Golden Gate, Skyline Trail Loop & Paradise Glacier — Sunday, Sep. 1, 2024

It was a warm buggy, people-y, marmot-y day on the mountain. I got to the Jackson Visitor Center at 6 a.m. and wasted no time heading up to the Golden Gate trail. Like everyone is saying, most of the flowers are past prime, but you can still find some dazzling colors. I went super slow at the beginning to soak in the pink mountain. I crossed paths with a little boy who kindly told me once I go up and then go up some more I'll see marmots and then the whole sky is pink. There were so many marmots. The little ones looked to be chasing each other while the grown ups ate and ate. Very much like all the family bbq's going on this weekend. Once I hit the skyline trail, I took a right to the lower part of the loop. The hike got much busier then, but I just pulled over for everyone so I could luxuriate in the sights. I took the Paradise Glacier trail because last week my friend and I couldn't see more than five feet ahead of us. I had no idea it was so amazing! We could hear the running water and I could imagine we were passing beautiful scenery, but WOW! I love this little 1.5 mile trail. There's some climb to it, it's 100% exposed, and there are sections with loose rock, and it's now going to be a permanent fixture to my Paradise hikes (when it's accessible/safe). Back on the Skyline trail, there were so many people I had to shift my mindset to now enjoying being around people who are all there to see such a wondrous place. It's always neat to hear all the different languages spoken and different accents, hear the kids, and see couples finally stop holding hands because it's too damn hard and hot to be darling. I thanked one couple for pulling over for me, telling them they were the first to do so that day. They said I was the first to thank them. Then we chatted for a few minutes, which had me busting out in laughter. So thank you for the laughs. It was good stuff. All trails put me at 5.5 miles and almost 1,400 ft elevation gain. Note: with the current hot spell, pack more water than you normally would, plan for 75 degrees to feel like 89 degrees.