Christoffel Mountain

You need to sign a waiver before being allowed to do the hike, to say that you are physically fit, you have water along, etc.

Despite starting the climb at dawn (in fact you can't start it past 9am), the heat and humidity played quite a factor and I was drenched by the time I got to the top. And as more people arrived, every single one of them were soaked in sweat. I can't imagine doing this one later in the day in the full force of the sun.

The last 20% of the hike up is the toughest as it gets steeper and you need to use your hands in order to get up certain sections (ie. light climbing vs hiking). And I realized looking through my photos that I didn't stop to take any pictures of the steep section of the hike. I think I was tired at that point and just wanted to get to the top. I was also "racing" the people behind me so that I could have the top to myself even if was for 5 minutes. There was a lineup at 6am when the Park opened, but I was first in line, so I was first to head out on the trail.

As challenging as it was going up, the steep section at the top was even trickier and slower going down.

In summary, I enjoyed the hike, but I should have taken it slower to enjoy it more and take more photos rather than racing to get to the top first