We started before sunrise at 5:00 am to beat the mid-day heat. The parking lot was already packed, perhaps with overnight campers. The sun came up behind the mountains as we made our ascent in the cool morning air. We lucked out with a nice clear day given the forest fires in the state that bring smoke to the area on some days.

The first few miles were very pretty and pleasant giving me the impression that the hike wasn't so hard. But the work really began after we made it to the pond.

There the grind began up the steep slope with loose rock. At that I point started to curse my friends that talked me into doing the hike. But once we made it to the false summit, it was an easy walk across a snow field to the final summit. We said a collective “Wow!!” as the view emerged. It was all worth it for that view!!

We had a quick snack at the summit while enjoying the view but didn't stay too long as it was quite cold up there. Then came the challenging hike down the steep slippery slope. At least half of us fell on the loose rocks on the way down. No injuries thankfully! Hiking poles are definitely a must on this hike.

All-in-all a challenging but amazing hike!