I have been wanting to do the 3 2 1 hike for a while now. We got to Nordic base around 6am on a Saturday and although there were 15 cars already, the lot is huge so I would probably do a 7 or 8am start next time. Another thing about an early start is that the whole hike is only 11 miles round trip so if your a photo junkie like me, you miss out on a lot until the sun gets high enough. Either way it was a wonderful hike. A little chilly when we started but by the final summit I was sweating. I recommend veering right before going up to Mt Pinos instead of taking the well defined trail. This side trail is still well marked but gives you amazing views you would normally miss. We did Pinos, sawmill and grouse before back tracking. Note that grouse mountain is a false peak and when you around you need to go left a quarter mile to reach the big stick sculpture. The false peak was a good shady spot for lunch though. We saw a lot of people who were camping for the weekend but overall the hike wasn’t to crowded. Even if you just do sawmill or Pinos out and back, it is worth the trip and views!