Easy but long hike up San J to start this year's challenge. I've been up this mountain probably a dozen times, including taking the kid and wife to Suicide Rock for the sunset, so I'm really familiar with the trails and layout of the mountain, overall. It was entirely snow free, making a way-too-easy hike to the peak. Biggest challenge was honestly the boredom at some parts of the hike with it being 19 some miles.

Other than that, it was easy getting to the top. No snow, no ice, and really well-maintained trail. The last half mile or so was pretty much a rock scramble/hopping, but I thought it was pretty fun. There was practically no running water going up the Deer Springs side, however. Or at least not enough to fill up and filter a Nalgene's worth. It was also exceptionally windy at the peak, lost feeling in my hand within like 30 minutes. Couple layers and some gloves fixed it really quick. It was a popular trail too, running into maybe 10-15 hikers the entire time. The peak had about 6 people on it when I got up there.

Overall, it's an easy hike but definitely long. No matter your fitness level, your knees will probably be screaming. Bring water, don't expect to have some to purify, and enjoy the views. I started around 9:30am, hit the peak around 12:30pm, and got back to my car around 4pm.