With this hike, it turns out we could have started further in by 2 or 3 miles, which seemed like no big deal at the beginning.  Adding that on our way back to the parking lot was an absolute pain.  We ended up hiking 23.5 miles total from the car to the peak, back to the car on this day.

We got pretty lucky.  We thought it would be really hot, but it ended up being overcast and misty all day.  At times I was even cold and slightly wet.  It was a good thing too.  We started at 8 am and returned at 7 pm.  It would have been 9 or 10 pm for me if the sun had been beating on us all day.

Aside from the wonderful valley and city views throughout the whole hike, there are some great boulder formations that seem artistically placed.  Also, some of the most beautiful oak trees, a few that must be as old as the rocks themselves.

The terrain was steep although not as difficult as some of the others in the NorCal challenge, but the distance is what killed it.  As beautiful as this hike is, I would sternly suggest backpacking it.  Make sure you book your campsite more than a week in advance, otherwise you cant camp.