The hike was very straightforward, with dirt roads running almost the entire distance.
It was not yet dark when we parked outside the gated 
dirt road
leading up Cedar Creek shortly before 8:30p.
The clouds, not particularly threatening, were glowing in shades
of orange, red, and purple with the setting sun. It took us only a few minutes to be
far enough down the road to be out of sight from the highway. I had searched google maps
beforehand for signs of habitation, but found no buildings, no homes of any sort along
the route. This would make for a relaxing outing. The moon was hidden behind cloud
cover for most of the night, but would make appearances now and then. Still, there was
sufficient light to hike without headlamps for most of the evening, unless we passed
under trees or needed to get a better view of our immediate surroundings.
At the junction of Hurricane and Hagerman Canyons about a mile up the road, we took the
fork leading up 
Kaufman Ridge which divides the two canyons.
We passed through one unlocked gate, then 
hopped a second,
locked one indicating we were moving on to the
property of Cedar Creek Ranch. The owners, past or present was hard to tell, had a
quirky sense of humor that we found charming and gave us some photo opportunities.
Half a mile after crossing the fence, we came across a small flat spot along the ridge
with signs, 
new and 
old,
labeling it Big Horn Gulch. 
License plates from three 
states
adorned a barbed-wire fence. Horse shoes and 
antlers
were tacked to the trees below
the signs. Another half mile further we came to a spot with a couple of rocky
outcroppings alongside the road. An old 
cash registered adorned one,
along with 
a mailbox, complete
with a little red flag and an address painted on it. A mile further we came to an
overlook area. Dozens of cows were huddled about the trees found here, their eyes
reflecting like specters in the inky night. We shooed them away, then found additional
signs indicating a private picnicking location. 
The table
with two stools were a very nice touch.
Not long after this point we hopped another fence exiting the Cedar Creek Ranch. There
were no more fun or 
interesting signs,
just the usual No Trespassing sort. We hiked up
the ridge for another mile before finally seeing our peak off to the right. The road
bypasses the peak to the west, and after ascertaining that the road went no higher, we
struck off cross-country for the top. Much of the last hundred feet was covered in
brush, but fortunately the cattle had beaten useable paths through it, allowing access
without much thrashing. Using the GPS to guide us to within 50ft of the top (it was
not obvious in the dark with the brush), we found the summit crowned with a large tree
(some type of oak, I believe) whose branches spread out not far from the ground with
the folliage enveloping the whole view. The result was a sort of igloo effect, we could
walk around upright under the middle of it, but were stopped by branches and leaves
hanging down at the periphery. The cows evidently enjoyed this location a great deal,
probably to avoid the hot summer sun. We took a few 
quick photos,
and satisfied we had reached the summit, left by the same way we came.
The return route was identical to the approach with a few minor short cuts. It had taken us two hours on the way up, but less than an hour and a half on the way back, about what we had planned for. No rain, no wild animal attacks, no property owners, no notes from the CHP on the windshield upon our return - all in all a very enjoyable and easy outing.