I left the Icehouse Canyon trailhead around 8:30am. Temp was pretty cold, 30s maybe. There were maybe ten other hikers on the trail but it seemed like many were only going to the Icehouse Saddle. After passing the Saddle, I didn't see any other hikers who were going to or coming from the Cucamonga Summit. Shortly after leaving the Saddle and rounding the northeast face of Bighorn Peak, it became obvious that I would need Micro-Spikes for the rest of the ascent. Luckily I had listened to a good friend's advice the week before and remembered to pack spikes in my gear.

About 70% of the last 2 miles of the trail Was covered in hard pack snow and ice that was extremely slippery. The trail is very narrow, with steep, icy drop offs on the final pitch switchback section of the hike. Wearing micro-spikes made the climb a relatively easy walk up. I would not recommend attempting Cucamonga via the Icehouse Canyon without spikes anytime in the near future. It would be a very slow and dangerous endeavor.

It was beautiful, clear and sunny at the summit. Coming back down required spikes again and then the final 3.6 miles down Icehouse Canyon was a nice, dry descent.

Two down!!