This was my first backpacking hike and the Baldy Bowl Trail was probably the wrong trail to choose for this kind of adventure.  It is a beast of a trail, to say the least, to carry a heavy backpack. I hiked with my husband and two other friends in what we now refer to as our ‘sunrise to sunset hike'. We left Manker Flats just before sunrise and find ourselves at the summit in time to watch one of the most gorgeous sunsets. Taking the Baldy Bowl Trail in the summer saves you from the heat since the trail is on the west. We didn't get sunshine until about 11 in the morning when were almost at the Ski Hut. The tables and benches around the Ski Hut provided us a nice respite from the lung-busting hike that up until that point had us gain more than 2200 feet of elevation in a little over three miles. The trail from the Ski Hut does not get any easier. For about a mile and a half, the gain is close to 1400 feet and the trail is relentlessly steep until the summit. The sharp rocks and loose gravel along the trail don't make the Baldy Bowl Trail forgiving on the feet either. But the rewards at the top — enjoying the views, watching a gorgeous sunset, and sleeping under the stars — make all this difficult hike worthwhile.