This one has been on my list for quite some time, however other races, smoke and family obligations have kept me away. Not this year though! Really, it's been one of the best summers in a long time weather wise. I woke up early but heard rain so went back to bed, thinking that maybe it was not a good idea to go up to Mt Thielson in the cloud and perhaps get to too wet of rock. But my body and curiosity over rode my worries. I started just before 9 am near the pizza shop at one of the trail heads that go around Diamond Lake because I wanted to end and immediately get an ice cream. I also wanted to start with a warm up before hitting Mt Bailey. Mt Bailey was super nice especially after a little rain. The trail was hard packed and the wild flowers were popping. At the top, I was in a cloud, but I had seen that view many times before so it was all good.
When I hit the trailhead I was out of water, but I had passed two fountains right on the trail, so I knew I was good. I stopped took a few big swigs and filled up my flask, thinking that would be enough for Thielson. Half way up Thielson, I was out of water again, luckily I still had 4 Hour Fuel on board so I was ok. However at the top I was very thirsty. Right where I took the picture, I noticed some rocks with rain water in them, I slurped them up and started heading down - dreaming out first water and then ice cream! The top of Thielson was super foggy and cloudy, but luckily I also knew that route pretty well. For the climb, I took a few extra minutes because it was still a little wet, but not crazy slippery.
All in all, it was a great day out, super great temps - and despite me running out of water, I had a really good time.