On New Year’s Eve, my dad and I hiked Mission Peak. We left the house after our morning coffee and arrived at the trail head in Fremont at 11am. It has been years since either of us hiked this popular trail. Seven years ago was when my dad last visited; the last time I went was in high school. (IIRC, it was with a bunch of CYS buddies in 2007.)
I was aware of the trail’s challenging steepness, but still underestimated its difficulty. Not long after we started our hike, both of us were huffing and puffing. However, our bodies soon adapted to the uphill workout; with short sitting breaks, we thought we had things under wrap. That is, until we encountered the last segment of the trail.
Near the peak, the trail becomes even steeper. Climbing up that rugged terrain was truly a challenge, but we pushed through to the top. The famous pole (decorated as a Christmas tree for the holidays) had a super long line so we decided to skip taking photos.
Climbing down was not as fun. The downward decline made the trail rough on the knees and feet. If I ever go back, I will be sure to bring my knee straps and hiking sticks to aid in the descent. By the time we got back to the parking lot, it was 2:30pm. According to my Apple Watch, I walked ~7.2 miles and burned ~1,100 calories. All in all, I got a good workout and had a great time.
Before going on this particular hike, Mission Peak always had a bad rep in my mind. Each time it was suggested I would vote against it, saying that it was a boring zigzag and that there’s nothing to see at the top other than a long line of people waiting to take pictures with a stupid tube covered pole.
Anyway, I’ll admit I was wrong; the wide open expanses are beautiful and climbing all the way to the top feels like a big accomplishment. (I still adhere that waiting an hour for pole pictures is dumb.) Next time my friends go hiking, Mission Peak will be near the top of my list of suggestions.
