First attempt at the 3-2-1 challenge in conjunction with the So-Cal 6POP.

My battle buddy Ernesto and I arrived at Nordic Base at around 0730hrs. Early morning Temps were in the upper 30's, cold, but not bad. We found the trailhead was actually part of the truck trail. We took the Condor Summit trail and followed along the snow covered trail up to Pinos Peak.

We both should have worn our cramp-ons as the trail was covered in snow for the most of the hike. For anyone doing this hike around this time, cramp-ons or snow shoes are recommended. We on the other hand, hiked it the hard way, un-knowing and ill-prepared. Lesson learned.

After Pinos Peak, we then made our way to Sawmill. That wasn't bad at all. Gradual decline and incline from Pinos to Sawmill. We almost passed the turn-in for Sawmill, due to the snow. But we eventually made it there. The rock jenga stack was a sight to see, and the views were spectacular. We hydrated, had some snacks, took some pics, then headed towards Grouse.

The trek from Sawmill to Grouse was ALMOST the same as the trek from Pinos to Sawmill. However, using “AllTrails”, towards the final trek up to Grouse, we ended up OFF-Trail using All-Trails and did a U-Turn into Grouse…there is a felled tree that lies over the trail with a split cut through it. Instead of following All-Trails, we could have just gone straight up to Grouse. I know better to stay on trail, but with the snow, and intermittent GPS signals, we would have saved some time and energy if we had gone straight up to Grouse from the split felled tree. It took us roughly 2.5 hours to complete 3 peaks, 2 counties, in 1 day.

Then on the way back, nearing the end, a little passed Pinos peak, we ran into a fellow hiker that was wearing cramp-ons, snow baskets on his trekking poles, and knee gaiters. Good planning.

Over all I thought this was a fun hike to do. I should have been ready and prepared for the snow, but oh well, lesson learned.