We, the B.A.T.S. (Bad Ass Trail Sisters), got an early start to beat the heat and reached the summit by 9:00 a.m.!

We took the East side TH for a couple reasons.  First, we’ve heard such horrible stories about mosquitoes, and we hoped the East would be less because there were fewer lakes on that side.  I saw one mosquito and heard a few flies, but NO bites whatsoever. I think there was maybe a couple bites in our three-person group. We did treat our clothes and had mosquito repellant on.

Second, we saw the mileage was less.  However, this would be a tradeoff as that meant a steeper climb.  It was up from the beginning for sure, but not that bad at all; only the last 1/2 mile was steep, which all the trails enjoy!  Since we stopped at Maiden Lake to cool off, we did end up logging ten miles.

We did not have blue-bird skies, but we saw everything…..the views never end!

We finished the day with eating at Odell Resort with a grand view of Maiden Peak! Perfect!