A beautiful day on Baldy- it was sunny and warm, but the winds at the summit weren't bad. We headed out at 5:00, missing much of the crowd and had the backbone to ourselves for the first stretch.

That last section before the summit is a booty-buster, y'all. We took our time, as we are the Sloth Squad, and when we saw the views from the top, it made us immediately forget how miserable we had just been. The 360 views were breathtaking and the clear skies allowed us to see for miles around.

After a long break at the peak with a summit beer and all the snacks, we headed down to the Baldy Bowl trail to loop around to the famous Ski Hut. Prepare to eat it, folks. It is one STEEP descent and the trail dirt is loose.  After we made it through the yellow pole section, it wasn't too shabby. Word to the wise, through: this whole trail is super exposed! There is nowhere to hide if you have to pee!

Down by the ski hut is a beautiful spring, so if you're low on water, now's the time! I soaked my pup's cooling vest one last time to conserve our drinking water and he enjoyed a nice romp in the cold water after crossing the boulder field.

The fire road back to Manker Campground was a sight for sore eyes! Much less steep than the previous terrain, and nice and wide! We stopped to take in the views and the waterfall before heading back to the cars. Our original plan was to descend the trail to the waterfall, but our quads (and our pups!) rejected this idea after all was said and done.

Living true to our namesake, we returned to the cars around 4:00 to complete our 11 hour journey!