What an epic day! Went with a group of 6…a few years ago we were all beginner hikers and Mt. Baldy seemed like something we would never be able to accomplish. One day it was like a lightbulb went off – why SHOULDN'T we be able to climb this mountain? With this goal in mind we set a date to cross this off the LA bucket list. It was a bittersweet day as 3 of our group are moving out of LA at the end of the summer. The way up to the summit was hot and steep but we made it. The final mile above the treeline was pretty tough but we all went slowly and made it up for some incredible views and a great lunch. The backbone was not as scary as I thought it would be but I'd also been training for this hike. The way down was VERY steep, I don't know if I'd want to do that again. By the time we were halfway down we were all ready to be done. Took us all day (about 9-5) and while we all knew it would be hard, it was harder than we thought it would be. An amazing day and such a sense of accomplishment upon finishing. I'm so glad I decided to sign up for this challenge this year and push myself to do things I didn't think I could.