Gaaaah I did it! I conquered ol’ Baldy and definitely feel it today. I started this hike at Manker Flat trailhead at 6:15am and headed up to the Ski Hut for the first rest stop. It was a full house in the hut and I was welcomed in to take a peak and say hello to fellow hikers. Kept heading up the trail and winds were already strong, but continued to get stronger…almost up to 60mph it felt like in some areas! Finally reached the summit around 10:30am and was happy to see a ton of snow! Got to use my Yaktrax and gaiters! Made the decent down Devils Backbone and grabbed much needed lunch at The Notch, before continuing down the fire road back to trailhead. Beautiful day, clear skies and memories galore!