This is summit #1 for me in this 6-pack challenge. I haven't hiked a lot this year and it's been pretty sporadic, but I decided to go for it July 5th. I'm in decent enough shape and I am pretty sure I did this peak a decade ago, so I was somewhat familiar with the area and vaguely thought I knew what to expect.

I couldn't believe how packed the trail head was when I arrived about 7:30 am. I drove around for a little while trying to decide where to park my low profile AWD Camry. Some of the side of the road parking looked too rough for my tires and undercarriage. But ultimately I didn't mind hiking with a lot of people since I was going solo. It's nice having so many friendly faces on the trail as we cheer each other on trying to reach the summit.

The Icehouse Canyon trail starts off so pretty next to the icehouse creek. I really wanted to beat the heat to the summit so I really pushed myself to get there before it got too hot even though I could have used more trail snacks along the way. Overall it was a really nice day. The weather was pretty perfect. This hike is a challenging climb, but it's always rewarding to reach the summit. I reached the summit by noon and hung out for about an hour at the top; munching and layering on the sunscreen for the hike down in the afternoon heat.

Also there are two summit signs. One by the rocks as you immediately make your way straight up and another to the east. I think the second sign and spot is the actual top, so I'm glad I went over. I tried to find the geological survey marker for the peak, but I couldn't find it.

The trail terrain is fairly varied. Some really rocky parts and some nice dirt sections, but overall a lot of rocks. I tripped and ate it when I was busy day-dreaming about Peak #2.

Catie K.