This was the second time in two years that I climbed Mt Baldy. Last time, after summiting I missed the Ski Hut trail down and ended up going the long way around and had to hitch-hike back to my car.  This time I found the right trail and finally saw the Hut.  The morning started off ominously with the drive up to The Manker Trailhead, climbing through the cloud layer in the early morning made for an eerie start.  But once through the cloud layer, the mountain was sunny yet a bit windy with gusts in the 15 -20 mph range. The day was beautiful and the Devil's backbone contained a lit extra adrenaline as the gusts slightly ‘pushed' against me.  At the summit, there were granules of hail/ snow in the rock windbreak. All in all, a good solid hike just over 6 hrs roundtrip.