Well,  what a day. I realized, mid-hike that I'm exactly twice as old as the last time I climbed this peak. And I still made it to the top. It was a warm and dusty trail/rock scramble/skree slog but so worth it from the top. Im glad we did it on a Wednesday, though, as it was crowded enough for my taste. The views were surprisingly fairly clear throughout most of the day despite the wildfires burning.

A few hints: start as early as possible, use sunscreen and a hat that has a brim the whole way around (your ears and neck will thank you that night), bring LOT'S of water (I used almost 3 liters), also bring some electrolytes in one form or another (i ended up giving random strangers who were sidelined on the trail with cramps some packets of GU electrolyte capsules and they saw me and thanked me later), first aid kit (darn rocks can be sharp when you slide into them- gave one young man an antiseptic wipe and 4 bandages)…..and your camera.