Oh man … just pulling into the parking lot and seeing the mountain loom high above you is an intimidating sight. We left at 8 am and were the only car at the trailhead. The first half of the trail, while somewhat steep, leads through meadows and a forest, and after the recent rains, the trail was in perfect condition. Since we were already there, we decided to summit the North Peak on the way up. We made it to the top in about 2 hrs. The descent on the south-facing side of the mountain was an easy hike through gravel and some vegetation. After that, the real challenge started. First the steep rocky climb to the saddle and then the almost straight-up scramble over loose and brittle shale to the top. We did bring hiking poles and gloves are a good idea to give you a better grip. The trail is not always easy to find so we ended up left and right of the ridge not knowing which is the better route to go. The views up top are rewarding, and we had the summit all to ourselves. Well worth the effort!