I did Mount Baldy last year (Ski Hut out and back) and was excited to approach the peak through the well-known Devil's Backbone. This also happened to be the rescheduled Run to the Top so we had lots of company of runners and race volunteers/additional rangers on the trail. This definitely slowed us down, especially in the last few miles when we were heading up and everyone was trying to come down that way. However, the vibes were excellent and this hike was exactly as challenging and tough as I expected, and it is definitely one of the hardest hikes I have completed. We went down ski hut to try and finish quicker and with less downhill miles, but it was pretty hard on the knees even with poles. Baldy is always beautiful, fun, and difficult – in total logged 10.8 miles.

This was hike #35 on my 52 hike challenge.