Ron and Allen joined trip leader Junette at 6:45 AM Tuesday, April 5, 2022. They left promptly at 7:00 AM. It was about 67 degrees and a beautiful morning. High of 93° was predicted, and we needed an early start.

It was a long uphill climb. We took a short break at the first saddle then continued down and around the mountain. The yellow brittlebush flowers and poppies are going away but the magenta blooms of the hedgehog cactus are coming out. A few ocotillos were blooming too. Many birds were singing their song.

The second hill didn’t seem as difficult as the first. We rested in the shade at the second saddle near the Bulldog Trail and Usery Pass Trail junction. We saw a side trail leading to a cave.

No snake sightings. Not many people around. Love midweek hikes!

Junette made ham radio contact with Dave who was monitoring the Usery repeater. This repeater will soon have a solar power option.

We arrived at our cars at 10:30 AM. It was 80 degrees. 5.1 miles and 3 1/2 hours of enjoyable hiking. We climbed 1,115 feet.