This was the final peak of the challenge and my friend and I decided to do it on the day before daylight saving time ended so that we could get another hour of sunlight. We started at the Sunol trailhead at 8:30, parking as close as possible to the trailhead since we didn't want to hike one step more than required!

It started off pretty easy along a gentle elevation on a fire road. Once we took the backpack road, the elevation started to steepen and the sun got hotter. The scenery was all brown and the sun was unrelenting! We struggled on until the we hit the last 2 miles. At this time, we welcomed a gentle breeze that made our last few miles doable. We reached Rose peak at about 2pm, had lunch and a long rest and then headed back.

The hike back was long and steep and arduous. My mental stamina was exhausted, we pushed ourselves to walk the final few miles and were thankful for our choice parking spot!

I am so proud of myself and my friend for having completed all the peaks in this challenge. The longest we had hiked prior to this challenge was 8 miles, 2500 feet. This challenge encouraged me to test my limits and endurance and become fitter in the process. I look forward to taking on this challenge again next year!