I was going and of course, keep an eye on the weather as I went. Saw a few grey clouds but they were moving away from the peak and as it heated up they cleared. So this was the day that I was meant to summit! I had the trail to myself basically. I met one other man (the one type  of guy we always meet on trails- in his 70’s, barely carrying a liter of water, and basically running up the trail like it’s his morning coffee walk! This time with a twist- he was in basically just his underwear- no shirt or pants and it was 50ish degrees! He was very nice though, and I hope I can be like him one day!) I crossed paths with 2 other guys at the summit but they had gone up a different trail. The peak was amazing! I had great views and just a few white clouds. I stayed too long at the summit (as I always do) and had to hurry back down. I had gear for hiking in the dark because I had planned to start my hike before dawn. I just didn’t love the idea of it because I’m a scaredy pants and was alone. However, speed isn’t my strength (persistence and determination are). So I hiked about an hour in the dark, which also did not help the speed situation. Thank you to the deer who had no fear and glowing eyes scared me for a minute into thinking it was a mountain lion. And to the bear that darted across my trail 30 feet in front of me (could have also been a shadow from my headlamp). Overall, this is a beautiful area and a great hike- minus the first mile of switchbacks- they kinda sucked when I was already tired in the morning. I would definitely do again!