I had read that between Ontario and Cucamonga peaks, Ontario was the lesser hiked one of the two. This was immediately apparent as I left Icehouse Saddle. The trail junction had been pretty busy and so had Cucamonga Peak, but as I got further away from the saddle I was now more and more alone. I had the pleasure of hiking with two neuroscientist grad students, whom I met at the trailhead that morning, even though I had come alone. We climbed Cucamonga peak together and it was only 1 PM. They had since gone on their way back to the parking lot and I was on a mission to tackle two peaks in one day. There was still plenty of light and I was starting to feel the elevation but I was determined.

I passed by Kelly Camp and saw some people starting to set up their tents but those were the only people I saw for a while. Shortly after, there was a very steep section where the trail winds its way to the top of the ridge where the junction of the Ontario and Bighorn peak trails. On my GPS, the trail was mapped in a place where I wasn't. For about 10 minutes I walked where there was supposed to be a trail, according to my GPS map, but there wasn't. I bushwacked a bit back up to the ridge where I found the trail again. I guess the trail has shifted since whomever uploaded the GPS information where the trail is. It was starting to get hot and I was starting to feel tired. I felt silly having wasted my energy walking up the side of the hill where there was no trail and took a seat below a bush to get some shade. My backpack felt awful light and through the hose to my Camelback I could feel air, meaning I was getting low on water. My body said no but my mind said yes. With a mile and a half left to go I got up and was graced by the company of a couple hikers. I told them I had gotten lost and they very kindly allowed me to follow them. They were undertaking an 11-peak challenge around the Baldy bowl that day and Ontario was going to be their 10th. They knew the way and so I followed close behind. Obviously, they were in better shape than I but I did my darndest to keep up. That mile and a half felt like a hundred miles, but we drew ever closer to Ontario. One last final push and we were at the top. I plopped myself on a rock and took a break before snapping a quick picture with the sign. There were a few other people at the peak who were all taking part in that other challenge and soon left to finish it off, leaving me alone again.

I was really starting to slow down, and it was getting later into the afternoon, so I didn't stay very long at the peak and invest as much time as I normally do taking pictures. I met some other people doing the 11-peak competition along the way and exchanged greetings and good-lucks. I made it back to Kelly Camp and once again took a break. I had been rationing my last bit of water to make it back to the Saddle. There was a spring (Columbine Spring) a little ways down the Icehouse Canyon trail that I was banking on getting to stock back up on water to finish the hike. There were quite a few more people this time around at the campsite, including a group of kids and two older gentlemen. I sat down close to their group and the gentlemen and I began to talk. We exchanged stories and names. I was embarrassed to ask them for water, admitting I was low, but they had no problem allowing me to drink from one of their bottles. The gesture of kindness and the nice cold water gave me a serious boost to get back to the saddle. We shook hands and I was on my way. I made it back to the saddle and snacked on a protein bar, taking my last sip of water from my pack.

I busted tail down the trail and eventually made it to the spring where I and a couple others drank to our heart's content of the delicious cold spring water. By this time I was hurting a bit. My feet were quite sore and felt even a little swollen. The heat had gotten to me and of course not having water for a while didn't help. I made it back down to the parking lot by around 6 PM, in one piece, but sore and exhausted. I had been out since about 6:45 AM that morning. In total, between the two peaks, I had clocked in just around 17 miles and 5000 feet of elevation gain/loss. It was the most intense hike I've had to date. The most elevation gain in a single day and the most distance in a single day.

This part of the hike may not have been as enjoyable to me as the first part. In fact I was quite miserable. But that was due to the fact that I pushed myself and was a little over-zealous. I had only prepared myself for doing one peak that day but wound up doing two because I really, really wanted it. Someone on this website had told me with the proper amount of water and a good attitude, I could hike any of the peaks in this challenge no problem. I took that advice to heart. Although I was a little stupid with my decision to hike 5 extra miles without a proper amount of water, I broke some mental barriers that allowed me to press onward. It was also a huge lesson on when to understand that I have my limits and how to prepare on the unexpected.

Looking back on it, I'm glad I did it. It proved a lot to me– that I could do it. I'm fairly new into hiking in a serious manner like this. This hike was a serious confidence booster. I have 4 out of the possible 8 peaks done, and I did them in only about a month! It may be child's play for some, but coming from someone who hasn't gone to the gym in 6 months, I impressed myself.