Arrived at 7:30 am with a couple other cars in the lot. Immediately behind me about 5 more vehicles arrived ready to hit the trail with the sunrise, and then more ... There was a large group hike meeting at this time as I found out.
I headed up the trail ahead of the group and had it largely to myself. Beautful light coming through the trails on this clear sunny day. Trail in great condition. Muddy in places, but pretty clean considering the recent rainfall. Tree down over the trail at about 1.7 miles, but easy to pass under. Snow mainly snow free most of the way, with snow / slush accumulating around 3.6 miles. I used my spikes for the last little ascent just to minimze slipping, but didn't really need them. Useful for the descent, though.
Wandered around the top and over to the haystack. Climbed up the back a bit, but decided against it as I was my pup. Found a crag out of the wind at the mountain view and hung for a bit enjoying the clear views before heading down. Many groups heading up, but didn't seem crowded. Great day to finally hike this one.
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