Left for Douglas Springs campground from Douglas Springs trailhead at 1810 on 9/11 and made it 1.5 miles before sunset and 2.5 miles before the end of nautical twilight. We used headlamps the rest of the way to the campground. We reached the campground around 2100 after traversing 6.4 miles from the trailhead. We set up hammocks and put our gear in one of the two bar boxes we saw at the campground; sites 1 and 3 had them, but we didn't see one at site 2.

We woke up at 0515 and left camp at 0600 on 9/12 to ascend to Mica Mountain and Spud Rock. We reached Cowhead Saddle by 0710 and stopped a few times along the way to North Slope trail to take in the views, change socks, put on moleskin, and eat snacks. We were 2.4 miles to the summit by 0920 and had lunch at 1000 just before the junction of the North Slope trail and Cowhead Saddle. We summitted Spud Rock at 1045 and Mica Mountain around 1120, before meeting a forest ranger taking care of the trail after some intense rains and the Spud Rock/Mica Bowl fires contained just a day prior. We spoke for 20 mins and took another 20 mins break to recover from the 13+ mile ascent, before beginning our descent at 1200, moving at an average pace of 2.6 miles an hour, but with a half dozen 15 mins breaks. The steps going down make you realize the ascent looks steeper going down than when actually going up it! We made it back down to our car around 1820 after a long exhausting hike with our feet and shoulders about as sore as they can get. The hiking was incredibly rewarding and could not have had a more memorable journey. Very strenuous hike due to the distance and elevation gain, but the grade was not too bad going up, so manageable for those who take their time.

6115 feet in elevation gain and over 34.6 miles (including extra walking around we did) total over the course of about 24 hours, including 7 hours of sleep.