Even with the hail (they were tiny and buffered by the tree canopy). We almost didn't do this ride. Peyton bailed yesterday but then messaged me about riding this morning. I was just going to do JNT as an out-n-back on my MTB and skip all the road but I did want to do a longer ride. So glad that she texted me and that she didn't realize how long the ride actually was (because she was wanting to do a shorter ride). It was a cold day but I was dressed right for it. Peyton showed up and I sent her back to her car to put on more layers. She was glad she did. Only thing she was missing were full finger gloves. When we stopped on John Nicholas Trail, I gave her my gloves so she could warm her fingers up. I could do without the climb up to Skyline. It just seems like junk miles. We did 3,300' of climbing in the first 11 miles. But once we got up on Skyline and on to the trail, it was so wonderful. It was just so pretty. Around Castle Rock, we met a guy going the other way, telling us about a downed tree on the trail ahead and to detour around it using Skyline. We did, only to find the tree was on the other side of Castle Rock so we had to get passed the tree anyway. It definitely made the ride feel like more of an adventure. Just before encountering the tree, when we got back onto the trail at one of the big Castle Rock rocks. it was really dark. Peyton thought it might be raining. It definitely sounded like it might be raining from the sound of the tree canopy. As we rode on, I could've sworn I saw drops going passed my face. Turns out they weren't rain drops but small hail. Hail was preferable to rain. The trail reminded me of Bolinas Ridge but smoother. There were a few technical spots on the trail that were rocky or rooty that would've been better on an MTB though. I had to walk some sections that I had cleared in the past. Some of the dirt has washed away exposing more of the rocks and roots. Towards the end of JNT, I was worried that the rest of the ride would be so drab compared to the beauty we were currently riding in but we were filled with so much stoke from it, it lasted all the way home. We stopped for lunch in Los Gatos at Willow Street Pizza. Very happy they had heat lamps. The rest of the ride wasn't as bad as I thought it would be - it was less urban. Back at the car, there was a helicopter circling above with someone over the loudspeaker telling whoever they were looking for down below to yell as loudly as they could so that people might here them. I guess someone either got lost or hurt or maybe both. We're definitely going to do it again sooner rather than later. Probably as an out-n-back between Russian Ridge and JNT.