Initially I was planning to hike Mount Baldy by going up the Ski Hut and coming down on Devil's backbone. But it was my first time doing the hike and I wasn't paying enough attention in the beginning and I missed the sign on the hike to go up towards the ski hut. So I ended up going on Devil's backbone both on the way up and back (this added around 2 miles to the hike). The trail conditions were great – there were 2-3 small patches of snow, but you could walk around them.

It was a very sunny day, which helped a lot with the wind up top. Basically after the top of the notch you would get strong gusts of wind, and after you started going on the devil's backbone it would be constant wind blowing from the sides. Honestly, I enjoyed it, since it cooled me down a lot, but I would definitely recommend getting 2 extra layers in your backpack as it was freezing up top.

Really great hike, finished it in around 6 hours with a 30 min break at the top. But even through the devil's backbone, which is not as steep as other paths, the trail had certain parts which had a really high inclination and it was quite difficult to maintain a pace on them. Will definitely come back to try other paths up the mountain!

Finishing thoughts: compared to previous hikes, Mount Baldy definitely looks dangerous. Hiking it in good conditions seems reasonable, but I couldn't imagine hiking it when it's covered in snow and ice – one bad/unlucky move and you could experience a very dangerous fall. Would not recommend it in the winter.