Trailhead Elevation: 5,920 ft.

Summit Elevation: 10,650 ft.

Total Gain: 4,730 ft.

Distance: 16.5 miles r/t

I set out early to conquer this beast of a hike. My pack weighed about 40 pounds, with lots of extra weight added for conditioning. The hike climbed steeply out of the valley, switchback after long switchback. It finally topped out in a meadow, and for about 10 minutes, I got to walk over flat ground! After that, it was a lot more of the same, UP! At about 9,500 feet I hit snow, so I put on my gaiters and kept on truckin!! After about 4 hours of hiking/scrambling, I made it to the top. My much anticipated pb&j and sweet potato chips were waiting for me, washing them down with some oh so tasty water. Overall, I drank 140 oz. of agua on this epic calf/quad burner. After spending an hour up top, I had to force myself to begin the arduous trek back to the car. Almost ten hours after I left the confines of my Subaru, I made it back to the trailhead. Stopping at A&W, I decided to grab myself a juicy burger, a reward for completing my toughest hike to date.