Since I didn’t finish the 2024 TFNU 4 Peak Challenge on Dad’s Birthday as I intended, I looked at the weather and found a three day break from our recent 90 degree days. It just so happened that the first of those days was Father’s Day so that sounded like a good alternate goal – to finish on Father’s Day.

I set off in the dark, leaving the car at 04:58am with my headlamp. I was surprised to see several other cars in the lot already and soon found the occupants on the trail – it was a group of guys that had hiked to an overlook about 1.5 miles up the trail and they were there for the sunrise. It was a beautiful day with little wind, clouds and mild temperatures.

There was still a decent amount of snow left on the summit. Since I had brought ice axe and crampons, I decided to just go up on the east snow-covered face. Lots of folks arrived after me with running shoes and no type of traction devices or poles so I am sure that they thought I was a bit off … better safe than sorry! Come to find out that just a bit south, there is apparently the “Spring Route” which is about a 3/4 mile rock scramble to the top so you could have done the summit push without any snow gear – I took that on the way down.

Great day, ate a giant chocolate chip cookie on the summit in Dad’s honor, snapped a few photos, chatted to a couple other hikers and was back to the car after the 15+ mile hike about 8 1/2 hours later. A nice, leisurely way to spend the day in the woods.