Who ever said the hike starts out leisurely and stays that way for a good while must have buns of steel. We live at a lower elevation and the thinner air made our feet feel like bricks. This is our first destination hike of 2021 and it was just in the nick of time. People were friendly all along the way, the trail was maintained and the scramble up to the summit was just hard enough. Advice: When you get to the Y and have the choice of a left turn or gut bustin, calf roasting and humiliating fire break climb… go to the left! We saw lots of people struggling to make it up the beast and we were very happy for the arrow made of rocks that pointed us away from that fun sucking climb! Perfect weather and ample parking all around if not in parking lot. Strawberry Peak with a cherry on top.