FINALLY – THE LAST AND THE HARDEST & LONGEST OF THE SOCAL SIX PACK OF PEAKS CHALLENGE.

So happy to finally finish this. We attempted this three weeks ago but apparently missed the trailhead and wandered about 3 miles into the rocky areas the first time. Having started late (after 10:00am) we decided it was a very bad idea to start a 17mile hike so late and we're glad we rescheduled. The time crunch one day before the final day of the challenge end date was definitely a good motivation to finish this hike. This hike was definitely not easy. The second mile in (starting at the ‘Trail' sign + wilderness permits required 1 mile ahead) was a brutal steep climb up. We were definitely caught off guard for that. Surprisingly the next 3-4 miles were nice and flat and the views of fall setting in added to the pleasant hike. However, halfway through the final switchbacks were VERY hard. The wind was blowing hard and we got people coming back down telling us to make sure to be careful because the windstorms were soooooo crazy. We didn't really know what to believe, but I basically had my friend push me up half the time because I was so tired. When we got to the final .2 miles of the hike, IT WAS BRUTAL. THE WINDS WERE CRAZY AND WE COULDN'T FEEL OUR FINGERS OR FACE. This final stretch was probably the hardest I've seen in a while.
Somehow, someway, we got to the top, wrote our names, snagged a couple shots and booked it down the mountain. Could not have been happier to leave that crazy windstorm at the summit.

We were going very fast back down, but will had to hike in some darkness with the sun setting a bit earlier these days.
HAPPY TO FINALLY FINISH THE 6 PEAK CHALLENGE!!