On the ride up Cecelia remembered that it was Madison's birthday, so we all wished him a happy birthday.
It was an overcast day. In some places the fog was so thick that we could barely see five feet in front of the truck.
But by the time we reached the trailhead we were mostly above the clouds and in the sun the rest of the day.
The trail, an old fire road, was easy to follow. There was a short stretch where poodle dog threatened to give us the itchies, and there was a little overgrowth elsewhere. Mostly the trail was in good shape.
The old road ended at a saddle below Hines Peak, and then we faced the steep, knifeblade ridge.
Being in terrible shape, I slowly made my way up the ridge, while Keith, Madison and Cecelia went ahead to find the peak. Upon reaching the rocky, false summit, I heard their voices but couldn't see them. I dropped my pack and pressed on across some rocks and through some brush. That's when I saw them heading back down. They were surprised to see me, as I had been threatening to quit earlier. Keith said I was mere steps away from the peak now and he showed me the best path through the brush.
On the summit was a benchmark and some wire and wood, perhaps left by surveyors, or possibly from an old sign mentioned in the Sierra Club route description. There was also a register but I didn't bother with it. The others said they had signed my name, and so I was ready to depart after a short water break.
I survived the steep descent without slipping in my hiking sandals, or falling to my doom off the knife-edge portion.
Cecelia was waiting for me at the saddle. Keith and Madison had continued on to do Cream Puff. Here they are returning from the peak.
They said the climb on Cream Puff was super steep and loose, the sort where you take two steps forward and one backward.
We all headed back to the truck after that and had another bumpy, foggy ride through the clouds.
