The day was chilly but I wore a hat, jacket, gloves, and sunglasses. The whipping through you near the peak was no joke but very manageable. There was ample parking (>30 spots) and we were the second car there. Kings Canyon started relatively flat with small inclines and lots of small rocks. The wash area was a little confusing but we found the stairs and this begins the harder work.

The switchbacks were good and we weren’t 100% sure which way the trail would wind next. But all of a sudden we’re at the sign to head over to the peak, which was an easy last stretch. We took a king break and refueled. The elevation was very tolerable and we didn’t notice our breath catching anymore than usual. We met one hiker along the trail and one also hit the summit shortly after we did. Kudos!

We descended taking the longer loop along Hugh Norris, Sendero Esperanza, and Gould Mine back to the trail head for an 8-mile hike.

We really enjoyed the 1.5 miles plus of sand and built in stairs that made the descent a lot easier. There were cool sites along the way (Pueblo house, mine shaft) and we finally started seeing other hikers.