16 Miles to the summit, Franklin Mountains National Park

What was supposed to be a relaxing hike turned into one of the longest and most challenging hikes we've ever completed. Starting from the northeast side of the Franklin Mountains offers some incredible views, but it also adds roughly 3 extra miles on the way up and another 3 miles on the way back down to what is already an 8-mile hike. What normally takes us around 4 hours from the west side quickly turned into a grueling 16-mile adventure that lasted over 6 hours. As the day went on, the desert heat became relentless. Temperatures climbed to 102°F, and with our water supplies running low, the hike became more dangerous than we had anticipated. Exhausted and completely drained of energy, we slowly made our way back to the car, taking in the final views while focusing on making it safely off the mountain. You'd think we would have learned our lesson. The very next week, we returned to the Franklin Mountains, this time starting from Transmountain Road to hike out to the famous Mammoth—a massive rock formation hidden among the rugged peaks. Fortunately, this hike wasn't nearly as dangerous as the previous one, although I did manage to forget my tripod. That meant setting up my camera in some pretty unusual spots, and thankfully my hiking buddy stepped in to help capture some of the footage. Join us as we take on two unforgettable adventures in the Franklin Mountains—one that pushed us to our limits and another that reminded us why we keep coming back.