Started early at 4.30am from the trailhead as it was a day hike for us. Could have been a hot day but there was cool breeze all along and partly cloudy weather just made it a very cool and pleasant one.

The initial climb till the Vivian creek campground was pretty grueling almost 1000 ft elevation gain in 1 mile. The next patch till high creek campground was pretty gradual. High creek to ridgeline was all switchbacks. Ridgeline to the summit was the next brutal climb. Thanks to the cloud cover there was some sigh of relief there.

Well covered all along the route until the ridgeline where it became pretty exposed. Lots of bugs and mosquitoes as well all along to the top so make sure to put on some bug repellant. High creek was a good place to chill and refill fresh cool water from the stream before the next ~4.2 miles of grueling climb to the peak. Pretty lush green with wildflowers all along. All the campsites were pretty busy. San Gabriel ranges could be seen at certain spots. From the ridgeline, some devastation from a 2015 willdfire can be seen with stunning view of San Jacinto all the way down to Palm Springs. The partial clouds made the views even more stunning. 360 views of San Gabriel ranges, Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino, San Jacinto and Palm springs from the top.

Took us ~8 hrs to the top and ~5 hrs down. Spent 2 hrs at the top enjoying the views with some good coffee, sandwich and noodles. A long and amazing day overall with ~15hrs on the trail.