15.2km, 1754m elevation gain.
Total Time: 9h 21m
Kings Peak has been on my list for quite some time but it's always been put off for one reason or another. I was considering camping but decided to dayhike instead. The weather didn't look great as the day got closer but it turned out to be an okay day.
I took an old service road to a secondary trailhead. The road was rougher than I imagined, room for one and you will need 4x4. I wouldn't want to run into anyone on this road, not many places to pull over and let someone by. Got lots of new racing stripes down the side of the truck! The road takes you right to the trail and saves you about 2.6km and 125m of elevation gain. I'd probably park at the lower lot next time and save myself some worry.
Even though the hike is about 7km one way, it is slow going. There's a lot of elevation gain in a short period. Lots of switchbacks take you through the forest and once you're out of there you get to walk on a lot of scree. We didn't get along too well this time, I took a few slips and got a couple scrapes and bruises. Mostly on the way down, it just slid right out from under you.
The view at the top was great except all the smoke around the Golden Hinde. It was a busy trail but I still got about 30 minutes to myself on the summit before heading down.
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