My alarm went off at 5 am. I have an hour and a half drive and I like solitude when I’m hiking, so I need to go early to beat the crowds. I do this every weekend but for some reason this morning i am nervous. It’s not my first ever peak but it’s my first peak for the six pack of peaks challenge. Im not sure why that was making me nervous but it was.

I pulled up right at 7 am to a pretty full parking lot—I guess I won’t be hiking alone. The first half of the hike was deceivingly easy. Not enough of an incline to make my legs burn. There were a few icy patches that kept me on edge. There was one downhill section on the way to the peak that was all ice and a little difficult to navigate without slipping. Everyone I saw seemed to do just fine walking carefully and using their trekking poles. I passed a few groups of people and then I hit the part where it starts going up. This part made my legs and lungs burn. There were paths that would diverge and then come back together. A few false peaks that would disappoint you when you got to the top and realized there was still more to go. Finally I saw the strawberry peak signs that I’ve seen in pictures and realized that I finally reached the top.

I sat at the peak for a minute alone before the groups behind me started showing up. It was nice and windy which dried off my sweat quickly. I think I saw Catalina hidden in the clouds but I wasn't sure. I saw mount baldy in the distance – the one peak that really scares me. One man reassured me that mount baldy is one of his favorites and the snow should be gone in June and it will be fine to climb. We sat and chatted for a few minutes and I realized that I can do this. This won’t be that hard.