Mt. Fortuna, North and South 8/5/12

Thought I'd go for the "Fortuna" loop at Mission Trails this morning. I'd done North Fortuna several times and that's a great hike. So, I thought I would pump up the mileage today and add the South side. WHOA ! The climb was straight up ! Whew. There was railroad ties as stairs. Also a couple of very steep rocks to climb (love that!). Major heart beating work !! Very glad I got to the trails at 7:15 this morning. I was drenched when I got to the top. There were quite a few people there, but it was not crowded. Got to the top and made my way down to the middle of both peaks. Took a deep breath and headed up to North Fortuna. Oh man ! I was sucking wind bad ! But, I made it through it ! To the top and the 3.5 more miles back to the car. Awesome training for the Tough Mudder coming up in October. Would love to be able to run those peaks, but I am light years away from that. But, conquering it by hiking is a great start ! Difficulty: 4/5, Distance, 4/5. Shape to be in to do: 4/5.