Mount Dickerman — Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023

Beautiful, challenging hike on a perfect weather day. 4th car in the lot at 7:30 Saturday morning which was a bit of a surprise, but I'm guessing the hornet reports kept some people away. Aside from a few blow downs the trail is in good shape. There wasn't any activity at the lower hornet/yellow jacket nest (I didn't hang around to figure out which kind it was) and it is clearly marked by a note on the trail. The second nest up near the top was much more difficult to avoid given its location at a sharp turn to the right as the trail heads to the meadows before the summit. There is a green tag tied to a branch on the left of the trail about 50 feet before you get to the turn. My buddy and I snuck through with only one sting between us but it seems there were very few that made it through unscathed. Once you do get through that spot you are rewarded with beautiful fall colors and 360 views from the summit. 2 hours, 20 minutes up, 2 hours 30 minutes down (most of the extra time was spent stopping and talking to people about the hornets on their way up).