This is the hardest hike I've done thus far. That being said, it was totally worth it. This hike is relentless. We were just constantly going up.

The first part of this trail is what you would expect in the desert with cacti and brush as far as you can see. For the last third of the trail, the terrain changes and the temperature gets cooler.

There was some patches of snow on and near the trail. There was a little bit of water flowing in the washes. We even saw a deer near the upper section of the trail.

Kudos to the 3 individuals we saw working on the trail making it better for us all to be on (and for the little bit of encouragement we needed for our final push to the top).

We enjoyed some lunch and hot chocolate while taking in the views at the top.

The trek down was almost as difficult and painful as going up. However, we did add a detour over to Linda Vista Saddle anyway. We finished our hike to the vehicle after dark.