We got to the trailhead by 5 AM, (which means I was up by 2 AM, walking the dog at 3, left at 3:30 for the drive to WalMart where we met to carpool). The parking lots were already full with cars lining the roadsides for a long distance. It's a very popular hike.
At the start:
2 pictures showing the continual lines of hikers. No isolation here.
Mountain goats:
Two pictures of the rocks to scramble over nearing the peak, the last half mile or so:
2 pics of me negotiating rocks at the top. They made me uncomfortable and were never-ending. I think it is because my pack was heavy with 3 liters of water, food, extra clothes, etc, and threw me off balance when I went down on hands and knees to scramble over the bigger rocks.
Me at summit. It was extremely windy and cold up there.
Some of our group at summit:
A picture of our entire group halfway up. All but one reached the summit.
LOL....my recollection of the last half of the hike was that it was much like this. Hiking poles were invaluable in going up, but especially in coming down. Still tripped and fell 3 times on the way down.
All in all, it was amazing. I'm feeling a bit stiff today, but so accomplished! A good night's sleep made me feel like I could do this again, but maybe not until next year....LOL.
FYI....this is a beginner's 14er hike. But some people brought babies in backpacks, kids, and many many dogs, which I find questionable. 2 German Shepherd dogs on the many rocks at the top were whimpering and crying.
And there was a stream crossing twice, at start and finish down in the wet-lands willowed area.
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