I originally planned on hiking this yesterday to catch the snow and beat the winds, but I overslept. Turned out that was a good thing as conditions worsened throughout the day and were much worse than I was ready for.  Tried it today without the 60+mph winds, settling for just rain, a little hail and gusts in the 30’s.  I did have a few gusts almost knock me off my feet, which was a reminder that wind is no joke!  Too cold and stormy at the top to enjoy a lunch like I usually do, so just took some pictures and video then hurried on down.  Also wanted to beat traffic since I had to drive down to the San Jose area and since I was solo, there would be no carpool today!  Completed the hike in just under 4 hours, changed into some dry clothes and headed on home.

There was a little snow at the top, but it’s not going to last.  A few downed trees and branches in the forest, but nothing bad.  There is currently a lot of water rushing past the monument, so that was a pretty cool sight!