For our fourth peak on this challenge, Maggie May and I made it up to Mt. Baldy. It was a gorgeous crisp day. Thankfully the Santa Ana winds from earlier in the week had died down, and we had only a semi-light breeze. I layered with fleece-lined thermal underwear, some synthetic hiking pants, an Outdoor Research performance fleece, puffer vest and a thicker fleece I sometimes wore, depending on the wind. I brought my REI Rainer rain jacket, just in case I needed something to block the wind, but thankfully didn't need it. I also wore some compression hiking socks that were pretty great.

Maggie did really well. I always pack plenty of food for her, and also Musher's Secret, a great paw cream for our active pups (I'm not paid to say this, it's just a good product). She was one of the few dogs on the trail, so she got lots of head scratches and also conned some hikers out of beef jerky (it's her sweet Sarah McLachlan “In the Arms of an Angel” eyes).

For once, we got to the trailhead fairly early. Parking was OKish around 7:30 a.m. We took plenty of breaks and ended up hiking down somewhat in the dark once it hit 5 o'clock.

I can see the pros and cons of both trails. Heading up to the Devil's Backbone, you have that lovely fire road that's easy to maneuver. However, for anyone who suffers from vertigo, this isn't your route. There are multiple times when there is not much on either side of you. I was kind of jazzed about this, but my friend who experiences vertigo was like “not for me!”

The Baldy Bowl Trail is steep and rocky, but you do get some really nice scenery, a little bit of water left at the stream near the Ski Hut (don't go in the outhouse, trust me), and my friend even saw some bighorn sheep. Maggie really appreciated the small stream still flowing in a few places. A better option for folks who might get bored on the fire road and/or who experience vertigo on steep drop offs. There are a few spots on the Baldy Bowl where there's a drop off, but not a situation where it's on both sides.

Overall, a lovely day in the wilderness. Looking forward to our next two peaks!