First solo hike of Mt. Baldy

Normally, I hike Mt. Baldy as part of the annual Climb for Heroes fundraiser, so I am usually surrounded by lots of other hikers. Today, I had just but a handful on the trail with me. I took the Baldy Bowl Trail up and made a quick stop at the Ski Hut. I had never taken this route, as the CfH takes the Devil’s Backbone route. Once across the bottom of the bowl, the climb up the ridge began. When I reached the summit, 3 others were there. Quite the difference from the CfH. I ate my snacks, soaking in the view. I wanted to bag Mt. Harwood on the way down, so I set off toward the Backbone. A nice use trail led to that summit, as well as back down. The rest of the descent went smoothly; however, I did take the steeper option after crossing the Backbone. Excluding stops, my hiking time was 5:15!