It's probably one of my favorite trails. The climb was steep, steady ascent making it a moderate-difficult level. Mostly snow free until the last mile (?) where we have to traverse a few thick pile of snow; no biggie though it caused a bit of congestion as other hikers waited for their turn to traverse. Yes, quite a number of hikers noted- it felt like a celebratory hike!  Micro spikes not needed, just a good pair of trail shoes. A cold weather jacket and a windproof jacket over a long sleeves dri-fit shirt protected me from the sporadic wind gust & cold temperature (started at 0640ish)- going up & through the thick fog. Neck gaiter dually used as a mask & cold protection. Had lunch at a nearby town, Wrightwood. Routes 138 & 2 were open, same thing with the parking lot.