Planning this hike for February we were thinking about cool, even cold temperatures. But no such luck. By Friday the forecast called for temperatures in the mid to high 80s. That’s when we decided to get an early start. So five determined hikers headed out at 7:00 AM.

About 4 miles into the hike after reaching Windgate Pass. Nancy decided to go back. By now the sun had come out and we got rid of one layer before heading down to the Windmill/East End junction. The first part of East End trail was not too bad, but then it got serious.

And then finally after some climbing and scrambling we did it! Reached the base of Tom’s Thumb.

Since we did not bring our climbing gear we had to skip the pinnacle. After duly appreciating the views from this vantage point we decided to add another mile to the hike and explore the Lookout trail, which we did not regret. The views from here were truly spectacular.

Now at 3,858 feet, the highest point of our hike, we finally took a well-deserved break and fueled up for the way down.

But since all good things have to come to an end and we still had quite some miles to cover, it was time for us to head back.

On our way down we came across something you don’t see very often in the desert: Cattails. Exploring a little more we found the water source, an old water line.

Exhausted but very pleased with ourselves for finishing what turned out to be a 13.5 mile hike, we got back to the trailhead at 2:30 and parted ways.