Hike up to Strawberry Peak to start 2021 and the 6-Peaks challenge. Joined on trip by a friend who has been recovering from knee surgery and his son. Was a big deal for him to make it to the top and a credit to his recovery.

Arrived at Red Box at about 7am, parking lot already nearly full. Started up at around 7:20am. Reached the summit at 9:45am. After some a rest for snacks, water, and photos at the top, started on a slow descent at 10:30am, finally arriving back to Red Box at about 1:00pm.

On way up, trail was not crowded. A few spots on the trail were still covered in snow and ice, and hiking poles helped keep traction. Summit was very crowded, plus many people on trail when we headed back down.

Overall, trail was a challenge but not as hard as anticipated. Last third of the hike is steep, as has been written elsewhere, but manageable. Greatest difficulty was in finding room for groups of hikers to pass one another on the narrow trails.