Eight enthusiastic hikers, Tom, Li Li, Terry, Chris, Alonnie, Ken, Vicki and Janet met at the Kendrick Peak Trailhead at 9:30. The weather was cool and pleasant with a bit of a breeze. We encountered few hikers, much to our surprise, on this holiday weekend.

Those of us familiar with the trail anticipated the first couple of miles of adjustment to the steady uphill climb in combination with an altitude that literally takes your breath away. Many of us noticed the area was unusually dry for this time of year, nevertheless, it was a pleasant change from desert landscapes.

As we hiked the switchbacks, the wind steadily increased. We made one group rest stop and then took another break at the cabin.

We pushed through the last portion of the hike up to the top with the fire lookout tower. The tower is closed to the public and appeared to be unmanned. Despite the strong winds, we took a group photo at the top and found a sheltered spot to enjoy lunch.

Re-energized, we headed down the trail with heavy winds. At times we could hear trees creaking in the wind and saw several uprooted trees. All hikers were back at the parking lot by 2:30 PM.

Kendrick Peak was a 9.9 mile roundtrip with accumulated elevation gain of about 2800 feet.

Back at the trailhead, we enjoyed some refreshments and headed toward town for a late lunch.