heya! sorry/notsorry for the PG-13 title, but this is not only my first time doing the six packs challenge, it was also the first peak i bagged! 🙂  i must have been really excited because i had the pedal to the metal most of the way up, and reached the summit in about an hour and 45!  my feeling was that the first 2 miles were easy, the remainder to the peak was challenging but fun.  it would have been a much better/easier excursion had i not forgotten my trekking poles… oopsie. i'm new to using this accessory and just totally spaced on putting them in the car. they definitely would have come in handy on the more challenging piece of the trail, up to the summit and back down the last mile to mile and half-ish. lots of loose footing in that area, even with my sticky sole hiking shoes.  i was lucky to find a perfect length & strength stick to help me along that some hiking angel must have left for me! also grateful that i had read on my hiking app to wear long sleeves and pants–definitely a sticker-y, pricker-y, thorny family of plants on that trail.  even with pants on, i got a few souvenir scratches. but small price to pay! 🙂  perfect weather too–in spite of that and it being the weekend, the trail wasn't crowded. there were a few trail runners and mountain bikers coming down, so eyes up on the regular. met some other six packers along the way and that made me gushy.  i'm probably so hyped up because i just booked my ticket to climb kilimanjaro in june and this was the official start of training for that.  am very jazzed to have my first peak in the bag!

here's my actual stats in case anyone cares:

solo hike, strawberry peak, saturday 2/15 sunny skies and high 60s

depart trailhead 11:17 am

arrive peak 1:05 pm

depart peak 1:22 pm

return parking lot 2:44 pm