This was a very last minute solo trip since the person I was supposed to meet up with came down with Covid. We had done some running in the Pecos Wilderness the previous fall and I knew I wanted to come back. I flew in the night before, or technically the same morning since there was a flight delay. I rented a car, slept for a couple hours, and then started out from the Santa Barbara TH at 7:20am. The weather was gorgeous and I saw a couple dozen people on trail, including a group climbing N Truchas and a couple on S Truchas. The technicality of the ridgeline shouldn’t be underestimated. Most of the rock is pretty solid, but there is certainly some exposure and a bailout could be tricky if a storm pops up.
This route might more accurately be called the Truchas Peaks (plural) since it seems like the goal is to tag North Truchas, Middle Truchas and South Truchas (see picture), even if there are slight route variations. I followed Peter and Brad’s route, who started at the parking area before the campground. It might make more sense to start at the far end of the campground where the trail leaves the road (especially if you’re staying in the campground) to avoid racing through the campground when people are asleep.
I could feel the effects of the altitude a little, flying in from sea level the day before. I also stopped to take a lot of pictures of the incredible scenery, and talk to people, and to check on the progress of Western States. Once I got back over the pass the altitude started to not really be an issue and I jogged back to the car.