9 miles of hiking • 4500' elevation gain •
Scored a free permit from someone who couldn't go, so I did some last minute planning and ran up there. I was dismayed by the rain last night, and the forecast called for clouds in the morning but burning off by afternoon, so I skipped the alpine start and left Portland 9ish - after gas and permits and such, I hit the trail at 11am. It was totally misty for about 1/2-2/3 of Monitor Ridge, but about when I passed the "monitor" station the clouds opened up and I was out in the sunshine with great views. By the time I headed down, it had turned into a beautiful day. Totally a blast for all the rocky scrambling. 2.5 hrs going up, about a half on top, and 2 going down, so 5 hrs total.
