summit station

As I went on, I caught a glimpse of the summit tower to my right. It looked like a boulder-y trail went up to it, but when I clambered up, I found the way was roped off with a sign declaring the area "environmentally sensitive." So I came back down and continued on the trail, wondering if there was a way up.

Soon, I heard voices and laughter up ahead. I met a couple who had just eaten lunch (so they told me!). I asked them if they knew how to get to the summit, and they told me to just keep going...

After another minute or two of easy hiking, I finally got to the base of the summit tower! At this point, I'd been hiking for about 2 hours. Book time is 2 h 5 min, so I did pretty well, despite the slippery trail conditions.