I snapped my first photo sometime around 6:00 am. The only light during that time before the sunrise came from the moon hovering within an indigo-color sky above a mound of powdery-white snow.

I remembered seeing the time on my digital clock when I pulled up to the parking lot near the Mount Pinos Campground. I parked next to the two friends I ended up with at the summit. There was a fourth hiker in our group who, rather than potentially injure herself, listened to her body and turned back just before the remaining three hikers in the group reached the Cucamonga Wilderness sign.

I thought I was really feeling the cold that day until I actually felt the wind whip past my bare face. Hiking down into the large canyon of deep untracked snow was brutal. I had brought face coverings for Covid, but I ended up needing them to keep my face from freezing over. The incredibly breezy hike in Los Padres National Forest was one of the harder hikes I've ever done.

Hiking without snowshoes and breaking trail in snow that is attempting to take away your legs up to your knees was difficult. Here's hoping that the remaining hikes in this peak challenge are not as intense.