Sometimes when you're hiking, you realize there is gear you don't have that you need. That was today for me when hiking Hot Springs Mountain. After this hike, I will be buying a bug net to go over my head. When I say there were bugs on this trail, I mean there were millions of bugs on this trail. Every hiker I saw, including myself, was completely swarmed in bugs the entire time. Some hikers were smart and were wearing bug nets over their heads. I did not even know that was a thing! But damn did I learn today. I was covered in bugs the entire hike. I almost emptied my entire can of Off, and the bugs laughed at it. So I spent the entire hike fanning in front of my face with random branches of leaves. Anything I could do to keep the damn bugs off my face and from going up my nose. If you plan on doing this hike anytime soon, wear a net over your head. It's not just a swarm here or there, it is the entire trail, and you will be completely covered in these tiny bugs the entire time. Other than that, it was lovely. The first 2 miles are grueling, but after that it's a fairly easy hike. I was not able to climb to the actual summit as I am not a good climber and did not feel like falling. So just be warned. To get to the actual summit, you have to climb up an unstable ladder that's held in place on one side by a piece of rope (OSHA would cringe), then grab onto some rope to climb up the boulder to the top. So if you're not comfortable with rock climbing or heights, do not plan on going to the actual summit. Lastly I would not rate this hike as hard. The distance is difficult, yes, but the rest I would rate as moderate.