We started the hike at around 8 AM. This was my first long hike and it was a worthy one. The trail has plenty of shade and the day was fairly cool. We quickly made our way to the first peak, which was Mt. Pinos. We stopped and took pictures and continued on to the next peak: Sawmill Mountain. This part was more challenging, as there were inclines that I was not used to. We eventually reached Sawmill Mountain and sat right by the stone formation and took some pictures. We pushed on further to reach Grouse Mountain. This part was a killer, as my legs began to feel the effects of the incline and decline from the 2 previous peaks. There was some difficulty in reach the signage for Grouse Mountain because it was actually a bit off path, but we eventually found it by following some people and consulting our trusty GPS. This was the final destination of the hike, so we turned around to come back from where we came from and this was when my legs and exhaustion would start to catch up. All those years putting off gym days really caught up with me here, but the views and the scenery was well-worth the pain. We took our time, but we eventually made it back to Nordic Station, where we celebrated our first peak to cross off the challenge. The trail was beautiful, with plenty of wildflowers and the smell of pines permeating through the air. It was not too busy and it was a nice getaway from everyday life.