Allen is the longest hike for a single peak, but it is far from the hardest. I once again drove into the trailhead the night before and slept for a bit before beginning my hike at 3:30 AM.

The eight mile hike to and from the base of the mountain is mostly smooth and on a dry day you can really move quick on that section. I was happy to make it to the base of Allen quite quickly and began the treck up. I had heard about the challenging slides and was surprised by how late they began. Most of the rout up the mountain was actually pretty easy, but when I did reach the slides things got more challenging.

I took some time to evaluate and plan my route up the steep, wet slide. I found the rock to be grippier than expected and went from one ledge to another. There were definitely some portions of the climb that made me a bit uneasy, but overall the climb was manageable. 

When I finally reached the summit I sat down and enjoyed lunch. I was joined by a man named John from Montreal after a short while and we discussed the climb and our journeys to become 46ers. I left the summit shortly before him and made my way back down the mountain, which was fairly easy with some controlled sliding down the steeper sections.

When I reached the bottom of the mountain I stopped for a quick break and just as I was getting ready to start the eight mile walk back to the car John caught up to me and we walked the rest of the trail together. It is always nice meeting new people on the trail, and I welcomed the company in this especially remote portion of the park.

I made it back to the car and celebrated my longest hike to date (in terms of distance, not time) clocking in at 20.25 miles. This was also a significant moment because it meant that my next hike would see me complete the 46!