San Gorgonio is a beast. This one took hours and hours. The trail up Vivian Creek is steep and steady, but offers beautiful views, resplendent flora, a cool creek, and finally some serious switchbacks which give way to a fabulous view of San Jacinto (Hey! I did that). It's a great spot to have a little rest and get your first view of the exposed summit of Old Greback. Now shit gets real. The next 3 miles (is it less? it felt like 5) is a tedious slog in the hot sun on a rocky, shadeless track. The spirit of collegiality among everyone we encountered on the trail was palpable – this is rare air. We reached the summit in the early afternoon: It felt top of the world FANTASTIC to stand on the highest peak in Southern California. The hike down was all gravy (I love gravy). So proud to have met my personal goal in completing the Six Pack Challenge. What I didn't expect but gratefully found on these trails was friendship, support, mutual respect and a community that enthusiastically shares my love of adventure and the natural world.