Peak 5 of 12 was Mt. Baldy, easily one of my favorites in LA County. We walked my favorite route: Up Ski Hut trail, down Devil's Backbone, and a final chair lift down. I led a group of 7 friends and was the only one who had summited the peak, so I prepared them well (lots of layers, sunscreen, hats, electrolytes, and 3 liters of water in addition to whatever we filtered at the hut).

Given that this was my friends' first Baldy hike, we adopted a slow and steady pace averaging one mile an hour. It was the most leisurely I've approached this peak, but none of us experienced altitude issues or muscle overuse.  We started a little after 8:00 a.m. and by the time we reached the Top of the Notch restaurant and bar, it was 4:00 p.m.

After some beers and French fries – we had the Notch to ourselves at 4:00 p.m.! – we took the chair lift down.

Quick tips: 

• Bring 3-4 liters and a water filter for any summer hike of Baldy.
• Make sure that your hat can be attached, because there's a good chance it may blow off on the windy Devil's Backbone trail.
• Don't fear the late start; you may just have the Notch to yourself too.