Arrived at the lot at 6:40am and parking lot was closed, so we parked along the side of the road. The hike wasn’t very difficult, but we passed the trail marker that turns off to the peak, and didn’t realize it until about a mile later.  We saw the marker but assumed we were supposed to keep going straight.   So we backtracked, which added 2 more miles to our trek before heading up the steepest part of the trail.  Also had a close encounter with a large rattlesnake that was resting under some dry brush right next to the trail.  I think that scare (have never been so close to a rattlesnake before) the extra 2 miles and the heat, just made it a lot harder than I was expecting.  It was a bit buggy in areas, and other areas had lots of bees, but that didn’t bother me. Parts of the trail are a bit overgrown so I was glad I wore long pants and long sleeves.  Overall it was a good adventure.