Arrived at the trailhead around 7:20 a.m. and there were 7 or 8 cars there. Climb through the lower forest was very humid and the buzzing insects were kept at bay with a quick application of DEET. At the overlook, there was a small amount of undercast in the Waterville Valley which was quickly dissipating. The slow, relentless hike up the granite ledges was ht in the sun and had to beware of very slick spots caused by the algae growth in persistent water runoff. One thing I love about this hike is that when I got winded and wanted to take a break on the slabs, a look around gave some of the nicest views I've seen in the White Mountains. There was a nice cooling breeze when I arrived at the summit and took a break. I decided to head back down the way I come rather than attempt the climb up Dickey mountain. This was a mistake. The granite ledges are far tougher going down than up. Next time, I'll just complete the entire loop rather than do an out and back hike. On the way back down, there were about 35-40 people congregating at the overlook and an almost steady conga line from the parking lot up to the overlook ledge. Maybe about 25% of the hikers had masks. There was more refuse on the trail than usual, a couple of torn canvas bags, a bunch of discarded masks and plastic bags full of presumably dog poop as well as a pair of discarded or forgotten t-shirts. There was the occasional muddy spot on the trail but all were easy step-arounds/overs.