This was actually my second attempt within a week. I went with a friend last Saturday, and we got maybe a little less than a mile from the peak when we had to turn around because of the insane winds – winds that I was throwing all my weight against in an effort of not getting blown onto my back, let alone take a step forward. It was honestly pretty scary. Luckily we were able to backtrack without any injury or worse.

Fast forward to yesterday. I woke again at a bright and early 1am to get myself to the South Fork trailhead by 4am. My friend from last week would not be joining me, as she hadn’t quite recovered from last week’s adventure. So, solo hike it is!

I hiked through the dark and biting cold for a little over a couple hours. Temps got down to 18 at one point. The water in my bladder tube quickly froze. Glad I also had a separate water bottle! I was very grateful as rays of sunlight started to peak out. Overall, a peaceful, quiet ascent to the top. Winds were either non-existent or an occasional gentle 5 mph. There were a few patches of snow on the trail, but much less than last week.

I passed a couple guys heading down just before I reached the summit. So I had the peak to myself for a bit. It really was a beautiful day. As I ate a sandwich and drank some tea, a few other guys summited. They had all come up via the Vivian Creek trail.

Descent back to the car was also quiet and peaceful. I only passed a handful of people.

This was my 6th peak this year (although I hiked Mt Wilson twice and San Gorgonio almost twice, so could we say 7.9 peaks? 😆) . I’m so grateful that I decided to commit to this challenge. It pushed me well past my comfort zone many times. And in return, I got to experience so much beauty, I feel so much stronger, and I have increased confidence to take on the next challenge, whatever that may be 😊

(Pictures are from both hikes)