Did this hike on the Friday after Thanks Giving in absolutely gorgeous weather.
Trees on the way can quite easily be circumnavigated or climbed. Brush is not bad either. Be warned though that as the weather gets colder, the ground will freeze more. We encountered several icy spots in the last 1 1/2 miles of the trail that required us to walk around -- including one hairy spot near the summit. As more snow covers the trail, this might actually become easier.
A longish, strenuous day hike (there is a quite a bit of extra elevation gain/loss to do as the trail first ascents, then descents and finally ascents again--accumulated 5500ft according to my watch, Strava, which should be more accurate, even says 6400ft!) that requires a bit of courage in current conditions -- but, oh, so worth it!
Pushing up and going back down (2 hrs in the dark) took us 8 hours in total, including two short breaks. Saw 4 souls (3 on the way up, one on the way down).
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