We started at Manker campground and went clockwise up the Baldy Bowl trail then down Devil's backbone, just so that we could finish at the Top of the Notch bar with a drink.  Nice!  There were 9 of us at the start but it spread out pretty quickly – as usual.  No problems parking at the campground for our start at 6:20AM.  The ski hut was locked shut on our way up but we could still use the little outhouse there.  The bowl, as always, was AMAZING!!  We did this hike last October and it still wows me!  The top was snow free but there were a few spots here and there where there were some snow patches. But they were off the trail and not a problem.  The snow was actually pink in spots – which I learned is algae (with maybe some bacteria too). Didn't stop us from having a snowball fight!  Love that!  Playing in snow in Southern California in late June!  Devil's backbone was amazing – with views for miles!  We saw some friends coming up in that direction. Awesome!  We heard this trail is getting to be very busy but I didn't think it was bad at all.  Yeah, we saw plenty of people coming up but it wasn't a traffic jam by any stretch.  As planned we stopped at the Notch bar for some great sangria and potato wedges (Jojos). Yum!  Great way to relax and wind down.  This is peak number 3 of 6 for us. Can't wait for the next one…