Labor day weekend ...everyone is going outdoors...me and my co-worker Fernando are no different. Friday at noon we were packed and heading to the Sierras..

We took Hwy 108 East to the mountains ...traffic was not bad so we were moving at pretty good paste. All the campsites along this road were packed ...so we continued driving up in the mountain.. at 8000 ft. elevation we spotted this nice spot..

Fernando slammed on the brakes, steered his Audi A4 to the dirt and we claimed the spot... it was perfect. No hot dog roasting families...no kids running around, no music blasting in the camp next to us...

We set up tents, collected some fire wood...popped some beers and enjoyed the rest of the day by kicking back around the camp fire...the place at the sundown was beautiful...

Sonora Peak waited for us next morning so around 10pm we hit the tents ...I slept like a bear ...Fernando did not slept at all...he counted pine needles falling on his tent, listened someone screaming in the distance, got hot..then got cold...then got hot again...

Next morning I got up around 6:30..Fernando was up since last night anyway...We packed our stuff, ate brekfast...and set out to conquer Sonora Peak..

The morning was perfect!

The views were amazing...

That is our destination. ..Sonora Peak..

So no time to waste...we hit the trail..

Looking back to the South from the trail ...while waiting for Fernando..

Some red volcanic rocks along the trail...

Fernando catching a brake..

Looking up the mountain...

The trail was steep at some spots...and lose gravel did not helped at all...

That is me helping Fernando..

Once again...the views were stunning..

While I was playing with my camera Fernando zipped by like a mountain goat...

...and left me in the dust...

On the top of St. Mary's Pass I caught up with him..

On the top of St. Mary's Pass..

Fernando admiring Stanislaus Peak... in the front of him...

We took a short brake here ...

The rest is all flat land..! Piece of cake..

West slope of Sonora Peak...

While waiting for Fernando I build a monument...

At the base of the mountain looking back towards St. Mary's Pass....from here it's all steep and uphill...

The trail was really steep and slippery from all that gravel ...so we took our time...one step at the time...

11459 feet above the sea level...!

At the top of the peak I drinked a bottle of beer, smoked my last cigarette ...

And with a long hike in front of us we started the descend..

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Fernando catching another brake...on the way down..

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So that's it...it was a good Labor Day hike..