On trail at 6:08am….parking lot about 1/4 full with lots of overnight camper vans.

Weather mild…50F with no wind and not a single human being until I got just past the false summit. It had rained the day before so most of the trail was damp and no dust which was nice. Winds were ripping across the flats which added some chill…glad I packed layers including a stocking hat. Gloves would have been nice but I forgot them. (Bad memory). Very gray with lots of wind driven clouds at the summit which was a bit disappointing. Ate my yummy P&J sammie on Dave’s Killer bread and just as I was beginning to descent, the clouds lifted so I had a brief view which was cool. Was the 5th to summit and as I made my way back down, I noticed five other women with my Altra shoes! They must be popular. That plus my dirty girl gators kept the rocks out but even though I used hiking poles, I’m getting old. This was my third summit on SSister and it may be my last. Legs were shaking like jelly when I got back to the car. 4.5hrs up and 4 hrs back.

All in all, a beautiful journey.