It was a little chilly and windy this morning when we arrived at the Red Box Parking lot around 0630. The sun was just beginning its slow ascent from the east. There was only one other vehicle and hiker in the lot as we began our chilly trek up the Strawberry Peak trail. We started off at 0645 right as it was becoming daylight. The ground was pretty hard (frozen), but there was no snow or ice to speak of. As we neared the summit there were small lite patches of snow on and around the trail. I was barely measurable.

At the summit, the wind kicked back up to about 15 mph, which made the already freezing temps even colder. With the windcill it was about 27 degrees. We didn't spend too much time up there. Maybe 25 minutes taking pictures and talking with a second hiker that was right behind us on the trail. He was working on his second peak of his first SoCal Six Pack of Peaks Challenge.

On the way down we ran into a handful of other hikers going up. At the temps got warmer, maybe in the 40's, the trail began to thaw and small areas of the trail because little mud patches.

All in all, it was a great start for me and my friend Mary, to our SoCal Six Pack of Peaks 2023.