6.5 hours up, 4 hours down. I was really dreading this peak, knowing that it was long and tough and far away, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's long and much of it is steep and there's no shade at all (once you get past the flat section along the creek), so I definitely wouldn't want to do it on a hot day. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the very remote trailhead (more than 3 hours from my house in Studio City), and time your arrival so that you're not ending in the dark, since the last bit of downhill is really slippy and the stream crossings (all dry when I did them) seem like they would be somewhat tricky in the dark. Otherwise, the trail is quite straightforward.

We followed HPS Route 1. The final summit push, starting from the east side of the summit and heading up, was really brushy but doable along an unducked route. We were following some relatively fresh bootprints up. But there is a ducked route up and down the south side of the summit which looked like it would be easier...look for the ducks along the trail and give that a shot if you go up there.

The hot springs near the trailhead really make this hike memorable...perfect for recovering (and getting a bit cleaner) at the end of a tough day. My hiking buddy and I lucked out., and we were the only ones soaking.