After the primary camping area at around 8,400 ft, the trail becomes a use-path with several braids that can be confusing, but they all ultimately lead up toward the summit. The key is finding the use path that contains the most solid blocks of rock. Despite my best efforts, for much of the way up this portion, I felt like I was making two steps up only to slide one step down. I utilized more solid rock wherever I could so my efforts weren’t without some reward. Despite being loose, the Clear Creek Route is quite efficient and I soon found myself at the summit around 3 hours after starting. The view is similar to that from an airplane with nothing really close.  Naturally, my favorite angle is toward the Trinity Alps, the most rugged thing in sight. Mount McLauglin also rises prominently to the north with its distinct cone shape. While the loose slopes were tedious on the way up, they were quite fun for the return trip with some great plunge stepping down thousands of feet of sand and gravel. Overall, the Clear Creek Route was nice and proved to be a great workout with nearly 8,000 ft of gain. I got a late start after 10 a.m. due to driving from the Bay Area that morning, but was back just after 3 pm with plenty of time to grab dinner and make our way over to the Canyon Creek trailhead in the Trinity Alps. Strava GPS route here.